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Special Issue "Polymers, Additives and Reinforcements from Upgraded Wastes from the Food Industry and Agroforestry"

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 10549

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Prof. Dr. Rafael Antonio Balart Gimeno

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Technological Institute of Materials (ITM), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), 03801 Alcoy, Spain
Interests: aliphatic polyesters; blends; compatibilization; advanced characterization; functional additives; unsaturated polyester resins; composites
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Prof. Dr. Pablo Marcelo Stefani

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Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (INTEMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP), Av. Colón 10850, Mar del Plata 7600, Argentina
Interests: biobased thermosetting polymers; foams; soy-based polymers; waste valorization; natural-fiber-reinforced plastics; biocomposites; green composites; natural additives

Dr. Franco Dominici

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Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale, Università di Perugia, 05100 Terni, Italy
Interests: high-performance polymers; nanoparticle additives for plastic formulations; biodegradation of polymers; polymer composites; biopolyesters; advanced manufacturing; composites
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Dr. Marina Patricia Arrieta Dillon

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Departamento de Ingeniería Química Industrial y del Medio Ambiente, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII-UPM), Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
Interests: food packaging; biodegradable polymers; composites; nanocomposites; active materials; natural polymers
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Dr. Luís Jesús Quiles Carrillo

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Technological Institute of Materials (ITM), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencia, Spain
Interests: polymer processing; biobased and biodegradable polymers; wood plastic composites; mechanical and thermal characterization; biodegradation; green composites; advanced characterization; functional additives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, sustainable development has become a key topic and, of course, the polymer industry has been giving solutions to achieve this goal. The transition from traditional “linear economies” to “circular economies” has revealed the relevance of wastes as base materials to generate high-added-value products. The food industry and the agroforestry industry generate huge amounts of waste that can be the source of additives and/or reinforcements for the polymer industry. Moreover, most of these wastes or by-products are polymer-based structures (polysaccharides, proteins, lignins, among others) which can be helpful in this transition to a “circular economy”. The food and agroforestry wastes can be the source for a wide variety of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids and fats, phenolics, and other extractives that can positively contribute to a more sustainable development in the polymer industry. In addition, biomass from wastes can be used in bacterial fermentation to provide new biobased polymers. Despite the recent advances in waste valorization, there is still an increasing interest to upgrade wastes at industrial scale.
This Special Issue aims to cover all topics related to novel, original, and cutting-edge research works focused on obtaining high-added-value polymers and/or additives from wastes derived from the food industry and agroforestry. Thus, contributions concerning not only their sustainable origin, extraction, and purification, but also their prospective obtainment, production, design, and processing at an industrial level are particularly welcome.

Prof. Dr. Rafael Antonio Balart Gimeno
Prof. Dr. Pablo Stefani
Dr. Franco Dominici
Dr. Marina Patricia Arrieta Dillon
Dr. Luís Jesús Quiles Carrillo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainable polymers
polysaccharides
films
polyphenols
food wastes
agroforestry wastes
circular economy
protein-based polymers
lignin-based polymers
additives
nanocelluloses
lignin nanoparticles
lipids and fats
bacterial polyesters
biodegradation
functional additives

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Coffee Variety and Processing on the Properties of Parchments as Functional Bioadditives for Biobased Poly(butylene succinate) Composites

Mirko Rennert

and

Benedikt T. Hiller

Polymers 2023, 15(14), 2985; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15142985 - 08 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 510

Abstract

Fermented polymers like biobased poly(butylene succinate) (BioPBS) have become more relevant as technical substitutes for ductile petrochemical-based polymers but require biogenic functional additives to deaccelerate undesired thermo-oxidative degradation and keep a fully biobased character. In this paper, the influence of coffee parchment (PMT) from two different varieties and processings on the thermo-oxidative stabilization and mechanical properties of poly(butylene succinate) composites up to 20 wt.-% PMT were investigated. Micronized with a TurboRotor mill, both PMT powders differ in particle size and shape, moisture ab- and adsorption behavior and antioxidative properties. It could be shown that pulped-natural PMT consists partially of coffee cherry residues, which leads to a higher total polyphenol content and water activity. The homogeneous PMT from fully washed processing has a higher thermal degradation resistance but consists of fibers with larger diameters. Compounded with the BioPBS and subsequent injection molded, the fully washed PMT leads to higher stiffness and equal tensile strength but lower toughness compared to the pulped-natural PMT, especially at lower deformation speed. Surprisingly, the fully washed PMT showed a higher stability against thermo-oxidative decomposition despite the lower values in the total phenol content and antioxidative activity. The required antioxidative stabilizers might be extracted at higher temperatures from the PMT fibers, making it a suitable biogenic stabilizer for extrusion processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Additives and Reinforcements from Upgraded Wastes from the Food Industry and Agroforestry)

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Open AccessArticle

Valorization of Honduran Agro-Food Waste to Produce Bioplastics

Daniel Castro-Criado

Octavio Rivera-Flores

Johar Amin Ahmed Abdullah

Elia Castro-Osorto

María Alonso-González

Lucy Ramos-Casco

Víctor M. Perez-Puyana

Marlon Sánchez-Barahona

Pablo Sánchez-Cid

Mercedes Jiménez-Rosado

and

Alberto Romero

Polymers 2023, 15(12), 2625; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122625 - 09 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1063

Abstract

The development of biodegradable plastics and eco-friendly biomaterials derived from renewable resources is crucial for reducing environmental damage. Agro-industrial waste and rejected food can be polymerized into bioplastics, offering a sustainable solution. Bioplastics find use in various industries, including for food, cosmetics, and the biomedical sector. This research investigated the fabrication and characterization of bioplastics using three types of Honduran agro-wastes: taro, yucca, and banana. The agro-wastes were stabilized and characterized (physicochemically and thermically). Taro flour presented the highest protein content (around 4.7%) and banana flour showed the highest moisture content (around 2%). Furthermore, bioplastics were produced and characterized (mechanically and functionally). Banana bioplastics had the best mechanical properties, with a Young’s modulus around 300 MPa, while taro bioplastics had the highest water-uptake capacity (200%). In general, the results showed the potential of these Honduran agro-wastes for producing bioplastics with different characteristics that could add value to these wastes, promoting the circular economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Additives and Reinforcements from Upgraded Wastes from the Food Industry and Agroforestry)

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Open AccessArticle

Green Composites from Partially Bio-Based Poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate)-PBSA and Short Hemp Fibers with Itaconic Acid-Derived Compatibilizers and Plasticizers

Celia Dolza

Eloi Gonga

Eduardo Fages

Ramon Tejada-Oliveros

Rafael Balart

and

Luis Quiles-Carrillo

Polymers 2022, 14(10), 1968; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14101968 - 12 May 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1568

Abstract

In this work, green composites have been developed and characterized using a bio-based polymeric matrix such as BioPBSA and the introduction of 30 wt.% short hemp fibers as a natural reinforcement to obtain materials with maximum environmental efficiency. In order to increase the interfacial adhesion between the matrix and the fiber to obtain better properties in the composites, a reactive extrusion process has been carried out. On the one hand, different additives derived from bio-based itaconic acid have been added to the BioPBSA/HEMP composite, such as dibutyl itaconate (DBI) and a copolymer of PBSA grafted with itaconic acid (PBSA-g-IA). On the other hand, a different copolymer of PBSA grafted with maleic anhydride (PBSA-g-MA) was also tested. The resulting composites have been processed by injection-molding to obtain different samples which were evaluated in terms of mechanical, thermal, chemical, dynamic-mechanical, morphological and wettability and color properties. In relation to the mechanical properties, the incorporation of hemp fibers resulted in an increase in the stiffness of the base polymer. The tensile modulus of pure BioPBSA increased from 281 MPa to 3482 MPa with 30% fiber. The addition of DBI shows a remarkable improvement in the ductility of the composites, while copolymers with IA and MA, generate mechanically balanced composites. In terms of thermal properties, the incorporation of hemp fiber and compatibilizing agents led to a reduction in thermal stability. However, from the point of view of thermomechanical properties, a clear increase in rigidity is achieved throughout the temperature range studied. As far as the color of the samples is concerned, the incorporation of hemp generates a typical color, while the incorporation of the compatibilizing agents does not modify this color excessively. Finally, the introduction of lignocellulosic fibers greatly affects water absorption and contact angle, although the use of additives helped to mitigate this effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Additives and Reinforcements from Upgraded Wastes from the Food Industry and Agroforestry)

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Open AccessArticle

Antifungal Soybean Protein Concentrate Adhesive as Binder of Rice Husk Particleboards

Andrés Larregle

Mayra Chalapud

Florencia Fangio

Emiliano M. Ciannamea

Pablo M. Stefani

Josefa F. Martucci

and

Roxana A. Ruseckaite

Polymers 2021, 13(20), 3540; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13203540 - 14 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1586

Abstract

The aim of this research was to prepare an antifungal soybean protein concentrate (SPC) adhesive containing carvacrol (CRV) as a bioactive agent able to delay the attack of molds and yeast during storage of SPC adhesive at 4 °C as water-based systems. CRV was incorporated in SPC slurry at 0.5% v/v (~10 times its minimum inhibitory concentration against Aspergillus terreus, used as model fungus), to ensure its long-term action. CRV scarcely altered the thermal properties, structure and apparent viscosity of SPC adhesive. Active SPC aqueous dispersion was microbiologically stable for at least 30 days at 4 °C where the colonization begins, while control SPC was visually colonized from the second day. Rice husk (RH) particleboards of density ~900 kg/m³ were manufactured using the active SPC stored for 0, 10, 20, and 30 days as a binder. Modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture and internal bond of RH–control SPC (without CRV) panels were 12.3 MPa, 2.65 GPa and 0.27 MPa, respectively, and were statistically unaltered compared with those obtained with fresh SPC, regardless of the presence of CRV or the storage time. This last implies that active SPC should not necessarily have to be prepared daily and/or be used immediately after its preparation. Since it is microbiologically stabilized, it can be store at least for 30 days, ensuring the stability of the protein. The quality of the adhesive was evidenced by the consistent properties of the adhesive, expanding its potential use and commercialization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Additives and Reinforcements from Upgraded Wastes from the Food Industry and Agroforestry)

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Open AccessArticle

Valorization of Arnica montana Wastes after Extraction of the Ethanol Tincture: Application in Polymer-Based Matrices

Noelia Flórez-Fernández

Tania Ferreira-Anta

María Dolores Torres

and

Herminia Domínguez

Polymers 2021, 13(18), 3121; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13183121 - 16 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2007

Abstract

The waste solids remaining after the ethanolic extraction of arnica were proposed as raw material for the recovery of the remaining phenolic fraction. Greener processes based on intensification extraction, with microwave (MHG) and ultrasound (UAE) assistance and pressurized hot water extraction under subcritical conditions (AH), were studied. The entire process provided approximately 28% of phenolics for the sequence when MHG was used, 22% in the sequence where AH was employed, and the extracts showed up to 60% the ABTS radical scavenging capacity of Trolox. However, the cytotoxic effects on the cell growth of tumoral cells were only moderate. Therefore, considering a possible external topical application, extracts containing selected arnica extracts were further used to develop polymer-based gelled matrices formulated with either chitosan or polyvinyl alcohol. Rheological testing indicated that all proposed matrices exhibited relatively high mechanical features, even better than those determined with matrices prepared with their counterpart commercial arnica tinctures. Overall, the shear-thinning behavior of gelled matrices loaded with arnica extracts obtained by MHG or AH stages was enhanced compared to those containing ethanolic extracts, whereas the viscoelastic features became smoother for polymeric matrices incorporated with arnica extracts recovered at the highest MHG irradiation powers or at the highest set point temperatures of AH treatments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Additives and Reinforcements from Upgraded Wastes from the Food Industry and Agroforestry)

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Open AccessArticle

Upgrading Recycled Polypropylene from Textile Wastes in Wood Plastic Composites with Short Hemp Fiber

and

Polymers 2021, 13(8), 1248; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13081248 - 12 Apr 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2775

Abstract

This research reports the manufacturing and characterization of green composites made from recycled polypropylene obtained from the remnants of polypropylene non-woven fabrics used in the textile industry and further reinforced with short hemp fibers (SHFs). To improve the interaction of the reinforcing fibers with the recycled polymeric matrix, two types of compatibilizing agents (maleic anhydride grafted, PP-g-MA, and maleinized linseed oil, MLO) were added during melt-processing, the percentage of which had to remain constant concerning the amount of fiber loading to ensure complete reactivity. Standardized test specimens were obtained by injection molding. The composites were characterized by mechanical (tensile, impact, and hardness), thermal (DSC, TGA), thermomechanical, FTIR, and FESEM microscopy tests. In addition, color and water uptake properties were also analyzed. The results show that the addition of PP-g-MA to rPP was satisfactory, thus improving the fiber-matrix interaction, resulting in a marked reinforcing effect of the hemp fibers in the recycled PP matrix, which can be reflected in the increased stiffness of the samples. In parallel to the compatibilizing effect, a plasticizing effect was obtained by incorporating MLO, causing a decrease in the glass transition temperature of the composites by approximately 6 °C and an increase in ductility compared to the unfilled recycled polypropylene samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Additives and Reinforcements from Upgraded Wastes from the Food Industry and Agroforestry)

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