scholarly journals Photo-Oxidative and Soil Burial Degradation of Irrigation Tubes Based on Biodegradable Polymer Blends

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rapisarda ◽  
La Mantia ◽  
Ceraulo ◽  
Mistretta ◽  
Giuffrè ◽  
...  

: Irrigation tubes based on biodegradable polymers were prepared via an extrusion-drawing process by Irritec and compared to conventional pipes made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). A commercial polylactide/poly (butyleneadipate-co-butyleneterephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) blend (Bio-Flex®) and Mater-Bi® were used. The polymers were characterized from rheological and mechanical points of view. Irrigation pipes were subjected to photoaging with continued exposure to UV radiation up to 22 days. The degradability in the soil of irrigation tube samples was studied. The influence of temperature and UV irradiation on soil burial degradation was investigated. A soil burial degradation test was carried out at 30 °C and 50 °C for up to 70 days. The degree of degradation was evaluated from the weight loss percentage. The degradation rate of irrigation tube samples based on Mater-Bi® was higher at 30 °C and was stimulated after 14 days of UV irradiation. Higher temperatures or UV aging encouraged the disintegration in soil of Bio-Flex®-based irrigation tubes. Furthermore, tube samples, before and after UV and soil burial degradation, were analyzed by Attenuated Total Reflection–Fourier Transform Infra-Red (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy.

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Paolo La Mantia ◽  
Laura Ascione ◽  
Maria Chiara Mistretta ◽  
Marco Rapisarda ◽  
Paola Rizzarelli

Polymer films based on biodegradable polymers, polyethylene (PE) and modified PE with oxo-degradable additive were prepared by film blowing. Carbon black (1%) was added to all the films. Commercial biodegradable Ecovio® and Mater-Bi® samples were used. Mechanical properties, soil burial degradation and surface wettability were investigated, before and after UV irradiation. Chemical modifications induced by UV and soil degradation, or a synergic effect, were highlighted by Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infra-Red (ATR-FTIR). Photo-oxidized film samples with an elongation at break equal to 50% and 0.5 the initial value were selected for the soil burial degradation test at 30 °C. Weight loss measurements were used to follow biodegradation in soil. Predictably, the degradation in soil was higher for biodegradable polymer-based films than for the PE-based ones. UV irradiation increased surface wettability and encouraged the disintegration in soil of all the samples. In fact, photo-oxidation produced a molar mass reduction and hydrophilic end groups, thus increasing surface erosion and weight loss. This paper not only supplies new criteria to evaluate the performance of biodegradable films in agriculture, before and after lifetime, but also provides a comparative analysis on the soil burial degradation behaviour with traditional ones.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksa Nikolić ◽  

From the creation until the adoption of the Constitution of 1921 (the so-called Vidovdan Constitution), the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes wandered aimlessly in the constitutional provisional for almost three years. The Vidovdan Constitution finally established some kind of legal organization of the newly formed state. However, the subject of this paper will not be the analysis of social and political circumstances before and after the adoption of the Vidovdan Constitution, but the author will analyze different views on the Vidovdan Constitution from the pens of the most important Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian constitutional lawyers. In that way, through a comprehensive comparative legal analysis, a big step will be made towards shedding light on all the problems that burdened the newly formed kingdom from the start, and which were a stumbling block in building stable relations between Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Based on the analysis of the mentioned different points of view on the Vidovdan Constitution, the author will point out the most controversial elements of the biggest names in the constitutional law of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia and report certain conclusions about the nature and character of the Vidovdan Constitution.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Rapisarda ◽  
Cristina Patanè ◽  
Alessandra Pellegrino ◽  
Angelo Malvuccio ◽  
Valeria Rizzo ◽  
...  

For food packaging, plastic materials display large appeal, mostly due to their versatility, mechanical, optical and barrier properties. However, they play an important role in environmental concerns and waste management issue. Compostable bioplastics represent alternative materials designed for a lower environmental impact. In this work, a biobased compostable packaging, constituted by polylactide (PLA) trays and NatureFlex™ film, was evaluated for fresh-cut cherry tomato. A comparative analysis was accomplished using traditional packaging materials, that is, polyethylene terephtalate (PET) trays and polypropylene (PP Coex) film. Structural stability under food contact conditions, mechanical and physical-chemical properties were investigated. Tensile mechanical properties, puncture resistance, contact angle (CA) and attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), before and after UV or radiofrequency (RF) sterilization treatment, were evaluated. UV irradiation method resulted the less invasive one. Therefore, oxygen and water vapor transmission rate (OTR and WVTR), overall chemical migration test, biodegradation assessment by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) according to ISO 14851 and disintegration test by ISO 20200 were carried out to establish the further influence of UV sterilization on the packaging. Overall, data showed that the biobased compostable packaging for a prolonged shelf-life of fresh-cut cherry tomato has better properties that were surprisingly enhanced by the UV treatment.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florina Jaggy ◽  
Spiros Zinelis ◽  
Georgios Polychronis ◽  
Raphael Patcas ◽  
Marc Schätzle ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to estimate possible differences in the chemical composition and relaxation of orthodontic aligner materials. Four commercially available thermoplastic materials CAM (Scheu-Dental, Iserlohn, Germany), COP (Essix, Dentsply Raintree Essix Sarasota, FL, USA), DUR (Great Lakes Dental Technologies, Tonawanda, NY) and ERK (Erkodent Erich Kopp, Pfalzgrafenweiler Germany) were included in this study. Rectangular strips from each material were prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions and subjected to attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and stress relaxation characterization. The reduction in applied stress (RAS) after one week was estimated and statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA at the 0.05 level of significance. All specimens were subjected to optical microscopy before and after stress relaxation testing under transmittance polarized illumination. ATR-FTIR microscopy revealed that all materials are made of polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) while no significant differences were identified in RAS values among materials tested, which ranged from 6%–10% (p ≥ 0.05). All samples illustrated the developments of shear bands during relaxation testing according to optical microscopy findings. The tested materials illustrated similar chemical composition and relaxation behavior and thus no differences in their clinical efficacy are anticipated.


Coatings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenhua Sun ◽  
Yanfen Zhou ◽  
Wenyue Li ◽  
Shaojuan Chen ◽  
Shihua You ◽  
...  

Direct electroless silver plating of para-aramid (PPTA) is difficult due to its extremely low surface chemical energy. In order to facilitate the deposition of silver nanoparticles and to enhance the washing fastness, oxygen plasma treatment and dopamine modification were conducted before silver plating of PPTA fibers. Various techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) were used to characterize the surface morphology, chemical composition and thermal stability of the silver-plated PPTA fibers. Electrical resistance and silver content of the silver-coated PPTA fibers before and after standard washing were also studied. The results showed that silver nanoparticles were successfully coated onto the surface of PPTA fibers with and without plasma treatment, but the coating continuity and the electrical conductivity of the silver-coated PPTA fibers were greatly enhanced with the assistance of plasma treatment. It was also demonstrated that the washing fastness of silver-coated PPTA fibers was improved after plasma treatment as indicated by electrical resistance and continuity of the silver nanoparticles after various washing cycles. It was found that the electrical resistance of plasma-treated PPTA-PDA/Ag fibers prepared at an AgNO3 concentration of 20 g/L reached 0.89 Ω/cm and increased slightly to 0.94 Ω/cm after 10 standard washing cycles. The silver-coated PPTA fibers also showed stable electrical conductivity under 250 repeated stretching-releasing cycles at a strain of 3%.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 2633366X2096736
Author(s):  
Wangwang Yu ◽  
Lili Dong ◽  
Wen Lei ◽  
Jianan Shi

The research aim of this work was to understand the effects of the soil burial of rice straw on the morphology and properties of 3D-printed rice straw powder (RSP)/polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites. The rice straw buried in the soil for various days was grounded and sieved into powder at 120 mesh. The RSP was then mixed with PLA at a mass ratio of 15/100 and the mixture was extruded into filament, followed by a fused deposition modeling 3D printing process. The as-prepared products were characterized in terms of morphological, mechanical, thermal, and nonisothermal crystallization properties. The results show that cavities with large holes induced by fused deposition modeling exhibit on the cross section of RSP/PLA biocomposite. The longer the burial duration of rice straw, the more the cavities with large holes could be observed on the surface. Therefore, soil burial of rice straw improved the thermal stability of the biocomposites while depressing their mechanical properties due to the amplification of the cavities. The crystallinity of the biocomposites was maintained at a low level (<9%) before and after the soil burial process.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 155892501400900
Author(s):  
Saeed Ajeli ◽  
Zoleykhah Ahmadvand

Consumer points of view determine economical value of fabrics. Fabric luster plays a momentous role in attracting people's attention, especially for clothing and domestic purposes. Luster is defined by intensity of both specular and diffuse light reflection off of a surface. There are various methods for measuring surface luster. Gloss. Luster is described as the ratio of specular reflection in one angle to diffuse reflection in another angle. Two-bar warp knitted polyester fabrics such as Tricot, Locknit, Satin, reverse Locknit and Sharkskin in three different densities were provided. A mini gloss apparatus was applied to measure fabric specular reflection in the angle of sixty degrees, before and after disperse dying with different colors of white, blue and yellow. Results suggest that luster is a function of knitted fabric type, color and density. Enhancement of technical back luster resulted from longer underlap of the front bar. However, it did not change the technical face luster significantly. Density increased in all knitted fabrics and caused the luster to decrease. Dark color fabrics showed lower luster compared to light ones.


2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdu Muhammad Bello ◽  
Abdul Rahim Yacob ◽  
Kamaluddeen Suleiman Kabo

The environmental problems caused by the excessive usage of fossil fuel, prompted the need for an alternative source of energy. Renewable energy from biodiesel is one of the most promising substitutions of fossil fuel due its environmental-friendliness. In the present work NaOH-modified γ-alumina heterogeneous base catalysts were prepared using wet impregnation method, and characterized by Nitrogen Adsorption Analysis (BET), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), basic back titration, and Temperature Programmed Desorption-CO2 (CO2-TPD). The catalysts were tested for the transesterification of rice bran oil with methanol, and the biodiesel product characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red-Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) analyses. Catalyst synthesize with 50% NaOH was found to have the highest basic sites and when applied for the transesterification of rice bran oil it gave the highest yield of 81.2%. The high catalytic activity is attributed to the formation of NaAlO2 that is believed to contribute to the basicity of the catalyst.   


2011 ◽  
Vol 410 ◽  
pp. 325-328
Author(s):  
Kulnida Taptim ◽  
Narongrit Sombatsompop

Silicone rubber compounded with three different types of antibacterial agents: namely; nanoAg colloids, Silver substituted Zeolite compound (SSZ) and 2-Hydroxypropyl-3-Piperazinyl-Quinoline Carboxylic Acid Methacrylate (HPQM) were prepared and changes in antibacterial performance were assessed before and after exposure to UV light at different aging times. Drop plate and halo tests were performed to study the antibacterial performance of silicone rubber compounds. The results indicated that antibacterial activity of silicone compound changed when the UV aging time was increased. The antibacterial activity of the rubber added with HPQM extremely decreased considered by the inhibition zone and %reductions of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria for any given contact times. On the other hand, the UV light did not affect the antibacterial activity of silicone rubber compounds added with nanoAg colloids and SSZ agents.


In a previous paper entitled “Structure in the Secondary Hydrogen Spectrum,” Part IV, it was shown that there were a number of bands associated with Fulcher’s bands. It now appears that these and other related bands form a set of band systems whose null lines are connected by a Rydberg-Ritz formula. This formula has the normal value of the Rydberg constant, as is the case with the formula found by Fowler to connect the heads of some of the helium bands. This discovery makes it possible to apportion the effects observed as between electron jumps and vibration jumps, a matter which had to be left open in the previous paper (p. 740). The present paper deals only with the Q branches which are the most strongly developed and have been investigated most fully. A preliminary account of some of the results has been published a letter to ‘Nature,’ but the numbering of the vibrational states of the H α bands proposed therein has since been abandoned. It will be shown that all the lines of Fulcher’s red bands arise as a result of transitions in which the total quantum number (electron jump) changes from 3 to 2 and the vibrational quantum number is unchanged. In the part of the band denoted by A in “Structure,” Part IV, the vibrational state has the lowest possible quantum number both before and after the transition. I shall indicate this state of affairs by the symbol 0 → 0. The corresponding vibrational states in the parts denoted by B, C, D, E and F are, both initially and finally, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and I shall denote these transitions by 1 →1, 2 → 2 , 3 → 3 , 4 → 4 and 5 → 5 respectively. The different lines in part A all have the same electron jump (3 → 2) and the same vibration state (0 → 0) but have different rotational jumps either of the molecule as a whole or of the emitting electron or of both. This statement will be equally true if the letter A is replaced by any of the letters B, C, D, E or F, except that the vibrational jump 0 0 is replaced by 1 → 1, 2 → 2, etc. In the present paper I shall confine my attention to the Q branches so that all the rotational transitions here dealt with are of the type m + ½ → m + ½ , m = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. (see Part IV, p. 749). Fulcher’s green bands also have the same electron jumps (3 → 2), but in these bands the vibrational quantum number is higher by unity in the initial than in the final states. Thus for the various green bands denoted by the letters A, B, C, D, E and F the vibrational transitions are 1 → 0, 2 → 1, 3 → 2, 4 → 3, 5 → 4 and 6 → 5 respectively. In addition to these, bands with the same electron jump (3 → 2) can be found in the infra-red with the vibrational jumps 0 → 1, 1 → 2, 2 → 3, 3 → 4 and 4 → 5 and others on the side of the green towards the violet which correspond to the vibration jumps 2 → 0, 3 → 1, 4 → 2, 5 → 3 and 6 → 4, and a few lines which may correspond to the vibration jumps 3 → 0 and 5 → 2. All these lines have the electron jump 3 → 2 and are the band analogue of the single line H α in the line spectrum of the hydrogen atom. For this reason it is convenient to refer to this system of bands as the H α bands.


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