In this study, a bio-based resin containing glycerol, isosorbide, and 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid was used to produce a glass fiber reinforced composite. The thermomechanical properties of the resin were examined through dynamic mechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry, and were compared with those of commercially available unsaturated polyester resin and epoxy resin. Glass fiber composites were prepared using the synthesized bio-based resin, commercial unsaturated polyester resin, and commercial epoxy resin. Tensile tests, flexural tests, and aging tests were performed on all three types of composites and the results were compared. The findings suggest that the bio-based resin exhibits superior thermomechanical properties compared to the commercial resins. Bio-based resin demonstrates a high storage modulus of 4807 MPa and a loss modulus of 72 MPa at 25 ℃, along with a high glass transition temperature of 173 ℃. The flexural and tensile properties of the bio-based resin were better than that of the commercial resins. The composite produced from bio-based resin shows a flexural strength of 334 MPa and a tensile strength of 256 MPa. Aging results indicate that the synthesized bio-based resin was fairly stable at elevated temperatures. The outcome of this work shows that the bio-based glass fiber reinforced composite is a promising composite for high temperature applications. 

The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of delamination and roughness of the surface characteristics on drilling particle board (PB) panels in wood composites. Wood composites are many types, such as low-density, medium density, and high density fibreboard. PB panel products are superior to solid wood in various situations due to its comparative advantages. This material is suited for a wide range of interiors and industrial applications. Particleboard (PB) panels are produced using engineered wood. It is made up of wood desolation fibers that are bound with resin using heat and pressure. Wood particles or flakes are mixed with resin and formed into a sheet to create this material. Drilling is a necessary and unavoidable machining process that is often used in manufacturing part assembly. The aim of this study is to study the drilling characteristic of PB boards (delamination, surfaceroughness) using specified cutting parameters. Experiments were conducted according to RSM design using various feed rate, spindle speed condition to analyze the features. Delamination and Surface roughness mathematical models have been developed for PB panel drilling with a spade drill. In drilling operations, the Taguchi method has been employed to develop models within the kind of multiple correlation equations that relate federate, spindlespeed to dependent factors, delamination, and surface roughness. The second-order response surface model had been selected as the most optimal fit for the present study. Analysis of variance is used to investigate delamination and surfaceroughness parameters during PB panel drilling. Analysis of variance revealed a high coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.995 indicating that the second-order regression model was adequately adjusted for the experimental data. The verification experiment was conducted to confirm that surfaceroughness predicted by the created model was within allowable error.

The manufacturing method affects the properties of the produced components. This work explores the influence of manufacturing methods such as 3D printing and injection molding on water absorption, mechanical and thermal properties of the specimens produced from neat biobased poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer and poly(lactic acid)/wood composites. The printing layer height is one of the factors that affects the properties of a 3D printed specimen. The investigation includes two different layer heights while maintaining uniform overall thickness of the specimens across two manufacturing methods. 3D printed specimens absorb significantly higher amounts of water than the injection molded specimens, and the increase in the layer height of the 3D printed specimens contributes to further increased water absorption. However, the swelling due to water absorption in 3D printed specimens decreases on increased layer height. Tensile, flexural and impact properties of all the specimens decrease after water absorption while the properties improve on decreasing the layer height. Higher porosity on increasing the layer height is the predominant factor. The images from microscopy confirm the outcomes.

The production methods could affect the properties of the components produced. This study investigatesthe impact of a production method, 3D printer, on water absorption, mechanical and thermal propertiesof the biocomposites produced from poly(lactic) acid and wood particles. The results were analyzedcomparatively with injection molding. A minor change (0.1 mm) in the layer thickness in 3D printing affectedthe biocomposites’ properties significantly. The water absorption in 3D printed biocomposites causedswelling leading to permanent dimensional changes and initiated many failure nodes across layers. Thewater absorption of the injection molded biocomposites was primarily due to the material properties whilethe water absorption of the 3D printed biocomposites was due to the combination of intrinsic porosity ofthe 3D printing and the material properties. Water absorption in injected molded biocomposites was dueto the gradual absorption of water from surface to the core. Increasing the biocomposites’ surface contactwith water in 3D printing increased the water absorption. Additionally, increasing the layer thickness in 3Dprinting increased the water absorption further. 3D printed biocomposites mechanically performed betteron decreasing the layer thickness. Lower porosity on decreasing the layer thickness was the predominantfactor. A structure’s overall strength increased when there were more contact sites and greater interlayerbonding due to smaller layer thickness. Injection molded biocomposites had higher density and bettermechanical properties than 3D printed biocomposites due to solid specimens resulting in reduced failuresites. The results from this comparative study highlights the limitations of 3D printing.

The manufacturing method influences the properties of the produced components. This work investigates the influence of manufacturing methods, such as fused deposition modeling (3D printing) and injection molding, on the water absorption and mechanical and thermal properties of the specimens produced from neat bio-based poly(lactic acid) (PLA) polymer and poly(lactic acid)/wood composites. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) acts as the reference material due to its low water absorption and good functional properties. The printing layer thickness is one of the factors that affects the properties of a 3D-printed specimen. The investigation includes two different layer thicknesses (0.2 mm and 0.3 mm) while maintaining uniform overall thickness of the specimens across two manufacturing methods. 3D-printed specimens absorb significantly higher amounts of water than the injection-molded specimens, and the increase in the layer thickness of the 3D-printed specimens contributes to further increased water absorption. However, the swelling due to water absorption in 3D-printed specimens decreases upon increased layer thickness. The tensile, flexural, and impact properties of all of the specimens decrease after water absorption, while the properties improve upon decreasing the layer thickness. Higher porosity upon increasing the layer thickness is the predominant factor. The results from dynamic mechanical analysis and microscopy validate the outcomes. The results from this experimental study highlight the limitations of additive manufacturing.

The Current study aimed at valorizing carrot pomace (CP), an abundant waste from the juice industry. A water-soluble fraction of CP was separated from solid fraction of CP (SFCP) and employed as feedstock for producing fungal biomass (FB) in bench-scale bioreactors. FB combined with SFCP were used to develop mycelium-based papers (MBP) using the wet-laid method. The potential and capacity of FB, SFCP and MBP to remove dye (methylene blue) from wastewater was then investigated. The maximum achieved dye removal was 92% when using a mixture of SFCP and FB in their suspended forms. The MBP with the lowest density (549 kg/m3) reached 83% dye elimination. The findings of this study support the valorization of carrot pomace, through environmentally benign processes, to mycelium-based papers with potential application in wastewater treatment.

Citrus waste has been used as a source of bioplastics for research in different ways. Because the juice industry produces significant amounts of residue each year, it would be advantageous to use the byproducts in the creation of new materials. Researchers have long explored eco-friendly methods to convert citrus and other organic waste into polymers for producing biodegradable films. The goal of this study is to create biofilms from orange waste (OW) and ginger waste (GW) using an ultrafine grinder and study the films’ properties. Since pectin has the ability to gel, and because cellulosic fibers are strong, citrus waste has been studied for its potential to produce biofilms. After being washed, dried, and milled, orange and ginger waste was shaped into films using a casting process. Tensile testing was used to determine the mechanical properties of biofilms, while dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to determine their thermal properties. As the number of grinding cycles increased, the suspension’s viscosity increased from 29 mPa.s to 57 mPa.s for OW and from 217 mPa.s to 376 mPa.s for GW, while the particle size in the suspension significantly decreased. For OW and GW films, the highest tensile strength was 17 MPa and 15 MPa, respectively. The maximum strain obtained among all films was 4.8%. All the tested films were stable up to 150 °C, and maximum degradation occured after 300 °C.

Carrot pomace (CP) which is generated in a large volume in the juice production process, is rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, sugars, pectin, and minerals. However, in many previous investigations, only cellulose was purified and utilized while other components of CP were discarded as waste. Here, CP was valorized into fungal biomass and cellulose with the aim of utilizing all the CP components. Enzymatic pretreatments were applied to solubilize the digestible fraction of CP including hemicellulose, pectin, sucrose, and other sugars for fungal cultivation, while cellulose remained intact in the solid fraction. The dissolved fraction was utilized as a substrate for the cultivation of an edible fungus (Rhizopus delemar). Fungal cultivation was performed in shake flasks and bench-scale bioreactors. The highest fungal biomass concentration was obtained after pretreatment with invertase (5.01 g/L) after 72 h of cultivation (36 and 42% higher than the concentrations obtained after hemicellulase and pectinase treatments, respectively). Invertase pretreatment resulted in the hydrolysis of sucrose, which could then be taken up by the fungus. Carbohydrate analysis showed 28–33% glucan, 4.1–4.9% other polysaccharides, 0.01% lignin, and 2.7–7% ash in the CP residues after enzymatic pretreatment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis also confirmed the presence of cellulose in this fraction. The obtained fungal biomass has a high potential for food or feed applications, or as a raw material for the development of biomaterials. Cellulose could be purified from the solid fraction and used for applications such as biobased-textiles or membranes for wastewater treatment, where pure cellulose is needed.

Unsaturated polyester resins, one of the most important thermosets, are invariably produced from oil-based monomers. Their application is limited in areas where high thermal stability is required due to their low Tg. Besides, these resins contain 30–40% hazardous styrene as a reactive solvent. Therefore, developing bio-based solventless unsaturated polyester resin with medium to high thermomechanical properties compared to petrochemical-based counterparts is important. In order to achieve this, a series of branched bio-based unsaturated polyester resins were synthesized using bulk polymerization method in two steps. In the first step, four different intermediates were prepared by reacting glycerol (as a core molecule) with either isosorbide (diol), 1,3-propanediol (diol), 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (saturated diacid), or adipic acid (saturated diacid). In the second step, the branched intermediate was end capped with methacrylic anhydride to introduce reactive sites for cross-linking on the branch ends. The chemical structure of the resins was characterized by 13C-NMR. FT-IR confirmed the polycondensation reaction in the first step and the end functionalization of the resins with methacrylic anhydride in the second step. The effect of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and isosorbide on thermomechanical and thermal properties was investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermo-gravimetric analysis. Results indicated that 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid based resins had superior thermomechanical properties compared to a commercial reference unsaturated polyester resin, making them promising resins for high-temperature composite applications. For example, the resin based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and isosorbide and the resin based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and 1,3-propanediol gave glass transition temperatures of 173 °C and 148 °C, respectively. Although the synthesized 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid based resins had higher viscosity (22.7 Pas) than conventional unsaturated polyester (0.4–0.5 Pas) at room temperature, preheated resins can be used for making high-temperature-tolerance fiber-reinforced composite.