the growing interest in using natural fibers as reinforcing agents of polymer-based composites is mainly due to their advantages such as lower cost, lower density, ease of preparation, lower energy requirements for processing, biodegradability, wide availability and relative non-abrasiveness over traditional reinforcing fibers such as glass and carbon. in this study, wood-plastic composite (wpc...

in this study, the possibility of producing wood-plastic panels was studied using two different blending methods including melt blend and dry blend. wood-plastic panels were made from recycled high density polyethylene (as resin) and mdf waste (as natural fiber) at 60, 70 and 80% by weight filler loading. nominal density and dimensions of the panels were 1g/cm3 and 35×35×1 cm, respectively. the...

Bamboo flour (BF) was grafted onto lactide (LA) in the molten state using stannous octoate as a catalyst to form BF-g-LA. Then, polylactic acid (PLA) was blended with BF (PLA/BF, 85/15 wt %) to prepare PLA/BF/BF-g-LA composites using BF-g-LA as a compatibilizer. The grafting rate of BF was characterized using infrared testing and elemental analysis. To investigate the effect of BF-g-LA on the p...

Red flour beetles, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), and confused flour beetles, Tribolium confusum (DuVal), were exposed for 8-72 h to diatomaceous earth (Protect-It) at 22, 27, and 32 degrees C and 40, 57, and 75% RH (9 combinations). Insects were exposed to the diatomaceous earth at 0.5 mg/cm2 on filter paper inside plastic petri dishes. After exposure, beetles were held for 1 wk without food at...

This study evaluated the mechanical and hydrophobic properties of wood plastic composites (WPC) prepared by hot molding approach incorporating five different recycled plastics poplar flour. The WPC showed excellent tensile strength (36.9 MPa) flexural (44.7 associated with good hydrophobicity, could be due to application pressing which improved amount hydroxyl groups reduced crystallinity WPC. ...

Plastic composite supports containing 50% agricultural products (oat hulls, soybean hulls, yeast extract, soybean flour, dried bovine erythrocytes, bovine albumin, and/or mineral salts) and 50% (wt/wt) polypropylene were produced by high-temperature twin-screw extrusion. The research employed two half sets of a five-factorial fractional design (2(5 - 1)) to evaluate the effects of different agr...

The tensile plastic deformation of dendrite-reinforced Ti-based metallic glass composites (MGCs) was investigated. It was found that there is a critical normalized strain-hardening rate (NSHR) that determines the plastic stability of MGCs: if the NSHR is larger than the critical value, the plastic deformation of the MGCs will be stable, i.e. the necking and strain localization can be effectivel...

Wood liquefaction using an organic solvent and an acid catalyst has long been studied as a novel technique to utilize biomass as an alternative to petroleum-based products. Oxalic acid is a weaker organic acid than a mineral acid and wood liquefaction with oxalic acid as a catalyst will result in a higher amount of wood residue than that with a mineral acid. Yet the wood residue can be used as ...

Byproducts derived from the agricultural industry and food processing, such as seeds skin or husks, have become important due to environmental sustainability their value-added potential. Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz) is a native Chilean wild tree that has several beneficial properties its high content of anthocyanins, anthocyanidins, phenolic acids, tannins, fiber. The present stu...

Molasses meal is a popular stock feed which is manufactured from two by-products of the sugar milling process, namely cane flour and molasses. Cane flour, or pulp, is prepared from bagasse by separating the pithy fraction and then drying and milling it. In this form it is capable of absorbing up to four times its own weight of molasses. One such stock feed, produced in Natal, is made up of 75% ...