Extraction, characterization of components, and potential thermoplastic applications of camelina meal grafted with vinyl monomers

Bio-Based Wood Adhesive from Camelina Protein (a Biodiesel Residue) and Depolymerized Lignin with Improved Water Resistance

The aim of this study was to improve water resistance of camelina protein (CP) for wood adhesives with depolymerized lignin. Kraft lignin was depolymerized by H₂O₂-induced oxidation in the presence of ultrasound (US) irradiation to reduce lignin's particle size and thermal stability and increase the hydroxyl group. Coupling with depolymerized lignin camelina protein exhibited increased hydrophobicity. Fluorescence spectroscopy analysis revealed that the oxidation treatment of lignin further stimulated the hydrophobization effect of the protein-lignin copolymer due to the increased reactivity of depolymerized lignin to camelina protein. Accordingly, the water resistance of CP-lignin adhesives was significantly improved. When copolymerized with US-induced oxidized lignin, the camelina protein had increased wet shear adhesion strength from 0.28 to 1.43 MPa, with wood panels passing the three-cycle water-soaking test. The CP resin, with depolymerized lignin as an economical, green, and bio-based hydrophobic enhancer, provided an alternative to the petroleum-based and other edible protein-based adhesives, such as soy protein.

Effects of monomers and homopolymer contents on the dry and wet tensile properties of starch films grafted with various methacrylates

Starch grafted with four different methacrylates was compression molded to form thermoplastic films with good strength and water stability. Starch is an inexpensive and biodegradable polymer but is nonthermoplastic and needs to be chemically modified to make starch suitable for various applications. In this research, starch was grafted with four methacrylates (methyl, ethyl, butyl, and hexyl), and the effect of the length of the alkyl ester group on grafting parameters, thermoplasticity, and properties of thermoplastic films developed have been studied. Influence of grafting conditions on % grafting efficiency, % homopolymers, and % monomer conversion were studied, and the grafted starch was characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR). At similar grafting ratios, butyl methacrylate (BMA) provided better strength and elongation to the starch films than the other three methacrylates. Grafting of methacrylates appears to be an economical approach to develop thermoplastic products from starch.

Development and characterization of thermoplastic films from sorghum distillers dried grains grafted with various methacrylates

Distillers Dried Grains (DDG) obtained during production of ethanol from grain sorghum were grafted with methacrylates and compression molded into films with good dry and wet tensile properties. Since sorghum DDG contains up to 45% proteins that are indigestible by animals, it is necessary to find alternative applications to make sorghum ethanol economically competitive. In this research, sorghum DDG was grafted with methyl, ethyl, and butyl methacrylates, the grafted DDG was compression molded into films, and the properties of the grafted DDG and films were studied. At a grafting ratio of 40%, butyl methacrylate (BMA) grafted films had a strength of 4.8 MPa and elongation of 1.8% when dry and 3.1 MPa and 8.1% when wet, indicating that the films had good strength and wet stability. Films developed from grafted DDG show the potential to overcome the brittleness and poor water stability of biopolymer-based films and be useful for various applications.