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11 Páginas.-- 6 Figuras.-- 1 Tabla, Copolymers based on vegetable oils and sulfur have recently been developed using the inverse vulcanization technique for water remediation. This study aimed to create a copolymer with heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, to improve adsorption efficiency and examine the competition and synergy between heavy metals in the adsorption process. FTIR, 1H NMR, solid 13C NMR, zeta potential, nitrogen adsorption, Elemental analysis, TEM, and SEM were used to characterize the copolymers synthesized. Once metal adsorption was optimized using the synthesized copolymers, a comparative adsorption study was conducted for the removal of individual heavy metals, Cd2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, Mn2+, and Cu2+ (100 mg/L), using two copolymers, S/CO:80/20 and S/CO/TAA:80/14/6. The copolymers exhibited a higher affinity for soft metals, such as Cd2+, Pb2+, and Cu2+, when they are individually and in a mixture. After 1 h, the S/CO:80/20 copolymer removed 47%, 40%, and 13% of these metals. While with the S/CO/TAA:80/14/6 copolymer removal increased to 10%, 24%, and 53%, respectively respect to S/CO:80/20 copolymer. The introduction of heteroatoms in the copolymers improved their removal efficiency, particularly for heavy metals like Pb2+. Overall, this study demonstrates a promising approach for sustainable water remediation using copolymers., The authors are grateful to the Regional Government of Andalusia, Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Economía y Conocimiento (Project UHU-1257728).

In a study of three non-wood pulps (rice straw, EFB, and Hesperaloe), the standard pyrolysis model for biomass based on hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin pseudo-components, was modified to include char volatilization. As a result, abnormally high values for lignin content have been avoided. On the other hand, the consideration of autocatalysis (Prout-Tompkins equation) for TGA data simulation under inert and oxidative atmospheres, allows obtaining a stable set of kinetic parameters that describe volatilization and char oxidation for different heating rates, including char ignition. These simulations allow us to investigate certain effects like oxygen influence on cellulose-char formation (including reduction in activation energy) and to calculate the composition of samples.

In the present work, pyrolysis and combustion of the sewage sludge (fresh and composted) have been simulated using five fractions: low stability organic compounds, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin-plastic, and inorganic compounds. Thermal behavior and kinetic parameters (pre-exponential factor and apparent activation energy) of the main components of the sludge are similar to those reported for hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin present in lignocellulosic biomass. Comparing non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis data obtained from fresh and composted sewage sludge, it is possible to measure the efficiency of the composting process. Most of the biodegradable matter is volatized in a temperature range from 150 °C to 400 °C. Non-biodegradable organic matter volatilizes between 400 °C and 550 °C. In both, fresh and composted sludges, oxygen presence increases the mass loss rate at any temperature, but differences between pyrolysis and combustion are focused in two clearly defined ranges. At low temperature (200–350 °C), mass loss is related with a volatilization process. At higher temperature (350–550 °C), mass loss is due to slow char oxidation (oxidative pyrolysis).

Non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data of biomasses and pulps originating from non-wood and alternatives materials (i.e., Tagasaste or rice straw) have been fitted with refined models, which include autocatalytic kinetics. Data sets were obtained for different experimental conditions, such as variations of heating rate and atmosphere, i.e., inert (pyrolysis) versus oxidative atmosphere (combustion). Besides the access to classical kinetic parameters (pre-exponential factor, activation energy, and reaction order), the improved data analysis enabled the determination of the chemical composition of the samples (cellulose, hemicellulose, extractives, lignin). The latter compared very well with those obtained by conventional methods (chemical analysis, HPLC). Given the reduced environmental impact and rapidness of the method, potential applications for research related to new biomasses and industrial processes can be foreseen. The herein implemented method is based on the assumption that samples contain pseudo-components, which independently degrade, and that combustion is the combination of an initial volatilization process (similar to pyrolysis) and a subsequent char oxidation process. Further, it was found that for a reliable modeling of the volatilization stage, extractives should be considered as well, together with the classical pseudo-components: hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. The char oxidation stage has been simulated as a sum of the oxidation of three char types, one for each main pseudo-component. Importantly, fitting of TGA curves under consideration of autocatalytic kinetics allows the determination of a consistent set of kinetic parameters at different heating rates and leads to significant suppression of the compensation effect. While autocatalysis (characterized by the nucleation order) is not very significant for pyrolysis of biomasses, it can reach high levels for combustion, especially when high heating rates are used. In cellulosic char oxidation a nucleation order larger than one was fitted. The autocatalysis level of the char oxidation can rapidly increase with small modifications of the heating rate (i.e. to pass from 5 to 10 °C/min). In this case, the classically applied nth-order kinetic is particularly insufficient to fit experimental data with the same set of the kinetic parameters.

This work deals with a rheological study of oleogels based on high-oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) and ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) / isotactic polypropylene (iPP) blends. EVA copolymers with different vinyl acetate content were used. With this aim, linear small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) and nonlinear (relaxation) measurements combined with polarized optical microscopy were carried out. Oleogels were prepared by using the mixing rheometry technique in a batch mixer. Oscillatory strain amplitude sweep tests showed that the end from the viscoelastic linear region for oleogels was accompanied by opposite trends for viscoelastic moduli. SAOS tests showed that all the oleogels present similar behavior characteristic of polymeric systems with physical entanglements. It was found that the elastic equilibrium modulus and loss tangent increases with iPP content. On the other hand, nonlinear relaxation tests presented a strong dependence on the strain applied and the Soskey–Winter model was found to provide an accurate description of the damping function of these oleogels. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42477.