| 1. |
- Alipour, Nazanin, et al.
(författare)
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A Protein-Based Material from a New Approach Using Whole Defatted Larvae, and Its Interaction with Moisture
- 2019
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Ingår i: Polymers. - : MDPI. - 2073-4360. ; 11:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A protein-based material created from a new approach using whole defatted larvae of the Black Soldier fly is presented. The larvae turn organic waste into their own biomass with high content of protein and lipids, which can be used as animal feed or for material production. After removing the larva lipid and adding a plasticizer, the ground material was compression molded into plates/films. The lipid, rich in saturated fatty acids, can be used in applications such as lubricants. The amino acids present in the greatest amounts were the essential amino acids aspartic acid/asparagine and glutamic acid/glutamine. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that the protein material had a high amount of strongly hydrogen-bonded beta-sheets, indicative of a highly aggregated protein. To assess the moisture-protein material interactions, the moisture uptake was investigated. The moisture uptake followed a BET type III moisture sorption isotherm, which could be fitted to the Guggenheim, Anderson and de Boer (GAB) equation. GAB, in combination with cluster size analysis, revealed that the water clustered in the material already at a low moisture content and the cluster increased in size with increasing relative humidity. The clustering also led to a peak in moisture diffusivity at an intermediate moisture uptake.
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| 2. |
- Capezza, Antonio Jose, et al.
(författare)
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Superabsorbent and Fully Biobased Protein Foams with a Natural Cross-Linker and Cellulose Nanofibers
- 2019
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Ingår i: ACS Omega. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2470-1343. ; 4:19, s. 18257-18267
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of fully natural wheat gluten foams showing rapid and high uptake of water, sheep blood, and saline solution, while maintaining high mechanical stability in the swollen state, is presented. Genipin was added as a natural and polar cross-linker to increase the polarity of the protein chains, whereas cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were added as a reinforcement/stiffener of the foams, alone or in combination with the genipin. The presence of only genipin resulted in a foam that absorbed up to 25 g of water per gram of foam and a more than 15 g uptake in only 8 min. In contrast, with CNF alone, it was not possible to maintain the mechanical stability of the foam during the water uptake and the protein foam disintegrated. The combination of CNF and genipin yielded a material with the best mechanical stability of the tested samples. In the latter case, the foam could be compressed repeatedly more than 80% without displaying any structural damage. The results revealed that a strong network had formed between the wheat gluten matrix, genipin, and cellulose in the foam structure. A unique feature of the absorbent/foam, in contrast to commercial superabsorbents, was that it was able to rapidly absorb nonpolar liquids (here, n-heptane) due to the open-cell structure. The capillary-driven absorption due to the open-cell structure, the high liquid absorption in the cell walls, and the mechanical properties (both in dry and swollen states) of these natural foams make them interesting as a sustainable replacement for a range of petroleum-based foam materials, including absorbent hygiene products such as sanitary pads.
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| 3. |
- Chen, Fei, 1984-
(författare)
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Chitosan and chitosan/wheat gluten blends : properties of extrudates, solid films and bio-foams
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis presents four different studis describing the characteristics and processing opportunities of two widely available biopolymers: chitosan and wheat gluten. The interest in these materials is mainly because they are bio-based and obtained as co- or by-products in the fuel and food sectorIn the first study, high solids content chitosan samples (60 wt.%) were successfully extruded. Chitosan extrusion has previously been reported but not chitosan extrusion with a high solids content, which decreases the drying time and increases the production volume. An orthogonal experimental design was used to assess the influence of formulation and processing conditions, and the optimal formulation and conditions were determined from the orthogonal experimental analysis and the qualities of the extrudates. The mechanical properties and processing-liquid mass loss of the optimized extrudates showed that the extrudates became stable within three days. The changes in the mechanical properties depended on the liquid mass loss.In a separate study, monocarboxylic (formic, acetic, propionic, and butyric) acid uptake and diffusion in chitosan films were investigated. It is of importance in order to be able to optimize the production of this material with the casting technique. The time of the equilibration uptake in the chitosan films exposed to propionic and butyric acid was nine months. This long equilibration time encouraged us study the exposed films further. The uptake and diffusivity of acid in the films decreased with increasing acid molecular size. A two-stage absorption curve was observed for the films exposed to propionic acid vapour. The films at the different stages showed different diffusivities. The acid transport was also affected by the structure of the chitosan films. X-ray diffraction suggested that the crystal structure of the original films disappeared after the films had been dried from their acid-swollen state, and that the microstructure of the dried films depended on the molecular size of the acid. Compared with the original films, the dried films retained their ductility, although a decrease in the molecular weight of the chitosan was detected. The water resistance of the acid-exposed films was increased, even though the crystallinity of these films was lower.The third study was devoted to chitosan/wheat gluten blend films cast from aqueous solutions. Different solvent types, additives and drying methods were used to examine their effects on the microstructures of the blended films. Chitosan and wheat gluten were immiscible in the aqueous blend, and the wheat gluten formed a discrete phase, and the homogeneity of the films was improved by using a reducing agent, compared with films prepared using only water/ethanol as cast media. Adding urea and surfactants resulted in a medium homogeneity of the films compared to those prepared with the reducing agents or with only water/ethanol. An elongated wheat gluten phase was observed in a film using glyoxal, in contrast to pure chitosan/wheat gluten blends. The opacity of the different films was studied. The mechanical properties and humidity uptake of the films increased with increasing chitosan content. The films containing 30 wt.% of wheat gluten showed the most promising mechanical properties, close to those of the pristine chitosan films.The final part describes the preparation and properties of a bio-foam composed of a blend of chitosan and wheat gluten. This foam was prepared without any porogen or frozen liquid phase to create porosity. A unique phase distribution of the chitosan and wheat gluten solutions formed without any agitation, and the foam was obtained when the liquid phase were withdrawn under vacuum. These foams showed high mass uptake of n-hexane and water in a short time due to their open pores and high porosity. The maximum uptake of n-hexane measured was 20 times the initial mass of the foam. The foams showed a high rebound resilience (94 % at 20 % compression strain) and they were not broken when subjected to bending.
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