Physicochemical and thermal characterization of the edible shellac films incorporated with oleic acid to enhance flexibility, water barrier and retard aging.

In this work, shellac plasticized with oleic acid was solvent cast to prepare the flexible and water-resistant film for packaging applications. The films were prepared with varying amounts of oleic acid and studied in detail for appearance, surface morphology, thermal, chemical, barrier, mechanical, and robustness. The surface morphology confirmed the smooth surface of films up to SH-OA20 (100:20 w/w; shellac: oleic acid). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that oleic acid reduced the hydrogen bonding of the shellac matrix to provide a plasticization effect. Also, the thermal analysis showed a reduction in the melting enthalpy. Moreover, the plasticized films had a better barrier to water vapor due to increased smoothness and reduction in brittleness. Adding oleic acid also increased the elongation at break up to 40 % without any changes in tensile strength. The flexibility of the films increased with the oleic acid content, making them resistant to burst, crumbling, bending, rolling, and stretching. Oleic acid also showed the retardation of aging and thermal aging of shellac. In the future, the long-term stability and migration of the films can be investigated.

Different nanocellulose morphologies (cellulose nanofibers, nanocrystals and nanospheres) extracted from Sunn hemp (Crotalaria Juncea).

Nanocellulose of different morphologies was extracted from Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria Juncea) using acid hydrolysis. The work focused on two objectives: first, to valorize the Sunn Hemp fibers for nanocellulose (NC) production, and second, to study the effects of acid concentration on different morphologies of NC and their properties. The study extracted nanocellulose at five different concentrations of H2SO4: 16 %, 32 %, 48 %, 64 %, and 72 %. Obtained nanocellulose was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). AFM and FE-SEM confirmed the production of three different morphologies of nanocellulose. The NC-32 had a web-like structure typically observed for cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), whereas NC-48 and NC-64 were observed as cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) with rod-like and needle-like shapes, respectively, and NC-72 displayed spherical particles termed cellulose nanospheres (CNS). The total crystallinity index of NC was calculated using FTIR, and a similar trend of crystallinity was also observed from XRD analysis. NC-32 was obtained with the highest yield of 94.83 %, followed by 91.40 % and 81.70 % for NC-48 and NC-64, respectively, whereas NC-72 yielded the lowest yield of 12.03 %. NC-72 had the highest thermal stability among other NC morphologies.

Biomass conversion of agricultural waste residues for different applications: a comprehensive review.

Agricultural waste residues (agro-waste) are the source of carbohydrates that generally go in vain or remain unused despite their interesting morphological, chemical, and mechanical properties. With rapid urbanization, there is a need to valorize this waste due to limited non-renewable resources. Utilizing agro-waste also prevents the problems like burning and inefficient disposal that otherwise lead to immense pollution worldwide. In addition, conversion of biomass to value-added products like earthen cups, weaving baskets, and bricks is equally beneficial for the rural population as it provides secondary income, creates jobs, and improves rural people's lifestyles. This review paper will discuss an overview of different applications utilizing agro-waste residues. In particular, agro-wastes used as construction material, bio-fertilizers, pulp and paper products, packaging products, tableware, heating applications, biocomposites, nano-cellulosic materials, soil stabilizers, bioplastics, fire-retardant additive, dye removal, and biofuels will be summarized. Finally, several commercially available agro-waste products will also be discussed, emphasizing the circular economy.

A comprehensive review on textile waste valorization techniques and their applications.

An increase in population compels the textile industry to expand production to fulfill the apparel requirement, resulting in huge textile waste. These wastes are managed either by landfilling or incineration processes, which negatively contribute to the environment. Converting waste into value-added products is essential to reducing environmental pollution and thereby achieving a circular economy through proper waste management practices. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of different categories and forms of textile waste, their source of generation, the reusing capability of the textile industry, other valorization potentials in different fields, and various challenges associated with their valorization practices. This review presents textile wastes as the raw material source for preparing different value-added products such as in manufacturing textiles, packaging materials, plastics, composites, construction applications, energy generation, chemical additives, composting, and several other applications.