Francesco Ciardelli

This study investigates the potential of rapeseed meal (RM), a protein-rich by-product of the rapeseed oil industry, as a raw material for the development of renewable materials. Due to the presence of antinutritional compounds, rapeseed meal is underutilized, primarily in low-value applications such as animal feed. In this work, rapeseed meal protein hydrolysates were enzymatically obtained and incorporated as plasticizers into rapeseed meal-based materials to improve their mechanical properties, water permeability, and thermal stability. Collagen hydrolysate has also been utilized as a low-cost additive to further enhance the material performance. The glycerol content was reduced to address permeability and migration issues associated with hydrophilic plasticizers. The results demonstrated that the incorporation of hydrolysates into rapeseed meal-based materials modulated thermal stability, water permeability, and mechanical properties—particularly elongation at break and flexibility. The latter increased proportionally with the hydrolysate content of RM-based materials. Additionally, aerobic biodegradation behavior, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) supported the material’s favorable performance characteristics, highlighting the potential of rapeseed meal as a viable, biodegradable alternative for sustainable materials in industrial applications.

The elastic response of chromium-tanned leather was successfully improved by treatment with XSBR, a carboxylated styrene-butadiene copolymer. The carboxylic groups pending from a styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) backbone were found to promote penetration of the aqueous polymer dispersion into the fibrous tanned leather and participated in pH-reversible physical crosslinking by H-bonding. The different penetrations of XSBR or SBR were investigated using a micro-FTIR cross-sectional analysis from the grain (outer) to the flesh (inner) side of 18 wt% elastomer-treated samples, based on the shaved leather weight. In particular, the profile of the diagnostic out-of-plane =C-H bending of butadiene and styrene units was consistent with a more effective penetration of XSBR. The leather with XSBR showed a comparatively lower elastic modulus of 10–15% and roughly a 10% increase in elongation at the break, indicating better flexibility and shape recovery. Also, the leather was characterized by a 15% higher burst strength. These results suggest the better swelling of the ionomeric XSBR in the initial stage of retanning performed at a pH higher than the isoelectric point of the leather when both the tanned leather and the XSBR ionomer had a negative surface charge. The high pH favored the penetration of XSBR due to a poor attractive interaction with the tanned fibrous leather network. Subsequent processing in an acid bath caused further physical crosslinking through hydrogen bonding between XSBR and the leather.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in developing novel materials based on natural biopolymers as a renewable alternative to petroleum-based plastics. The availability of proteins derived from agricultural by-products, along with their favourable properties, has fostered a renewed interest in protein-based materials, promoting research in innovative technologies. In this study, we propose the use of rapeseed protein-rich meal as the main ingredient for the preparation of novel sustainable materials combining excellent environmental properties such as biodegradability and renewability. The application of sustainable products in the present high-tech society requires the modification of the basic native properties of these natural compounds. The original route proposed in this paper consists of preparation via the compression moulding of flexible biomaterials stabilized by crosslinkers/chain extenders. An investigation of the effects of different denaturing and disulfide bond reducing agents, crosslinkers, and preparation conditions on the material mechanical behaviour demonstrated that the novel materials have appreciable strength and stiffness. The results show the potential of utilizing full meal from vegetable by-products to prepare protein-based materials with guaranteed ecofriendly characteristics and mechanical properties adequate for specific structural applications.

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in developing novel materials based on natural biopolymers as a renewable alternative of petroleum-based plastics. The availability of proteins derived from agricultural by-products, along with their favourable properties, has fostered a renewed interest in protein-based materials, promoting research in innovative technologies. In this study we propose the use of rapeseed protein-rich meal as main ingredient for the preparation of novel sustainable materials combining excellent environmental properties such as biodegradability and renewable origin. Application as sustainable products in the present high-tech society needs modification of basic native properties of these natural compounds. The original route proposed in this paper consists in the preparation via compression moulding of flexible biomaterials stabilized by crosslinkers/chain extenders. Investigation of the effects of different denaturing and disulfide bond reducing agents, crosslinkers, and preparation conditions on the material mechanical behaviour demonstrated that the novel materials have appreciable strength and stiffness. The results show the potential of utilizing full meal from vegetable by-products to prepare protein-based materials with granted ecofriendly characteristics and mechanical properties adequate to specific structural applications.

Attempts have been performed to obtain spectroscopic evidence of intermolecular interactions between fluorinated polymers to be used as protective materials and various stones. In this paper we report an investigation by means of FTIR spectroscopy on poly(vinyl fluoride)(PVF) which contains acid hydrogens that can give rise to intermolecular interactions with calcium carbonate. Spectral changes have been found in the CH and CF stretching regions at 3000–2840 and 1200–950 cm⁻¹, respectively. These last are attributed to intermolecular interactions of the polymer with CO₃²⁻ and with conformational changes of the macromolecular chain. Scanning electron microscopy investigations were also performed on marble slabs coated with a PVF film in order to gain information about the morphology of the polymer film. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry

The diffusion of a thermal stabilizer, i.e., Irganox 1010, has been studied in three different reactor poly(propylene‐co‐ethylene) blends, namely HecoQ, ExpSS, and Super Soft. The diffusion experiments were carried out by using Roe's method based on a stack of several polymer films where each of them had 60–70 μm thickness. The concentration profile of the stabilizer in every film has been monitored by the absorbance at 282 nm of the recorded UV spectra. Under our experimental conditions, the diffusion of Irganox 1010 for all polymer materials can be correctly interpreted by using Fick's second law resolved under certain boundary conditions. Best‐fitting the experimental data with the equation model also allows calculation of the diffusion coefficient, D, for these polymer materials at 40, 70 and 80 °C. By applying an Arrhenius‐type equation to the calculated D coefficients, an estimation of activation energies of the diffusion process has been achieved. An interpretation, in terms of free volume theory, has been applied to explain the observed variation of D which depends mostly on the amount of amorphous phase of the blends. Arrhenius plots of ln D versus 1/(RT) for the polymers given in legend. magnified image Arrhenius plots of ln D versus 1/(RT) for the polymers given in legend.