1
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      A Preliminary Environmental Assessment of Epoxidized Sucrose Soyate (ESS)-Based Biocomposite

      research-article

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Biocomposites can be both environmentally and economically beneficial: during their life cycle they generally use and generate less petroleum-based carbon, and when produced from the byproduct of another industry or recycled back to the manufacturing process, they will bring additional economic benefits through contributing to a circular economy. Here we investigate and compare the environmental performance of a biocomposite composed of a soybean oil-based resin (epoxidized sucrose soyate) and flax-based reinforcement using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. We evaluate the main environmental impacts that are generated during the production of the bio-based resin used in the biocomposite, as well as the biocomposite itself. We compare the life cycle impacts of the proposed biocomposite to a functionally similar petroleum-based resin and flax fiber reinforced composite, to identify tradeoffs between the environmental performance of the two products. We demonstrate that the bio-based resin (epoxidized sucrose soyate) compared to a conventional (bisphenol A-based) resin shows lower negative environmental impacts in most studied categories. When comparing the biocomposite to the fossil fuel derived composite, it is demonstrated that using epoxidized sucrose soyate versus a bisphenol A (BPA)-based epoxy resin can improve the environmental performance of the composite in most categories except eutrophication and ozone layer depletion. For future designs, considering an alternative cross-linker to facilitate the bond between the bio-based resin and the flax fiber, may help improve the overall environmental performance of the biocomposite. An uncertainty analysis was also performed to evaluate the effect of variation in LCA model inputs on the environmental results for both the biocomposite and composite. The findings show a better overall carbon footprint for the biocomposite compared to the BPA-based composite at almost all times, demonstrating a good potential for marketability especially in the presence of incentives or regulations that address reducing the carbon intensity of products. This analysis allowed us to pinpoint hotspots in the biocomposite’s supply chain and recommend future modifications to improve the product’s sustainability.

          Related collections

          Most cited references23

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: not found
          • Article: not found

          Assessment of the environmental profile of PLA, PET and PS clamshell containers using LCA methodology

            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            High biobased content epoxy-anhydride thermosets from epoxidized sucrose esters of Fatty acids.

            Novel highly functional biobased epoxy compounds, epoxidized sucrose esters of fatty acids (ESEFAs), were cross-linked with a liquid cycloaliphatic anhydride to prepare polyester thermosets. The degree of cure or conversion was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the sol content of the thermosets was determined using solvent extraction. The mechanical properties were studied using tensile testing to determine Young's modulus, tensile stress, and elongation at break. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was used to determine glass-transition temperature, storage modulus, and cross-link density. The nanomechanical properties of the surfaces were studied using nanoindentation to determine reduced modulus and indentation hardness. The properties of coatings on steel substrates were studied to determine coating hardness, adhesion, solvent resistance, and mechanical durability. Compared with the control, epoxidized soybean oil, the anhydride-cured ESEFAs have high modulus and are hard and ductile, high-performance thermoset materials while maintaining a high biobased content (71-77% in theory). The exceptional performance of the ESEFAs is attributed to the unique structure of these macromolecules: well-defined compact structures with high epoxide functionality. These biobased thermosets have potential uses in applications such as composites, adhesives, and coatings.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: not found
              • Article: not found

              Lignin-Based Bio-Oil Mimic as Biobased Resin for Composite Applications

                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: Academic Editor
                Role: Academic Editor
                Journal
                Molecules
                Molecules
                molecules
                Molecules
                MDPI
                1420-3049
                17 June 2020
                June 2020
                : 25
                : 12
                : 2797
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; Shokoofeh.Ghasemi@ 123456ndsu.edu (S.G.); Dean.Webster@ 123456ndsu.edu (D.C.W.)
                [2 ]Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; Mukund.Sibi@ 123456ndsu.edu
                [3 ]Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; Chad.Ulven@ 123456ndsu.edu
                Author notes
                Author information
                https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1999-4167
                https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3187-7617
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5765-9514
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5979-8534
                Article
                molecules-25-02797
                10.3390/molecules25122797
                7356212
                32560446
                7793769a-4bba-42e6-8ad9-fdbe7ff37029
                © 2020 by the authors.

                Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

                History
                : 31 May 2020
                : 15 June 2020
                Categories
                Article

                epoxidized sucrose soyate (ess),life cycle assessment,biocomposite,soybean-based resin

                Comments

                Comment on this article