U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            CHEN, FENG - WASHINGTON STATE UNIVitem
                                            Liu, Linshuitem
                                            COOKE, PETER - USDA/ARS 1935-item
                                            Hicks, Kevinitem
                                            ZHANG, JINWEN - WASHINGTON STATE UNIV
  Submitted to: Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemical Research
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 9/17/2008
                                    Publication  Date: 9/17/2008
                                    Citation: Chen, F., Liu, L.S., Cooke, P., Hicks, K.B., Zhang, J. 2008. Performance enhancement of a Poly(lactic acid) and sugar beet pulp composites by improving interfacial adhesion and penetration. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemical Research. 47:8667-8675.Interpretive Summary: Forty million tons of sugar beet pulp (SBP) are generated yearly by U.S. beet sugar industries and most of it is used as low value animal feeds.  Finding new uses for this biodegradable, agricultural byproduct is critical for the long term economic viability of the U.S. sugar industry.  In this study, we developed composite structural materials from SBP by co-extrusion with another biomass-derived compound, poly(lactic acid), and a popular chemical cross-linker, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI), which has a long safe history of use in sealants and biomedical materials.  The resultant composites were able to retain the mechanical properties of the original PLA even at SBP content as high as 50% of the total mass. The mechanism of the composite formation was studied and methods to prepare such types of composites with > 50% SBP content were developed. The novel composites can function as light weight-bearing construction materials, which would use a large volume of SBP and benefit sugar beet growers and beet sugar processors.
                                Technical Abstract: 	Polylactic acid (PLA) and sugar beet pulp (SBP) composites were prepared using a twin screw extruder.  The phase structure, thermal properties, mechanical properties and water resistance of the composites were studied. The molecular weight change of PLA in the composites was also studied. Polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate (pMDI) was used as a coupling agent and resulted in significant increases in mechanical properties and water resistance. The tensile strength of the PLA/SBP (70/30 w/w) composite was only 56.9% that of neat PLA, but it was increased to 80.3% with the addition of 0.5% pMDI and further increased to 93.8% at 2% pMDI. With 50% SBP and 2% pMDI, the tensile strength of the composite was 87.8% of that of neat PLA. The microstructure of the composites indicated that the addition of pMDI greatly improved the wettability of the SBP particles by PLA and increased the penetration of PLA into the porous SBP. Consequently, the failure of the composites in mechanical testing changed from extensive debonding without pMDI to progressive rupture of the SBP particles with pMDI.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov