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Investigation Of Ultrasonics As A Tool For Energy Efficient Recycling Of Lactic Acid From Postconsumer Pla Products, Gowrishankar Srinivasan Sep 2015

Investigation Of Ultrasonics As A Tool For Energy Efficient Recycling Of Lactic Acid From Postconsumer Pla Products, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

The growing use of "ecofriendly," biodegradable polymers have created a need for a suitable recycling technique because, unlike petroleum derived plastics, their properties deteriorate during conventional recycling. These new techniques must be cost efficient and yield material properties same as virgin polymer. This research investigates the effectiveness of high-power ultrasonics as an efficient technique to recover lactic acid from postconsumer polylactic acid (PLA) products. Polylactic acid is a commercially available bioplastic derived from corn starch and/or sugar cane that is biorenewable and compostable (biodegradable). The various ongoing researches to recover lactic acid from PLA employ a common platform of high …


Effect Of Particle Size, Coupling Agent And Ddgs Additions On Paulownia Wood Polypropylene Composites, Brent Tisserat, Louis Reifschneider, David A. Grewell, Gowrishankar Srinivasan Sep 2015

Effect Of Particle Size, Coupling Agent And Ddgs Additions On Paulownia Wood Polypropylene Composites, Brent Tisserat, Louis Reifschneider, David A. Grewell, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Studies aimed at improving the tensile, flexural, impact, thermal, and physical characteristics of wood–plastic composites composed of Paulownia wood flour derived from 36-month-old trees blended with polypropylene were conducted. Composites of 25% and 40% w/w of Paulownia wood were produced by twin-screw compounding and injection molding. Composites containing 0–10% by weight of maleated polypropylene were evaluated and an optimum maleated polypropylene concentration determined, i.e., 5%. The particle size distribution of Paulownia wood filler is shown to have an effect on the tensile and flexural properties of the composites. Novel combination composites of dried distiller’s grain with solubles mixed with Paulownia …


Ultrasonic Enhanced Liquefaction And Saccharification Of Corn For Bio-Fuel Production, Samir Kumar Khanal, Melissa T. Montalbo, Johannes Van Leeuwen, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, David A. Grewell Sep 2015

Ultrasonic Enhanced Liquefaction And Saccharification Of Corn For Bio-Fuel Production, Samir Kumar Khanal, Melissa T. Montalbo, Johannes Van Leeuwen, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, David A. Grewell

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Dry grind corn milling does not reach full efficiency of starch conversion to sugars and subsequently to ethanol because of limitations in the milling process. This paper examines the use of high-power ultrasonics to enhance the release of fermentable sugars from milled dry corn. In this work, 20 kHz ultrasonic energy was used to pretreat corn mash prior to enzymatic conversion of corn starch to glucose in a batch-mode. The ultrasonic amplitude was varied from 0, 191 to 320 µm pp . The corn mash was sonicated for 0 (control), 20 and 40 seconds. Other experimental variables that were studied …


Improvement Of Mechanical Properties And Water Stability Of Vegetable Protein Based Plastics, Gowrishankar Srinivasan Sep 2015

Improvement Of Mechanical Properties And Water Stability Of Vegetable Protein Based Plastics, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Bio-renewable bio-degradable plastics are a potential solution to the growing problems of pollution caused by petroleum plastics and dependency on foreign nations for petroleum resources. One possible feed stock for these materials are vegetable proteins, especially from soy bean and corn. These proteins have relatively high molecular weights and have the potential of being processed with standard polymer processing technologies. But some issues that need to be addressed are their water instability (soy protein) and inferior mechanical properties as compared to petroleum derived plastics. In this study, soy protein isolates (SPI) and zein protein was processed with various additives and …


Influence Of Ultrasonics In Ammonia Steeped Switchgrass For Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Melissa Tabada Montalbo-Lomboy, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, D. Raj Raman, Robert P. Anex Jr., David A. Grewell Sep 2015

Influence Of Ultrasonics In Ammonia Steeped Switchgrass For Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Melissa Tabada Montalbo-Lomboy, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, D. Raj Raman, Robert P. Anex Jr., David A. Grewell

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

The bioconversion of lignocellulosic materials into fuels is of great environmental and economic importance, because of the large amounts of feedstock (est. over 1 billion tons per year), the potentially low cost of this feedstock, and the potentially high net energy balance the overall process. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a candidate dedicated lignocellulosic feedstock in the US. However, lignocellulosic materials, including switchgrass, are hampered by the recalcitrance of lignocellulose to enzymatic degradation into fermentable sugars. Various types of pretreatment have been developed to overcome this recalcitrance. In this study, we examined sequential ammonia-steeping and ultrasound pretreatment of switchgrass. The …


Soy Protein Polymers: Enhancing The Water Stability Property, Gowrishankar Srinivasan Sep 2015

Soy Protein Polymers: Enhancing The Water Stability Property, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Soy protein based plastics have been processed in the past by researchers for various short-term applications; however a common issue is the high water sensitivity of these plastics. This work concentrates on resolving this water sensitivity issue of soy protein polymers by employing chemical and mechanical interaction at the molecular level during extrusion. The primary chemical interactions employed were anhydride chemistries such as maleic anhydride (MA), phthalic anhydride (PTA), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). These were respectively used in conjunction with glycerol as a plasticizer to produce relatively water stable soy protein based plastics. Formulations with varying additive levels of the …


Investigation Of Ultrasonics As A Tool For Energy Efficient Recycling Of Lactic Acid From Postconsumer Pla Products, Gowrishankar Srinivasan May 2015

Investigation Of Ultrasonics As A Tool For Energy Efficient Recycling Of Lactic Acid From Postconsumer Pla Products, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

The growing use of "ecofriendly," biodegradable polymers have created a need for a suitable recycling technique because, unlike petroleum derived plastics, their properties deteriorate during conventional recycling. These new techniques must be cost efficient and yield material properties same as virgin polymer. This research investigates the effectiveness of high-power ultrasonics as an efficient technique to recover lactic acid from postconsumer polylactic acid (PLA) products. Polylactic acid is a commercially available bioplastic derived from corn starch and/or sugar cane that is biorenewable and compostable (biodegradable). The various ongoing researches to recover lactic acid from PLA employ a common platform of high …


Effect Of Particle Size, Coupling Agent And Ddgs Additions On Paulownia Wood Polypropylene Composites, Brent Tisserat, Louis Reifschneider, David A. Grewell, Gowrishankar Srinivasan May 2015

Effect Of Particle Size, Coupling Agent And Ddgs Additions On Paulownia Wood Polypropylene Composites, Brent Tisserat, Louis Reifschneider, David A. Grewell, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Studies aimed at improving the tensile, flexural, impact, thermal, and physical characteristics of wood–plastic composites composed of Paulownia wood flour derived from 36-month-old trees blended with polypropylene were conducted. Composites of 25% and 40% w/w of Paulownia wood were produced by twin-screw compounding and injection molding. Composites containing 0–10% by weight of maleated polypropylene were evaluated and an optimum maleated polypropylene concentration determined, i.e., 5%. The particle size distribution of Paulownia wood filler is shown to have an effect on the tensile and flexural properties of the composites. Novel combination composites of dried distiller’s grain with solubles mixed with Paulownia …


Ultrasonic Enhanced Liquefaction And Saccharification Of Corn For Bio-Fuel Production, Samir Kumar Khanal, Melissa T. Montalbo, Johannes Van Leeuwen, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, David A. Grewell May 2015

Ultrasonic Enhanced Liquefaction And Saccharification Of Corn For Bio-Fuel Production, Samir Kumar Khanal, Melissa T. Montalbo, Johannes Van Leeuwen, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, David A. Grewell

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Dry grind corn milling does not reach full efficiency of starch conversion to sugars and subsequently to ethanol because of limitations in the milling process. This paper examines the use of high-power ultrasonics to enhance the release of fermentable sugars from milled dry corn. In this work, 20 kHz ultrasonic energy was used to pretreat corn mash prior to enzymatic conversion of corn starch to glucose in a batch-mode. The ultrasonic amplitude was varied from 0, 191 to 320 µm pp . The corn mash was sonicated for 0 (control), 20 and 40 seconds. Other experimental variables that were studied …


Improvement Of Mechanical Properties And Water Stability Of Vegetable Protein Based Plastics, Gowrishankar Srinivasan May 2015

Improvement Of Mechanical Properties And Water Stability Of Vegetable Protein Based Plastics, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Bio-renewable bio-degradable plastics are a potential solution to the growing problems of pollution caused by petroleum plastics and dependency on foreign nations for petroleum resources. One possible feed stock for these materials are vegetable proteins, especially from soy bean and corn. These proteins have relatively high molecular weights and have the potential of being processed with standard polymer processing technologies. But some issues that need to be addressed are their water instability (soy protein) and inferior mechanical properties as compared to petroleum derived plastics. In this study, soy protein isolates (SPI) and zein protein was processed with various additives and …


Influence Of Ultrasonics In Ammonia Steeped Switchgrass For Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Melissa Tabada Montalbo-Lomboy, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, D. Raj Raman, Robert P. Anex Jr., David A. Grewell May 2015

Influence Of Ultrasonics In Ammonia Steeped Switchgrass For Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Melissa Tabada Montalbo-Lomboy, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, D. Raj Raman, Robert P. Anex Jr., David A. Grewell

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

The bioconversion of lignocellulosic materials into fuels is of great environmental and economic importance, because of the large amounts of feedstock (est. over 1 billion tons per year), the potentially low cost of this feedstock, and the potentially high net energy balance the overall process. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a candidate dedicated lignocellulosic feedstock in the US. However, lignocellulosic materials, including switchgrass, are hampered by the recalcitrance of lignocellulose to enzymatic degradation into fermentable sugars. Various types of pretreatment have been developed to overcome this recalcitrance. In this study, we examined sequential ammonia-steeping and ultrasound pretreatment of switchgrass. The …


Soy Protein Polymers: Enhancing The Water Stability Property, Gowrishankar Srinivasan May 2015

Soy Protein Polymers: Enhancing The Water Stability Property, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Soy protein based plastics have been processed in the past by researchers for various short-term applications; however a common issue is the high water sensitivity of these plastics. This work concentrates on resolving this water sensitivity issue of soy protein polymers by employing chemical and mechanical interaction at the molecular level during extrusion. The primary chemical interactions employed were anhydride chemistries such as maleic anhydride (MA), phthalic anhydride (PTA), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). These were respectively used in conjunction with glycerol as a plasticizer to produce relatively water stable soy protein based plastics. Formulations with varying additive levels of the …