The search for renewable alternatives for petroleum products that can be used in industrial applications is increasing. Each year, several tons of bio-derived industrial waste is produced and most of it is burned or placed in landfills. Olive pits (OP) have unique characteristics such as abundance, renewability, and biodegradability, which can be utilized to develop new types of biocomposites. One of the most promising uses of OP is that they can reinforce the mechanical properties of polymeric biocomposites. This study describes the preparation of recycled low-density polyethylene (rLDPE) that is filled with OP flour (10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.%) using a twin-screw extruder. The effects of the chemical treatment of the OP surface (sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) on the bio-filler/polymer compatibility along with the produced composite’s chemical, physical, mechanical, and thermal properties have been explored. Overall, the reinforced composites that were obtained with alkali-treated OP have better biocomposite properties. This indicates an improved compatibility between the bio-filler and matrix. The results are promising in terms of using OP flour in developing green composites.

The interfacial compatibility of the natural filler and synthetic polymer is the key performance characteristic of biocomposites. The fillers are chemically modified, or coupling agents and compatibilisers are used to ensure optimal filler-polymer compatibility. Hence, we have investigated the effect of compatibilisation strategies of olive pits (OP) flour content (10, 20, 30, and 40%wt.) filled with recycled low-density polyethylene (rLDPE) on the chemical, physical, mechanical, and thermal behaviour of the developed biocomposites. In this study, we aim to investigate the filler-polymer compatibility in biocomposites by employing novel strategies for the functionalisation of OP filler and/or rLDPE matrix. Specifically, four cases are considered: untreated OP filled rLDPE (Case 1), treated OP filled rLDPE (Case 2), treated OP filled functionalised rLDPE (Case 3), and treated and functionalised OP filled functionalised rLDPE (Case 4). In general, the evaluation of the performance of biocomposites facilitated the application of OP industrial waste as an eco-friendly reinforcing agent for rLDPE-based biocomposites. Furthermore, surface treatment and compatibilisation improved the properties of the developed biocomposites over untreated filler or uncoupled biocomposites. Besides that, the compatibilisers used aided in reducing water uptake and improving thermal behaviour, which contributed to the stability of the manufactured biocomposites.

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The need for air conditioning in rural areas where there is no source of electricity, leads to look for alternative solutions. Usage of Solar thermal system drive vapor jet refrigeration cycle (VJRC) instead of the traditional air conditioning systems, contributes in the reduction of the Global Worming and Ozone Depletion. The main objective of this paper is to test the visibility of using VJRC driven by solar thermal energy in rural areas to cover the cooling load demand of a typical movable house unit (TMH). After the mathematical modeling of the VJRC, the characteristic curves and tables where obtained by using engineering equation solver (EES) software assuming a constant evaporator temperature and various generator and condenser temperatures. TRNBuild subsystem in TRNSYS software was used to emulate TMH cooling load demand using weather data for two selected locations (Hebron and Jericho cities). TRNSYS software was used to investigate the validity of the proposed system in summer (May to September) for the two suggested locations. Three main parameters were studied in the proposed system, location, evacuated tube solar collector (ETC) area and hot storage tank volume. The results of the overall simulation of the proposed system indicated that the system efficiency in Hebron city was much higher than Jericho city due to climate and design conditions. In addition, it is found that there were many options for the system size can be selected to provide a percentage of the human comfort.