Alcaligenes latus, Alcaligenes eutrophus, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas pseudoflava, Pseudomonas cepacia, and Micrococcus halodenitrificans were found to accumulate poly-(1-hydroxybutyric-co-4-hydroxyvaleric) acid [P(HB-co-HV)] copolymer when supplied with glucose (or sucrose in the case of A. latus) and propionic acid under nitrogen-limited conditions. A fed-batch culture of A. eutrophus produced 24 g of poly-,l-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) liter-' under ammonium limitation conditions. When the glucose feed was replaced with glucose and propionic acid during the polymer accumulation phase, 17 g of P(HB-co-HV) liter-' was produced. The P(HB-co-HV) contained 5.0 mol% ,-hydroxyvaleric acid (HV). Varying the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio at a dilution rate of 0.15 h-' in a chemostat culture of A. eutrophus resulted in a maximum value of 33% (wt/wt) PHB in the biomass. In comparison, A. latus accumulated about 40% (wt/wt) PHB in chemostat culture under nitrogen-limited conditions at the same dilution rate. When propionic acid was added to the first stage of a two-stage chemostat, A. latus produced 43% (wt/wt) P(HB-co-HV) containing 18.5 mol% HV. In the second stage, the P(HB-co-HV) increased to 58% (wt/wt) with an HV content of 11 mol% without further addition of carbon substrate. The HV composition in P(HB-co-HV) was controlled by regulating the concentration of propionic acid in the feed. Poly-(l-hydroxyalkanoates containing a higher percentage of HV were produced when pentanoic acid replaced propionic acid.

SYNOPSISThe effect of various corona treatment conditions on the mechanical properties of cellulose fibers/polypropylene composites was studied. The cellulose fibers and polypropylene were modified using a wide range of corona treatment levels and concentrations of oxygen. The treatment level of the fibers was evaluated using the electrical conductance of their aqueous suspensions. The mechanical properties of composites obtained from different combinations of treated or untreated cellulose fibers and polypropylene were characterized by tensile stress-strain measurements; they improved substantially when either the cellulose fibers alone or both components were treated, although composites made from untreated cellulose fibers and treated polypropylene showed a relatively small improvement. The results obtained indicate that dispersive forces are mostly responsible for the enhanced adhesion. The relationship between the electrical conductance of the fibers, the mechanical properties, and the mechanism of improved adhesion is discussed.

A systematic study of the effect of surface pretreatment of cellulosic fibers and the processing time and temperature on the mechanical properties of the cellulose‐containing polypropylene was undertaken. Using non‐treated fibers, the elastic modulus increased gradually with the cellulose content, typically doubling its value at 30 phr fiber content. Treatment of fibers with coupling agent improves significantly the interfacial adhesion and therefore the mechanical properties of composite. Scanning electron micrographs reveal that the shear stress is sufficiently high to break and delaminate the cellulosic fibers. Addition of maleic anhydride modified polypropylene also improves the properties of resulting composites.

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The synthetic membranes currently used for soil stabilization and road construction are mainly made of polypropylene and of polyesters. They are used separately for each application. The polymer used has an effect on the wettability and, the permeability of the membrane. The polypropylene membranes, for instance, have a zero wettability, whereas it is high for polyester membranes. This paper reports on the mechanical properties and the permeability of mixtures of polypropylene (PP) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The elastic modulus of the mixture was at a minimum for a 50/50 mixture. For the other compositions, the moduli gave a positive deviation as compared with the additivity equation results. This is probably due to the fact that pure PET has a fragile behavior at the temperature at which the mechanical tests were run. This 50/50 composition corresponds to the domain where a phase inversion occurs. The permeability to water vapor gave an S‐shape curve that is typical of a “mixture” of immiscible polymers. The diffusion of the water molecules is controlled by the continuous phase. To compatibilize the two homopolymers, a 94/6 copolymer of PP and of polyacrylic acid was added, at various levels, to a 60/40 mixture of PET and PP: This did not affect markedly the elastic modulus. The yield stress increased, however, indicating that we had a better adhesion and that the copolymer seems to have a certain emulsifier effect, increasing the quality of the dispersion.