On the Renewable Polymers from Agro-industrial Biomass: A Mini Review

Abstract

Plant biomass is the most abundant natural resources on earth. However, current strategies for the utilization of agricultural biomass is far from efficient, thus environmental issues related to incompetent management of biomass prevail. Innovative handling of surplus biomass can yield several rewards, which includes renewability and sustainability of the commodity as feedstock for industrial and energy purposes. In fact, an array of different parts of a plant or agro-industrial biomass, for instance, shell, husks, wood, and leaves were successfully converted into advanced carbon materials, for use as absorbent, catalyst enzyme support, electrode, etc. In this review, an extensive literature survey related to areas of renewable sources of biopolymer in both the agricultural and industrial sectors were performed. Information on their industrial value and uses, the fundamentals of their extraction alongside the benefits and major drawbacks of their utilization, are also highlighted. We aim to show that the smart utilization of unwanted agro-industrial biomass encompasses a portion of a bigger scheme that intelligently uses biomass to complement current agricultural advancements that create smart crops and growing them using cleverly designed technology. The best part of this “Waste to Wealth” concept is that every part of the crop is fully utilized. However, a set of clear criteria must be in place to ensure a sustained momentum, so that the green approach of responsible biomass utilization will be fully embraced by nations worldwide.

Evaluation of Thermal Properties of Composites Prepared from Pistachio Shell Particles Treated Chemically and Polypropylene

“…Agro-industrial waste is an option for developing new low-cost materials derived from renewable sources [1]. The use of natural additives obtained from agro-industrial waste in polymer matrices has gained interest in recent years because they take advantage of materials that do not have an industrial application and reduce environmental pollution while improving specific mechanical and thermal properties [2,3]. One of the main applications of agro-industrial waste materials is as absorbents of polluting metals such as chromium; their absorption capacity of waste materials has been improved by treating them with acidic aqueous solutions [4].…”

Evaluation of Thermal and Thermo-mechanic Properties of Composites Based on Styrene-butadiene Copolymer (SBS)-seed Shell Particles

“…This practice is useful to both the compliance of environmental regulations and the production of composite materials with improved properties that can find a place in many interesting applications. Several waste materials from agricultural sources have been studied by various research works [1][2][3][4] to obtain composite materials using a polymeric matrix.…”