Robust, remeltable and remarkably simple to prepare biomass–sulfur composites

Abstract

Lignocellulosic biomass holds a tremendous opportunity for transformation into carbon-negative materials, yet the expense of separating biomass into its cellulose and lignin components remains a primary economic barrier to biomass utilization.

Inverse vulcanization of octenyl succinate-modified corn starch as a route to biopolymer–sulfur composites

“…The R S in OSSx composites are towards the high end of the range reported for previously-reported biopolymer-sulfur composites prepared by inverse vulcanization of methylpropene-derivatized cellulose (PCS x , R S = 24-58), 58 geraniol-derivatized cellulose (GCS 90 , R S = 22), 59 allyl lignin (LS x , R S = 49-96), 46 or allylated lignocellulose biomass (APS x , R S = 20-21). 40,41 A comparison of several properties for OSSx and these related biopolymer-sulfur composites is provided in Table 2.…”

“…[32][33][34][35] In addition to the aforementioned applications of HSMs, our group has recently reported numerous high-strength composite materials prepared by the reaction of sulfur with bio-derived monomers including fatty acids, [36][37][38][39] triglycerides, 42 terpenoids, 21,43 amino acid derivatives, 44 lignin derivatives, 22,35,45,46 cellulose derivatives, 3,21 and raw lignocellulosic biomass sources. 40,41 In terms of commercialization of biopolymer-derived materials, starch-derived films and composites have recently gained tremendous interest because starch is remarkably simple to solubilize, derivatize and process compared to cellulose. We recently reported a comprehensive review on the merits and progress in application of starch as a structural element for packaging applications.…”

Morphological and mechanical characterization of high-strength sulfur composites prepared with variably-sized lignocellulose particles

“…To meet this goal the organic component to be reacted with waste sulfur must be renewably-sourced and preferably carbon negative to minimize or eliminate contributions to CO 2 emission. Towards this end, researchers have demonstrated successful HSM production by reacting sulfur with fatty acids, 25,31,33 terpenoids, 19,21,57,[73][74][75] starch, 18,24 lignin, 12,17,28,29 cellulose, 13,19 and lignocellulosic biomass derivatives. 16,17 Some of those biologically-derived materials do not possess the olefin functionalities needed for inverse vulcanization and therefore require derivatization or use of alternative reaction strategies.…”

“…Towards this end, researchers have demonstrated successful HSM production by reacting sulfur with fatty acids, 25,31,33 terpenoids, 19,21,57,[73][74][75] starch, 18,24 lignin, 12,17,28,29 cellulose, 13,19 and lignocellulosic biomass derivatives. 16,17 Some of those biologically-derived materials do not possess the olefin functionalities needed for inverse vulcanization and therefore require derivatization or use of alternative reaction strategies. Derivatization, however, can detract from the atom economy and add to the economic/energetic cost of the process.…”

“…Our previous work with peanut shell composites, for example, revealed that the composites' properties were strongly dependent on the peanut oil content of the peanut shell material employed in their preparation. 16,17 The issues discussed above for biomass utilization necessitate assessing (1) the extent to which lignocellulose composite mechanical properties depend on particle size and (2) whether the chemical composition of the lignocellulosic feedstock varies on the basis of particle size due to the difference in grindability of divergent botanical structures of which the biomass is comprised. Chemical composition and particle morphology drastically impact particle dispersion and mechanical properties of composites prepared from cellulose nanocrystals, suggesting that these characteristics would also be important in lignocellulose-sulfur composites.…”