This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
With this award from the Major Research and Instrumentation (MRI) program, Professor David S. Karpovich, Jason J. Pagano, Christopher H. Schilling, Tami L. Sivy and Ron R. Williams from Saginaw Valley State University will acquire a Raman spectrometer, a thermal gravimetric analysis instrument (TGA), and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The instruments will be used to study the production of novel biodegradable plastics from regional agricultural and bio-fuel waste products and to analyze tubular precipitation structures formed in geological and biological systems.
Raman spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry will be used to correlate the spectral and thermal properties associated with specific intermolecular interactions and transitions in materials, with their physical/mechanical properties. The Raman spectrum provides information on the chemical composition and structure of materials. Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) measures weight changes in a material as a function of temperature providing information on the decomposition or evaporation from a sample as it is heated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measures the heat required to raise the temperature of a material and helps to identify physical changes, such as phase transitions. The combined use of these instruments will allow for the improvement of bio-plastics, optimizing their tensile strength and reducing brittleness.
" provided fundamental tools needed for studying biodegradable materials at Saginaw Valley State University. The main studies focused on biomaterials made partly of cellulose-containing co-products from the agricultural and biofuels industries as well as from other sources, including paper, yard waste, and algae. Cellulose was chemically combined with reagents containing protein, such as soy protein isolate and soybean meal, which added strength for potential application as biodegradable structural materials. This project also had an impact on the use of other industrial waste, such as crude glycerin from biodiesel processing, which was formulated into emulsions for industrial heating applications. The Raman spectrometer enabled the identification of key functional groups involved in biomaterial reactions, and this provided analytical information in order to make decisions on processing parameters to achieve better chemical conversion. The Raman spectrometer also enabled the probing of microcrystalline structures in starting materials and the changes they encountered during processing. This enabled studies to begin on the structure to strength relationships, which will help in designing biomaterials with improved physical properties. The thermal analysis instrumentation included a thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), which are important tools used for determining polymer and composite properties. The TGA was used to investigate thermal decomposition events. This fundamental information on biomaterial thermal stability was needed prior to DSC measurements as well as to determine application utility. The DSC enabled identification of thermal events upon heating the biomaterials such as water desorption from within the structures, heat flow upon crosslinking, and glass transition temperatures. Fundamental descriptive properties could be determined using DSC, such as whether the biomaterials were thermoplastic, thermoset, or a composite of each type of material. In addition to the cellulose based biomaterials, the instrumentation afforded advancements on other uses of agricultural and biofuel industry co-products. Crude glycerin from biodiesel processing is available at low cost and in excess when biodiesel production is high. However purification of the crude byproduct for typical personal care uses is too costly, and it is often landfilled. Glycerin’s energy content gives it the potential to be used as liquid fuel, but it is difficult to burn due to its low vapor pressure and high auto-ignition temperature. To enable the use crude glycerin as an industrial heating fuel, we developed crude glycerin-in-fuel oil emulsions and demonstrated their application in an industrial oil burning furnace. The TGA was beneficial for crude glycerin analysis for water and ash content, and the Raman microscope enabled determination of micelle identity and diameters. The intellectual merit of the project is a direct and significant contribution to the field of sustainable bio-materials. The project was successful in improving biomaterial strength by up to 35% and increasing density by up to 18%. Processing time was shortened from three days to less than one day, and conditions were changed to reduce the production of water waste. The discoveries made during the project enable sustainable uses of natural materials such as co-products from the agricultural and biofuels industries. The broader impacts of the project are evident with increased training and experience opportunities, both as part of the laboratory curriculum and as integral parts of the instrumentation available for research by both faculty and undergraduate students. To date, over 140 undergraduate chemistry students have used this instrumentation, and it has been incorporated into our curriculum so that approximately 60 students each year will use it. This will help prepare them for careers in science. As an added benefit, their experience will include exposure to the field of sustainable materials, which will prepare them for future directions in materials research. So far this award has resulted in two papers and one provisional patent application with more to follow. Fredy S. Pratama, Hannah F. Robinson, and Jason J. Pagano. "Spatially resolved analysis of calcium–silica tubes in reverse chemical gardens." Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. Vol 389.1, 127-133, (2011) 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2011.08.041 Hannah E. Mize, Anthony J. Lucio, Cassie J. Fhaner, Fredy. S. Pratama, Lanny A. Robbins, and David S. Karpovich. Emulsions of crude glycerin from biodiesel processing with fuel oil for industrial heating, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 61 (6), 1319–1327, (2013) 10.1021/jf304883t
