Biosourced Raw Materials - Moving the Farm into
Polymers
Douglas A. WicksRobert M. Hearin Support Foundation ProfessorThe University of Southern Mississippi
OutlineOverview of Polymer ScienceBackgroundExamples
Generation of ethanolVegetable Oil
MacromonomersSoy Bean Composites
School of Polymers and High Performance
Materials at
The University of Southern Mississippi
UndergraduateEducation
GraduateEducation
CommunityOutreach/Education
Research
Graduate Education
• PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering• 80 graduate students• Majority US Citizens• Diverse foreign contingent France, China, S. Africa, Turkey, S. Korea, Spain, Brazil, Columbia, Malaysia, Poland, India, Canada
UndergraduateEducation
GraduateEducation
CommunityOutreach/Education
Research
Undergraduate Education
• BS in Polymer Science• 4 Year degree program • 90 students• Comprehensive program
•Synthesis•Coatings•Processing
• Regionally drawn students•Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee.
UndergraduateEducation
GraduateEducation
CommunityOutreach/Education
Research
Research Programs
$10MM in external fundingFederalStateIndustrialInternational
National NSF CentersIndustry/Univ. Coop Res CenterMaterials Research Center
Internationally recognized faculty
UndergraduateEducation
GraduateEducation
CommunityOutreach/Education
Research
Outreach Programs
International Coatings and Formulations Institute (ICFI)
CoatingsThames
Evans UrbanWicks Smith
Polymer Processing
HesterMooreMorganOtaigbe
Polymer Science Faculty
Polymer Physics
Synthesis
MauritzHoyleLochheadNazarenko
McCormickMathiasStoreyBoyes
Polymer Science Faculty
Long History of Natural Products in Polymers
Present Project ObjectiveDevelop a concentrated acid hydrolysis process that converts
softwood sawdust into sugars that can be fermented to ethanol.
The process must be economical. - minimize equipment cost
- maximize conversion to sugars
Hester
1 - motor 2 - transmission3 - sawdust feeder4- acid feed port5 - twin screw extruder6 - flow restricting orifice7 - static mixer & water port8 - hydrolysis reactor9 - product cooler 10 – product collector11 - water feed pump12 - acid feed pump13 – computer controller
123
45678910
USM Sawdust To Sugars Mini-Plant
11
12
13
Continuous Film Formation with Solventless Latex
Stage III: Hexagonal packingStage V: Crosslinked Film
Stage I: Aqueous latex Stage II: Close contact particles
Stage IV: Ambient Crosslinking
Thames Research Group
Vegetable Oil Macromonomer
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Thames Research Group
Castor Acrylated Monomer(CAM) Acrylate
group reactswith growing
polymerradicals
Alkyl moieties provideinternal plasticization
Residual unsaturationprovides mechanism
forambient cure
O
H3COOO
H H
H H
Thames Research Group
CAM Incorporation Variable Tg (Var-Tg) latexes
MMA:BA ratio held constant, CAM added
Iso-Tg latexes MMA:BA:CAM ratios adjusted to achieve 5°C Tg
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
MFT
Tg
Te
mp
era
ture
(°C
)
phm CAM
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Tg
MFTTe
mp
era
ture
(°C
)
phm CAM
Var-Tg CAM Latexes Iso-Tg CAM Latexes
Textile Latex For Military Uniforms
Thames Research Group
Benefits
Permanent Press UniformsImproved wear resistanceImproved color retentionCost savings
100 Additional Jobs for Mississippi
Thames Research Group
Additional Usage
7,500 uniforms supplied to USAF for field trial
US Army testing permanent press uniforms
Thames Research Group
Environmentally Friendly CompositesComponents
Continuous PhaseSynthetic
Urea-formaldehyde Polyethylene
Agricultural Soybean protein Lignin
ReinforcementsSynthetic
Carbon Glass
Agricultural Plant fibers Wood
Thames Research Group
Commercial Adhesives
Advantages: Rapid cure time Water resistance Cure by crosslinking
Disadvantages: Increasing cost Formaldehyde
emissions
Prominent Adhesives Urea-formaldehyde (UF) Melamine-formaldehyde (MF) Phenol-formaldehyde (PF)
Thames Research Group
Formaldehyde
Toxic compoundInhalationContact with skinIngestion
Irritates all parts of the respiratory system
Thames Research Group
Soybean Adhesive Potential
Alternative to using petroleum resources
BiodegradableRenewableRelative low costEnvironmentally-
friendlyFormaldehyde-free
Thames Research Group
Soybean CompositionCarbohydrates (35%)
Protein (40%)
Oils (20%)
Ash (5%)
http://hubcap.clemson.eduhttp://www.nsrl.uiuc.edu
Thames Research Group
Formaldehyde-Free Biodegradable Wood Composites
RenewableBiodegradableFormaldehyde-free Environmentally-friendly
PLLA Ionomers -Project Concept
Biodegradable ionomers (polymers containing ions) based on poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)
Ion groups raise glass transition temperature
Higher Tg opens new applications in food packaging and food service
Incorporation of Ionic Groups by Copolymerization
115oC, N2 atm
Sn(OBu)2+
O O
OBn
CH3
O
O
O
O
CH3O O
O
CH3OOBn
L,L-lactide MBC
O
O
O
O
O
O
-Caprolactone
O O
O
CH3OOBn
O O
OBn
CH3
O
O
O
O+
Al(OiPr)3
85oC, N2 atm
MBCBn = CH2Ph
110 oC, N2 atm
Sn(Oct)2
Storey, R.F., Mullen, B.D., Melchert, K.M. J. Macromol. Sci.-Pure Appl. Chem., 2001 A38(9), 897.
Enhancement of Glass Transition Temperature by Ion Incorporation
O O O
O
OCH3
O
OH
O O
OBn
CH3
O
O
O
O
CH3
Conclusions
Biosourced Products have a place in polymers
They can be included into high performance materials
The next generation will truly bring us back to the farm
Acknowledgements
The Thames Research GroupSouthern Diversified Products
Professor Roger HesterProfessor Robson StoreyThe US Department of Agriculture
