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PROJECT 1 aims to utilize renewable and biodegradable resources as raw materials for production of potential commercial products. This projects aims to develop a scalable biomass-based liquefaction technology that synthesizes highly functional polyols for polyurethane (PU) formulations specifically insulation foam sheets. The liquefaction of rice straw and/or pineapple leaves with crude glycerin as solvent is performed at elevated temperatures under atmospheric pressure and catalyzed by sulfuric acid in a one-pot process.
PROJECT 2 aims to develop a scalable heat bodying and hydroxyl-functionalization techonology for renewable and biodegradable resources. Particularly, the project synthesizes highly functional polyols for PU formulations for semi-rigid PU foam packing materials and waterborne PU coatings. Vegetable oils such as coconut oil and palm oil are heat-polymerized using catalytic bodying of fatty acid dienes and esterification of hydroxyl functionalized acylglycerols. Subsequent attachment of hydroxyl functionality into the polymerized oil using appropriate functionalization methods is performed at optimum temperature and reaction time to obtain polyols that meet the technical requirements for semi-rigid PU foams and waterbnorne PU coatings on the basis of hydroxyl functionality and molecular weight.
The intermittency of existing renewable energy sources due to weather dependency paved the way for the emergence of electrical energy storage systems. Supercapacitor, in particular, have received widespread attention owing to its high power density, extended cycling life, and rapid charge-discharge rates. However, due to the scale and current high cost of producing graphene which is one of its most commonly used electrode material, activated carbon is gaining more popularity due to its large surface area, good electrical properties, comparatively lower cost and ease of fabrication from readily available natural biomass sources. In this light, this study will utilize waste bamboo cuttings as a raw material for a potential supercapacitor electrode material.
Biomass precursors, in the form of agricultural and domestic waste, are readily available, inexpensive and renewable making it an ideal precursor for AC production. Literature survey indicates that there have been many attempts to obtain low-cost AC or adsorbent from agricultural wastes such as cotton residues, sugar cane bagasse, rice hulls, corn cob, coconut shells and bamboo among others. These studies are greatly beneficial for agricultural countries such as the Philippines because it can maximize the production percentage of agri- industial products, a mode that is highly efficient and effective for local industries to thrive. This research further showed promising results for bamboo masses, enough for research to continue in its pursuit of synergistic effect towards the general.
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