Simultaneous determination of ascorbyl palmitate and nine phenolic antioxidants in vegetable oils and edible fats by HPLC

This study describes an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of ascorbyl palmitate (AP) and synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPA) in vegetable oils and edible fats in a single run. To achieve this, citric acid was used in combination with isoascorbic acid for stabilization of AP in standard and sample solutions and for deactivation of oxidizing agents in the HPLC system. SPA and AP were directly extracted from samples with methanol containing 1 mg/mL each of citric acid and isoascorbic acid. HPLC analytical and guard columns were pretreated with 90% methanol/acetonitrile 1∶1 (vol/vol), containing 4 mg/mL each of citric acid and isoascorbic acid, and 10% water at pH 3, for 30 min. Under these conditions, AP was stable for about 7 h at room temperature. The relative SD of repeatability for AP (0.5–3.6%) was comparable to that for SPA (0.3–2.8%). Average recovery from spiked samples was 100% for AP, 98–103% for SPA, and 85% for BHT (up to 90% using double extraction with methanol).     

再生风机叶片纤维对混凝土力学和抗冻性能的影响

为解决废弃风机叶片大量堆存、难以处理的问题,通过机械粉碎方法得到再生风机叶片纤维,研究不同掺量(0%、10%、20%和30%,质量分数)再生纤维对混凝土力学性能和抗冻性能的影响,探讨废弃风机叶片在混凝土中利用的经济和环境价值。结果表明:掺10%、20%和30%再生风机叶片纤维混凝土的抗弯强度和劈裂抗拉强度较素混凝土提高明显,抗弯强度分别提高了2.8%、2.8%和11.1%,劈裂抗拉强度分别提高56.3%、68.8%和 40.6%。掺20%再生风机叶片纤维混凝土冻融寿命可达75次,远超素混凝土的冻融寿命(25次),混凝土抗冻性能显著提高。但是,再生纤维掺量过高(30%)时,混凝土吸水率上升明显,抗压强度和抗冻性能下降。相比传统的焚烧处理,在混凝土中掺入20%再生风机叶片纤维,可降低混凝土成本69.2元/m³,减少CO₂排放0.04 t/m³。     

The Application of Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Oil in Cosmetic Formulations

The depletion of natural resources, the increasing use of valuable land surface for human activities, and the generation of waste are detrimental to the planet. Sustainable alternatives to guarantee a sufficient supply of food, feed, and biomaterials are needed. Insects may hold an interesting position in a circular economy to tackle contemporary societal challenges. Using insects for food, feed, biomaterial production, and to valorize side-streams, have gained increased interest. Mealworms are amenable to large-scale farming. Herein, the potential of mealworm oil for implementation in a cosmetic hand cream is evaluated. It is shown that mealworms are rich in oil (≈30% of the dry weight), and the oil can be extracted using hexane or ethyl acetate as a solvent. The euthanization step of mealworms has profound effect on the free fatty acid content. The fatty acid profile indicates a large proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, which is promising for use in cosmetic applications. In a proof of concept, the mealworm oil is implemented in a hand cream and compared to hand cream containing macadamia nut oil. No differences in odor and aspect/stability are observed, but mealworm creams are slightly less white color. Mealworm oil is suitable for cosmetics applications. Practical applications: Several insect species can be sustainably reared on low-value organic side-streams, requiring only small amounts of land-surface, less water, and producing less greenhouse gases. In addition, they have short life cycles and can be reared continuously and locally. This implies that insects are an interesting source of biological materials including proteins and oils. Insect oils, including oil of mealworms, have interesting fatty acid profiles that make them amenable to replace oils of vegetable origin for applications within cosmetics. The results indicate that mealworm oil can be a novel, sustainable ingredient for use in the cosmetics industry.     

Effects of mechanical recycling on optical properties and microstructure of recycled high-density polyethylene pellets and bottles

The demand for recycling high-density polyethylene (HDPE) utilizing mechanical recycling technologies is currently felt strongly by both society and industry. However, thermal oxidation of the polymer during the recycling process may lead to irreversible changes in the material properties of recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE). The effects of mechanical recycling on the optical characteristics and microstructure of rHDPE pellets and bottles were investigated in this study. The results revealed that the apparent color of the rHDPE became more yellow and gray compared to the virgin HDPE (vHDPE), and showed a signal at 670–680 nm in the solar reflectance spectrum. The thermal oxidation of rHDPE considerably raised the absorption intensities of carbonyl, ester, and hydroxyl groups in attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrum. In addition, the presence of carbonyl and hydroxyl unsaturated chemicals might make it challenging to recognize the distinctive peaks of vHDPE in the ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance (UV–Vis-DIR) spectra at wavelengths less than 400 nm. Thermal oxidation of rHDPE was also confirmed in the C OH, CO, and O CO valence structures of C1s and O1s. A characteristic valence band (VB) profile at 25 eV can be used as the recognizable information for the oxidation of rHDPE. The microstructure of the surface of rHDPE pellets exhibited rough and uneven morphological defects. The higher recycled content made rHDPE bottles' surface morphology rougher and their cross-section microstructure thinner and more porous than vHDPE bottles.     

Lipase‐mediated preparation of epoxy lecithin and its evaluation as plasticizer in polyester laminates

A simple chemoenzymatic method was developed for the preparation of epoxy lecithin that contains epoxy oils and phospholipids. The parameters such as lipase concentration, hydrogen peroxide concentration, and time of the reaction were studied. The product was evaluated as a plasticizer in polyester laminates and compared with virgin polyester laminates. The laminates were prepared using various amounts of epoxy lecithin and evaluated for different properties. The epoxy lecithin modified laminates showed good impact strength, tensile, and chemical resistance properties. These laminates were also evaluated for vicat softening point and water absorption. The epoxy lecithin can be used as a plasticizer in polyester laminates. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Correlation of Mass Transfer Coefficients in Supercritical CO2 Separation Process

Weighted least squares and error-in-variable statistical methods were used to minimize variations in the experimental data set obtained from literature, and were used to validate Models I and II, S h′ = 0.0015(R e ^1/2 S c ^1/3)^2.58 and S h′ = 0.00084(R e ^0.4299 S c ^0.8783), respectively. Published data were used for the empirical estimation of mass transfer coefficients in separation processes in fixed bed systems using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction with low molecular diffusion. Model I gained accuracy when the Schmidt Number Sc is high (> 70) and the molecular diffusion is weak. The exponential ratio of the Re and Sc of Model II differed from the common ratio of 3:2; however, the exponents of the Sc are unique for both Models I and II.     

Determination of Organophosphorus Pesticides in Edible Oils by Dispersive Microextraction Based on Acetonitrile/Water-coated Fe3O4

In the present work, a novel dispersive microextraction technique based on acetonitrile/water-coated Fe₃O₄ was proposed to determine the organophosphorus pesticides (OPP) including phorate, diazinon, chlorpyrifos-methyl, pirimiphos-methyl and chlorpyrifos in edible oils. In the method, acetonitrile coated bare Fe₃O₄ was used as the extractant, Fe₃O₄ served as the supporter of acetonitrile, a trace amount of water acted as a crosslinking agent between acetonitrile and bare Fe₃O₄. The analytes adsorbed A/W-Fe₃O₄ can be easily collected and isolated from the sample solution using a magnet before gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. Several dominant parameters affecting extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection and limits of quantification for the five OPP were 1.1–6.7 and 4.8–18.3 ng/g, respectively. The recoveries in spiked real oil samples were in the range of 63.8–102.7 % with RSD between 4.9 and 14.3 %. The proposed simple, rapid and solvent-saving method was successfully applied to detect OPP in edible oils.     

Thermal Degradation Kinetics of Carotenoids in Palm Oil

In the present work, a detailed study is performed for carotene thermal degradation in palm oil at four temperatures ranging from 170 to 230 °C. The heating process was carried out with injection of nitrogen, and the samples were collected every 20 min during a total heating period of 140 min. HPLC analysis was conducted to monitor the carotenoids and tocols variations over the heating time at each temperature. The experimental data were then compared to literature data concerning carotenoids thermal degradation. The thermal degradation kinetics of carotenoids in palm oil followed an order superior to 1. The dependence of constant rates with temperature obeyed the Arrhenius relationship. The activation energy for the carotenoids thermal degradation in palm oil was found to be 109.4 kJ/mol.     

Polyurethane Foam Wastes Recycling under Microwave Irradiation

Microwave-assisted (MW-assisted) glycolysis of waste-flexible polyurethane (PU) foams using pentaerythritol in combination with glycerin and sodium hydroxide as a PU bond degradation reagent is reported. Split phases appeared after complete foam digestion. The upper phase contained recycled polyol, and the lower phase was a brown liquid with highly functionalized oligomers, amines and unreacted degradation reagents and showed potential for application in rigid polyurethane foam formulation. Our studies showed the dependence of recovered polyol assay to the additional MW irradiation and amine-free polyol were achieved in high yields and purities.     

Behavior of structural polymer-modified concrete containing recycled aggregates

The use of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) in structural applications is hindered by the inferior concrete mechanical performance and unpredictable behavior with embedded steel reinforcement. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate whether the addition of small amounts of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) polymeric latexes could mitigate the drop in RCA concrete properties. Two series of mixtures prepared with 320 or 440 kg/m³ cement were tested by direct bond and beam-end methods; the SBR addition rates varied from 1 to 3% of cement mass. Test results showed that SBR could remarkably improve RCA concrete workability as well as compressive and splitting tensile strengths. The initial stiffness of load vs. slip curves was considerably accentuated, reflecting increased interfacial shear stresses between the reinforcing bar and surrounding concrete. Also, the responses of ascending curves showed extended nonlinear regions together with higher ultimate bond strengths at failure. The experimental direct bond and beam-end test data are compared with the design bond strengths determined by ACI 318-14, European Code EC-2, and fib Model Code MC2010.