Source: Susan 1xbet online casino , 785-532-4077, xss@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, 785-532-6415, ebarcomb@k-state.edu

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

K-STATE PROFESSOR'S RESEARCH ON SUSTAINABLE, NONTOXIC 1xbet online casino COULD MAKE BIOFUELS MORE ECONOMICALLY VIABLE AND IMPROVE PRODUCTS LIKE TRANSPARENT TAPE

MANHATTAN -- An adhesive used in products like laminate countertops may also help cement a place for economically viable biofuels, according to a Kansas State University researcher.

Susan Sun directs K-State's Bio Materials and Technology Laboratory, where she studies bio-based materials. Her research group is studying 1xbet online casino made from by-products of soybean, corn, sorghum and biomass fuels.

&1xbet online casino ;There are two important forces driving this research,&1xbet online casino ; Sun said. &1xbet online casino ;We're trying to develop these bio-based adhesives to replace environmentally hazardous materials,&1xbet online casino ; she said. &1xbet online casino ;Also, we need high-value products to sustain the biofuels economy.&1xbet online casino ;

Sun 1xbet online casino the adhesives commonly used in construction products like kitchen floors and laminate furniture are formaldehyde-based and isocyanide-based. The isocyanide-based adhesives are toxic, she 1xbet online casino . Moreover, the formaldehyde-based adhesives affect air quality and human health because the compound's carbon and nitrogen bonds are reversible in humid conditions, emitting formaldehyde into the air.

On the other hand, Sun 1xbet online casino biofuels producers need co-products like adhesives to make sustainable fuels economically viable. For biomass biofuels, the amount of energy that goes into producing them is still greater than the energy that the biofuels can produce.

&1xbet online casino ;Biomass by its nature contains not just sugar necessary for the biofuel, but also lignin, protein and other materials,&1xbet online casino ; Sun said. &1xbet online casino ;So after you convert it into biofuel, you still have a lot of leftovers. So you have to develop high-value chemicals and bio-based products out of that biomass to balance the economics.&1xbet online casino ;

Lignin, a major by-product of cellulosic biomass, is what holds plants upright, Sun 1xbet online casino . Without it, plants would grow flat on the ground. This property makes it a good basis for polymers, she 1xbet online casino . Lignins show promise for adhesives, she 1xbet online casino , because they're rich in aromatic structures with many functional groups.

Sun also 1xbet online casino plant oils have properties that make them suitable for adhesives that are activated by pressure. Pressure-sensitive adhesives are used in everyday products like transparent tape, postage stamps, sticky notes and name tags. Her research group is studying the molecular structures and reaction pathways related to adhesion.

&1xbet online casino ;If you have a name tag and put it on your shirt, when you peel it off, adhesives may be left on your clothes,&1xbet online casino ; she said. &1xbet online casino ;That's why you need to design the backbone of the polymer to be strong enough to pull the sticky group back.&1xbet online casino ;

She 1xbet online casino it's also important to design pressure-sensitive adhesives that can be applied quickly to products in the factory.

&1xbet online casino ;If your adhesives are good but it takes a few hours to cure, the industry won't pick it up,&1xbet online casino ; Sun said. &1xbet online casino ;So it's not just a structural challenge, it's also a performance challenge and an economic challenge.&1xbet online casino ;

1xbet online casino 's group also studies proteins with a specific structure that relate to adhesion properties. This information will be important to K-State plant scientists, who engineer plants to produce functional protein polymers.

&1xbet online casino ;They don't necessarily know which plants are good for materials, so that's why they say that I write them the prescription for the plant,&1xbet online casino ; Sun said.

In August, findings from this research appeared in the journal Biomacromolecules and were presented at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

One application of bio-based 1xbet online casino from Sun's projects was creating a bio-based barrel for cattle feed that has been commercialized. The product uses straw and soy 1xbet online casino and no hazardous chemicals, so it is safe to eat.

&1xbet online casino ;With the use of oil drums to hold feed, the farmer has to pay per container to recondition them for reuse,&1xbet online casino ; Sun said. &1xbet online casino ;This one you don't have to collect. The cattle just eat them, so it's an environmental benefit, too.&1xbet online casino ;

Sun's other research area is to develop biodegradable plastics. Recently, she and her co-workers collaborated with Ken Klabunde, university distinguished professor of chemistry, to improve the process flowability and strength of a bio-based plastic, such as poly(lactic acid), using magnesium oxidize nanoparticles. The flowability makes it easier for the material to flow into molds that form products like the utensils available at K-State's Student Union. And that makes the process more efficient for manufacturers, Sun 1xbet online casino .

This research appeared in the Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy in June and in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science in October.

&1xbet online casino ;The social impact of our work at the Bio Materials and Technology Laboratory is on environmental quality and biofuel sustainability, which will improve people's life in long term,&1xbet online casino ; Sun said.