Biodegradable Behavior of Waste Wool and Their Recycled Polyester Preforms in Aqueous and Soil Conditions

Present study deals with the biodegradable behavior of individual components and their preforms of nonwoven biocomposites developed from waste wool fibers including coring wool(CW),dorper wool(DW)and recycled polyester fibers(RPET).A respirometric technique was employed to estimate the production of CO_(2) during the biodegradation experiments under soil and aqueous media conditions.Functional groups of test samples before and after biodegradation were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).Leaching chemicals such as formaldehyde(hydrolyzed)and Chromium VI(Cr VI)was also measured.The CO_(2) emission in wool fibers CW and DW indicated 90%and 60%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions respectively,for 100 days incubation.RPET fibers,20%and 10%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions was measured respectively while the preforms of waste wool and RPET reflected 30%and 25%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions,respectively.The degradation of end functional groups such as carbonyl(keto and ester),aldehyde and hydroxyl were also confirmed by FTIR.The DW and CW wool fibers showed higher Cr(VI)concentration as compared to the RPET.The released formaldehyde results showed higher concentration for RPET preforms as compared to waste wool preforms.These results suggest that waste wool preforms are extremely environment friendly as compared to RPET preforms.Thus,waste wool preforms it can be potentially utilized for preparing biocomposite materials and associated biobased products.

Recent advancements in biomedical application of polylactic acid/graphene nanocomposites:An overview

Polylactic acid(PLA)-graphene nanocomposites have attracted significant attention in the biomedical field because of their biodegradability,biocompatibility,and excellent mechanical properties.This review provides a comprehensive summary of the recent developments in the biomedical applications of PLA/graphene nanocomposites.The discussed applications include tissue engineering,drug delivery,biomedical imaging and sensing,antimicrobial and anticancer treatments,and photothermal and photodynamic therapies.The properties and synthesis of these nanocomposites are also addressed.This review shows that although significant advancements have been made in the development of biomedical applications for PLA/graphene nanocomposites,further research is still required to overcome the existing challenges and limitations,such as improving biocompatibility and biodegradability and optimizing synthesis and processing methods.Despite these challenges,the potential of PLA/graphene nanocomposites in the biomedical field is significant and holds promise for future advancements.