The utilization of vegetable oil in the production of polymeric material has gained interest due to its proven ability to replace nonrenewable petroleum sources, as it is readily modified via chemical reaction to produce polyol and subsequently for polyurethane production. Jatropha oil (JO), a second-generation feedstock, is one of the suitable candidates for polyester polyol synthesis because it contains a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids. In this study, jatropha-based polyester polyols (JOLs) with different hydroxyl values were successfully synthesized via a two-step method: epoxidation followed by oxirane ring-opening reaction. Ring-opening reagents; methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol were used to produce polyol with hydroxyl number of 166, 180, and 189 mg/KOH, respectively. All the synthesized JOLs exhibited a Newtonian to shear thinning behavior in the measured shear rate ranges from 10 to 1000 s⁻¹ at 25 °C. The viscosity of a JOL ring-opened with methanol, isopropanol, and ethanol was 202, 213, and 666 mPa·s, respectively, at 20 °C and 100 s⁻¹, which is within the range of commercially available polyols. Successively, the JOLs were reacted with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) to produce polyurethane prepolymer by utilizing 2,2-dimethylol propionic acid (DMPA) as an emulsifier. The prepolymer was then dispersed in water to produce a waterborne polyurethane dispersion. Colloidal stability of the jatropha-based polyurethane dispersions (JPUDs) were investigated by particle size analysis. A JPUD with a small particle size in the range of 6.39 to 43.83 nm was obtained, and the trend was associated with the soft segment of the polyol in the formulation. The zeta potentials of the JPUs ranged from −47.01 to −88.9 mV, indicating that all synthesized JPUs had high dispersity and stability. The efficient synthesis procedure, low cost, and excellent properties of the resulting product are thought to offer an opportunity to use jatropha oil as a sustainable resource for polyester polyol preparation.

Piper betle and Leucosyke capitella are plants that are commonly used as traditional medicine. In this study, antioxidant Activity, Phenolic, Flavonoids and Tannin content of these plants were evaluated. The plants were extracted using petroleum ether, acetone and methanol. The total phenolic, flavonoid and tannin extract of both plants is in the order of acetone > methanol > petroleum ether. The result shows that the total phenolic, flavonoid content for Piper Betle and Leucosyke Capitella is in the range of 31.25 to 47.48 mg/g and 1.68 to 7.19 mg/g, respectively. For Piper betle, the total flavonoid content is in the range of 29.58 to 46.08 mg/g and for Leucosyke capitella is in the range of 1.08 to 6.83 mg/g. It is also found that Piper betle extracted with methanol has higher antioxidant activity than vitamin E, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and catechin but lower than quercetin.

The issue encountered by the textile industry is that the colours are fading off, particularly in denim fabric, by constant washing, so fixing agent is needed to enhance the colour fastness of the denim fabric. Polyurethane is one of the promising types of nonformaldehyde dye fixing agents. It has good film covering properties and allows air permeability. In this study, cationic polyurethane dispersions (CPU) were syntheses and applied as fixing agent for sulphur dye denim fabric. Different formulation of CPU were synthesized using isophorone diisocyanate, different molecular weight of polyols, and tertiary amine. Formulated CPU were then analysed using FTIR, zeta potential analyser and viscometer. Zeta potential obtained was in the range of +8.1 mV to +41.7 mV indicates that some of the CPU particles tend to agglomerate and some are stable. After fixing treatment, colour fastness to crocking of the treated fabric has improved. Surface morphology changes were determined by SEM and it shows that smooth finishing fibre surface was obtained in treated black denim fabric.