The use of biomass for the development of environmentally friendly and industrially useful materials is still attracting global interest. Herein, cellulose nanocrystals were prepared from Siam weed. The production steps involved dewaxing the biomass sample, bleaching treatment, alkali treatment and acid hydrolysis. The resulting cellulose nanocrystals were characterized using Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. Chemical composition results showed that Siam weed contained 39.6% cellulose, 27.5% hemicellulose, 28.7% lignin and 4.2% extractive. FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of cellulose and absence of lignin and hemicellulose while XRD analysis revealed that the cellulose nanocrystals have crystallinity index of 66.2% and particle size of 2.2 nm. TGA revealed that thermal stability of raw Siam weed is lower than that of its cellulose nanocrystals due to the presence of the non-cellulosic component with lower temperature of degradation. SEM revealed that degradation of cellulosic chain had occurred. TEM confirmed that the crystal size is in the nanoscale with an average size <100 nm. DLS data revealed a nanocellulose with an average hydrodynamic size of 213 nm and a zeta potential at -9.57 mV.

The use of thermochemical processes to convert biomass into energy products has continued to allay apprehensions arising from increasing depletion of fossil fuels and growing energy demand. Pyrolysis products (bio-oils and bio-chars) from cocoa pods and plantain peels have been characterized. Products distribution for cocoa pod and plantain peel was 29.4% and 38.1% condensate; 46.5% and 38.5% bio-char; and 24.1% and 23.4% noncondensable gas respectively. Bio-oils from the wastes were found to possess low acidity and improved stability upon storage. Over 70% oleic acid was obtained in cocoa pod bio-oil, which could serve as a raw material for many chemical industries. Bio-chars from both residues have higher heating value (HHV) as ˜22 MJ/kg and pH as ˜10 and could serve as renewable fuels in the country. SEM-EDS morphology and elemental composition revealed that these bio-chars contain about five elements essential for plant growth.

A family of new bio-based surfactants have been prepared via the epoxidation and PEGylation of lactonic sophorolipids. This modification enhances their performance and diversifying their potential applications.

This study attempted to valorise wildDioscorea bulbiferayam presently known to be poisonous and inedible obtained from three sources. The functional properties as well as its chemical composition were determined and isolated. Isolated cellulose was modified by the actions of sodium hydroxide and maleic anhydride. The biomass, isolated products and modified cellulose were characterized. Results showed that the highest cellulose obtained was 82.6%. FT-IR results showed successful modification of cellulose with the presence of a carbonyl (C = O) adsorption band at around 1725 cm^-1. SEM images and XRD data showed a clear decrease in crystallinity but a slight increase in crystallite size after modification of the mercerized cellulose. TGA results showed the polymers degraded between 284 and 414 °C. The study reveals that the modified cellulose has potential application as an adsorbent and industrial material.

This study investigated the properties, namely: surface tension, foam, emulsion, and cloud point of a library of bio‐based surfactants (represented as C_nEO_m where C is hydrophobic carbon chain and EO is ethylene oxide). The surfactants were derived from ring‐opening alkyl oleate epoxides with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and monomethyl polyethylene glycol (MPEG) of varying chain lengths. Surfactants demonstrated good surface properties having surface tension at critical micelle concentration (CMC) between 35 and 38 mN/m, and recorded CMC values far lower than what was reported for most commercial ethoxylated surfactants. Foamability increased with over 30% foam increase upon increasing agitation speed from 6000 to 11,000 rpm. Branching, hydrophobic carbon chain length, and PEG chain length were seen to impact foamability and foam stability. Foam properties exhibited by the surfactants were found to be superior to those demonstrated by some known commercial nonionic surfactants. Emulsions formed by the oleate ester surfactants were stable over several weeks after formation. Surfactants showed high cloud points, which increased with increasing number of ethylene oxide units. However, the addition of co‐solutes depressed the cloud point in the order Na₂SO₄ > NaCl > NaNO₂.