Chitosan films were used to remove heavy oil from connate water, deionized water, and seawater. In this research, chitosan–starch films were modified with natural extracts from cranberry, blueberry, beetroot, pomegranate, oregano, pitaya, and grape. These biodegradable, low-cost, eco-friendly materials show an important oil sorption capacity from different water conditions. It was observed that the sorption capacity has a clear correlation with the extract type, quantity, and water pH. In order to understand the physical and chemical properties of the films, they were analyzed according to their apparent density, water content, solubility, and swelling degree by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS), and the determination of surface area using the Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) method. The results indicate that chitosan–starch films modified with natural extracts can be successfully applied for environmental issues such as oil spill remedy.

Purpose: In recent years, the use of earth as a material applied to construction has been adapted as an attractive alternative to modern concepts. The earth construction technique takes advantage of regional natural resources, among which are earth bricks. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the addition of coconut fibers and aloe vera on the mechanical properties of compressed earth blocks (CEB). Design/methodology/approach: CEBs were manufactured from silty and clay soil (Altamira, Tamaulipas, Mexico) with biodegradable stabilizers of aloe vera and short coconut mesocarp fibers, which were compared with the conventional mixture with lime as stabilizer. The samples were subjected to compression tests (Mexican Standard NMX-C-404-ONNCC3-205), flexion (NMX-C083-ONNCCE.), abrasion (NTC-5324 3.4.3), water absorption (NMX-C-37-ONNCE-205), surface morphology and thermal properties (ASTM D5334-14). Findings: It was found that the addition of coconut fibers has a 12% difference in flexural strength. The addition of 0.5% of coconut fibers decreases swelling by 2% with water and reduces the thermal conductivity of the material by 12%. Likewise, this mixture increases the abrasion resistance of CEB by 30%. When there is a pressure greater than 1,700 psi in the CEB, the addition of coconut fibers does increase the compressive strength of the material, showing a 34% improvement over the CEB without adding coconut fibers. Originality/value: The authors show a new sustainable CEB production with aloe vera and coconut fiber that is possible for self-production with better mechanical properties than others, commonly produced in Mexico.

En este trabajo se presenta la evaluación del impacto ambiental y la resistencia a compresión de Bloques de Tierra Comprimida (BTC) estabilizados con cal aérea hidratada y cemento Portland. Para esa labor, se fabricaron 12 series de bloques estabilizados con diferentes proporciones de cal y cemento y se empleó la metodología del Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV). Tras la realización de los ensayos y las simulaciones pudo concluirse que, usando suelos y arena característicos de la ciudad de Santa Fe (Argentina), estabilizados con determinados porcentajes de cemento Portland -comprendidos entre el 5 y el 10% en peso- pueden producirse BTC con niveles de resistencia suficientes para ser utilizados en muros de carga y, de esa forma, minimizar el impacto ambiental negativo asociado a su fabricación. Se concluye, además, que la estabilización con cal aérea no incrementa la resistencia a compresión de los BTC y aumenta, por el contrario, de manera significativa el impacto negativo de éstos sobre el medio ambiente.

The construction industry commonly uses steel-reinforced concrete despite the high levels of pollution in its production process. In this research, it was studied the dossing effect of nopal mucilage and Ixtle fiber as additives for the enhancement of concrete’s mechanical properties: compression strength, flexural strength, heat transfer coefficient, ultrasonic pulse rate, ED-XRF, and roughness by fractal dimension analysis. It was found a remarkable improvement in mechanical properties when both natural additives are used. It was observed an increase of potassium and calcium ions concentration after additive dosing. This behavior determines the suitability of the blend for its application in the engineering and construction industry to reduce cement or steel use.

The present research focuses on the effects of different processing routes on the physical and mechanical properties of nano Ti(CN)-based cermets with metallic binders. Tungsten carbide (WC) is added as a secondary carbide and Ni-Co is added as a metallic binder to nano Ti(CN)-based cermet processed via conventional and spark plasma sintering (SPS). A systematic comparison of the composition and sintering conditions for different cermets’ systems was carried out to design novel composition and sintering conditions. Nano TiCN powder was prepared by 30 h of ball milling. The highest density of >98.5% was achieved for the SPS-processed cermets sintered at 1200 °C and 1250 °C for 3 min at 60 MPa of pressure in comparison to the conventionally sintered cermets at 1400 °C for 1 h with a two-stage compaction process—uniaxially at 150 MPa and isostatically at 300 MPa of pressure. Comparative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the milled powders at different time intervals was performed to understand the characteristics of the as-received and milled powders. Peak broadening was observed after 5 h of ball milling, and it increased to 30 hr. Also, peak broadening and a refined carbide size was observed in the XRD and scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs of the SPS-processed cermet. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis of the milled powder showed that its internal structure had a regular periodic arrangement of planes. SEM base scattered electron (BSE) images of all the cermets primarily showed three major microstructural phases of the core–rim–binder with black, grey, and white contrast, respectively. With the present sintering conditions, a high hardness of ~16 GPa and a fracture toughness of ~9 MPa m^1/2 were obtained for SPS-processed cermets sintered at higher temperatures.