Industrially used polymers derived from fossil fuels have a negative environmental impact when being disposed of. They could be efficiently replaced by natural polymers, which are potentially degradable and which can match or even surpass them in mechanical performance. In this work, a rigid thermosetting polymer is obtained by copolymerization of maleinated acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (MAESO) with styrene (St). MAESO is synthetized by epoxidation, acrylation and maleinization from industrial soybean oil (SO). Resin characterization is performed using FT-IR, 1H NMR and SEC, while copolymer characterization includes a mechanical test, degradation test and SEM. The aim of this work is the replacement of unsaturated polyester (UP) and the optimization of the SO modification reaction in MAESO. The replacement of UP by 25, 50 and 100% of MAESO enables improvements in the mechanical properties. Additionally, it is assessed whether the replacement of UP by MAESO is enough to improve the degradation properties, and the effect of degradation on the mechanical properties is analyzed. MAESO-St copolymers improve the degradation process in relation to UP, and 240 days of in vitro degradation in the presence of Aspergillus niger and Alternaria alternata fungi causes cracks, surface damage and changes in the mechanical properties of the degraded copolymer.

In recent years, hydrogels have been considered as one of the mos t promising materials due to their unique properties. Hydrogels are cross-linked hydrophilic polymer s tructures that are able to absorb and holding water or biological fluid. Thus, the hydrogel networks can extensively swell in water media without dissolution. In the las t few decades, hydrogels have been used in various indus tries such as food, packaging, pharmaceutical and drug delivery sys tems, agriculture, biomedical and bioengineering applications, manufacturing of technical and electronic devices, and as adsorbent for the removal of pollutants in environmental applications. Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) hydrogels are a type of hydrogel that, due to the hydrophilic nature of polymer chains can absorb and retain extraordinary large amounts of water or aqueous solution up to hundreds of times their weight. In recent years, new superabsorbent hydrogels have been developed for different applications. High demand for these subs tances, especially in personal hygiene, has led to an increase in their production (now over three million tons per year). Because the main components of commercial and widely used SAPs in indus try are based on raw materials derived from fossil resources (oil, gas and coal), the widespread use of SAPs and their increasing production, on the one hand, have contributed to environmental concerns by contributing to water, soil and air pollution, and, on the other hand, have threatened global price fluctuations and the degradability of fossil resources. Therefore, the replacement of at leas t some components of SAPs with natural, biobased or renewable raw materials (such as lactic acid, succinic acid and itaconic acid) and the production of SAPs with hybrid s tructures have been considered. The purpose of this paper is to review the hybrid SAPs based on some biobased compounds that are used in three s tructural parts of the polymer network including crosslinker, surface modifier and monomer.

Gene therapy is a rapidly progressing field with vast prospective for fundamentally treating human diseases such as cancer, damaged tissues, and genetic syndromes. Between various approaches of gene delivery, there is a growing interest in oral administration of DNA as one of the safest and most straightforward methods. Nanoparticles are some of the important examples of nano-materials for molecule delivery (drugs, growth factors and DNA) used in biomedical applications. Several researchers have revealed the process of nanotechnology, specifically polymeric nanoparticles, as DNA delivery structures for transdermal routines. Polylactic acid (PLA) and its famous co-polymer polylactic-co-glycolic (PLGA) are biocompatible synthetic polymers widely used to produce nanoparticles. Biobased, biosourced, biodegradable biocompatible, and bioabsorbable polylactide nanoparticles are one of the most promising materials in gene therapy serving as DNA delivery vehicles. Polylactide nanoparticles are easily processable and undergo degradation into natural metabolites while matching its degradation rate with the healing time of damaged human tissues. This mini review presents the new developments in the applications of polylactide nanoparticles as DNA delivery systems. In addition, the release of DNA from these nanoplatforms will be reported briefly.

The global appeal of biofuels is increasing due to rising energy demands and the depletion of fossil fuel resources. Biodiesel stands out as a promising alternative to petroleum diesel, offering a cleaner energy solution. This study addresses key challenges associated with biodiesel, such as reduced calorific value, high nitrous oxide emissions, and production costs, as well as the environmental impact of petroleum diesel, including global warming.This research focuses on the development of a novel biobased catalyst derived from palm kernel shell and eggshell. The carbon-based biomass, primarily waste palm kernel shell, was pyrolyzed to produce the catalyst. Characterization of the catalyst was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The catalyst was synthesized via the incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) technique, resulting in a bifunctional catalyst suitable for the transesterification process.The catalyst demonstrated high efficiency in the transesterification process for biodiesel production. Optimal conditions yielded an 88.14% biodiesel conversion at an oil-to-methanol molar ratio of 1:14, catalyst loading of 5 wt.%, reaction temperature of 70°C, and reaction time of 99.244 minutes. The synthesized biodiesel met the ASTM D6751 standards as specified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Nanocelluloses, nanosized starches, and nanostructured chitins are the most abundant renewable biobased nanomaterials. These compounds were introduced as performance-enhancing agents for many future products due to their unique nanostructured properties. But, it was not yet determined how these specific properties influence biobased nanomaterial safety because they depend on many parameters. So far, few factors have been identified, such as their interactions with cells and organisms and exposure routes. Biobased nanomaterials are considered safe compounds due to their natural origin and environmental compatibility of their bulk forms. Published results on the safety of biobased nanomaterials show that they are generally not toxic to humans or the environment. However, they are not inert compounds and may also interact with the surrounding (for example, inflammatory effects in animal experiments. Among other factors, particle size and shape, aggregation characteristics, degree of branching, and specific surface properties, may affect the interactions of biological nanomaterials with cells and organisms. In addition, due to the significant variation in the properties of biobased nanomaterials, the toxicity test results obtained for the analyzed samples have been reported as valid. But this still requires more research and knowledge about the interactions of nanomaterials with living organisms. Therefore, the safety of biobased nanomaterials should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and the current guidelines and protocols for the use of nanomaterials need to be sufficiently developed. In addition, manufacturers of biobased nanomaterials should ensure the safety of their products during the whole life cycle of products, similar to products based on them. Nanoparticles are very reactive due to their small size and large surface area. This feature increases the risk of fire and explosion compared to larger particles. The most important methods for controlling exposure to nanoparticles are risk elimination, replacement of high-risk materials and processes with low-risk materials and processes, enclosure, engineering controls, management controls, and the use of personal protective equipment.