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.

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).