Fiber Biodegradability

10 Mass loss of TCH-loaded electrospun fiber mats using chloroform/methanol the fiber degradation. 

Lakshmi, S., and Vijayakumar, M. (2009) Effect of process parameters on the microstructural characteristics of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) fiber mafs. NanoBioTechnol., 5, 10—16. 

Venugopal, J., Ramakrishna, S., and Lim, C. (2007) Biomimetic and bioactive nanofibrous scaffolds from electrospun composite nanofibers. Int. J. Nanomed., 2, 623 —638. 

Williams, G.R., Hou, X.X., and Zhu, L.M. (2013) Electrospun curcumin-loaded fibers wifh pofential biomedical applications. Carbohydr. Polym., 94, 147-153. 

(2014) Plasticized drug-loaded melt electrospun polymer mats characterization, thermal degradation, and release kinetics. /. Pharm. ScL, 103, 1278—1287. 

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PLA/15% HMW PCL at a blend ratio of 1/1 using chloroform/methanol cosolvents were only selected to examine TCH drug release and subsequent fiber biodegradability due to produced homogeneous fibers and better PLA and PCL miscibility when compared with other cosolvent systems. Furthermore, the variation in the degree of crystallinity between PLA/15% HMW PCL and PLA/9% HMW PCL was another reason to study that effect. 

Tailoring new composites within a perspective of eco-design or sustainable development is a philosophy that is applied to more and more materials. Ecological concerns have resulted in a resumed interest in renewable resources-based and/or compostable products. It is the reason why material components such as natural fibers, biodegradable polymers can be considered as interesting - environmentally safe - alternatives. 

Fibers are the basic element of nonwovens world consumption of fibers in nonwoven production is 63% polypropylene, 23% polyester, 8% viscose rayon, 2% acrylic, 1.5% polyamide and 3% other high performance fibers [8]. The data in Fig. 10.4 shows the market share of important polymers and fibers in the nonwovens market. Manufacturers of nonwoven products can make use of almost any kind of fibers. These include traditional textile fibers, as well as recently developed hi-tech fibers. Future advancements will be in bicomponent fibers, micro-fibers (split bicomponent fibers or meltblown nonwovens), nano-fibers, biodegradable fibers, super-absorbent fibers and high performance fibers. The selection of raw fibers, to a considerable degree, determines the properties of the final nonwoven products. The selection of fibers also depends on customer requirement, cost, processability, changes of properties because of web formation and consolidation. The fibers can be in the form of filament, staple fiber or even yam. 

Wool fiber biodegradation changes the important quality indices, such as whiteness and yellowness. This process can be characterized as yellowing of wool... 

Rayon is unique among the mass produced man-made fibers because it is the only one to use a natural polymer (cellulose) directly. Polyesters, nylons, polyolefins, and acryflcs all come indirectly from vegetation they come from the polymerization of monomers obtained from reserves of fossil fuels, which in turn were formed by the incomplete biodegradation of vegetation that grew millions of years ago. The extraction of these nonrenewable reserves and the resulting return to the atmosphere of the carbon dioxide from which they were made is one of the most important environmental issues of current times. CeUulosic fibers therefore have much to recommend them provided that the processes used to make them have minimal environmental impact. 

Since asbestos fibers are all siUcates, they exhibit several other common properties, such as incombustibiUty, thermal stabiUty, resistance to biodegradation, chemical inertia toward most chemicals, and low electrical conductivity. 

With the renewed interest in environmentally friendly products, ceUulose esters are being re-evaluated as a natural source of biodegradable thermoplastics. CeUulose acetates are potentiaUy biodegradable (152). Films prepared from a ceUulose acetate with a DS of 2.5 were shown to require only a 10—12 day incubation period for extensive degradation in an in vitro enrichment assay. Similarly, films prepared from a ceUulose acetate with a DS of 1.7 saw 70% degradation in 27 days in a wastewater treatment facUity, whereas films prepared from a ceUulose acetate with a DS of 2.5 required approximately 10 weeks for similar degradation to occur. The results of this work demonstrate that ceUulose acetate fibers and films are potentiaUy environmentally nonpersistant. 

Sulfolane is a water-soluble biodegradable and highly polar compound valued for its solvent properties. Approximately 20 million pounds of sulfolane are consumed annually in applications that include delignification of wood, polymerization and fiber spinning, and electroplating bathes.It is a solvent for selectively extracting aromatics from reformates and coke oven products. 

Yet another ingredient in laundry detergents is diethyl ester dimethyl ammonium chloride (DEEDMAC). It is a fabric softener. It is a cationic surfactant that is rapidly biodegradable. It works by reducing the friction between fibers, and between fibers and... 

Special mention must be made of poly(lactic acid), a biodegradable/bio-resorbable polyester, obtained from renewable resources through fermentation of com starch sugar. This polymer can compete with conventional thermoplastics such as PET for conventional textile fibers or engineering plastics applications. Hie first Dow-Cargill PLA manufacturing facility is scheduled to produce up to 140,000 tons of Nature Works PLA per year beginning in 200245 at an estimated price close to that of other thermoplastic resins U.S. l/kg.46 Other plants are planned to be built in the near future.45... 

Because 0-acyl chitins appear to be scarcely susceptible to lysozyme, the susceptibility of DBG to Upases has been studied to obtain insight into its biodegradability in vivo. The changes in infrared and X-ray diffraction spectra of the fibers support the slow degradation of DBG by Upases [125,126]. The chemical hydrolysis of DBG to chitin is the most recent way to produce regenerated chitin. 

Kwon and coworkers prepared a series of nano- to microstmctured biodegradable PCLA porous fabrics by electrospinning. The nanoscale-fiber porous fabrics were electrospun with PCLA (1 1 mole ratio, approximately 0.3-1.2 mm in diameter) using l,l,l,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol as a solvent. 

The concept of fibrous polymer formulations was extended to the delivery of aquatic herbicides (56). Several herbicides including Diquat, Fluridone, and Endothal were spun into biodegradable poly-caprolactone. Monolithic fibers and a modified monolithic system were produced with levels of herbicide from 5 to 60% by weight. Laboratory and field trials showed efficacious delivery of the active agent. Fibers provided both targeted localized delivery and controlled release of the herbicide to the aquatic weed. 

A. G., and Perkins, B. H., Biodegradable fibers for the controlled release of tetracycline in treatment of peridontal disease, Proc. Int. Symp. Control. Rel. Bioact. Mater., 14, 289, 1987. Dunn, R. L., Lewis, D. H., and Beck, L. R., Fibrous polymer for the delivery of contraceptive steroids to the female reproductive tract, in Controlled Release of Pesticides and Pharmaceuticals (D. H. Lewis, ed.). Plenum Press, New York, 1981, pp. 125-146. 

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