Optimization of the alkali-silane treatment of agave lechuguilla fibers (ixtle) for potential reinforcement in polymeric composites

NOEMI JARDON MAXIMINO MARIAMNE DEHONOR GOMEZ Rolando Villa Moreno MARIA DOLORES BAEZA ALVARADO Luis Edmundo Lugo Uribe (2023, [Artículo])

Reinforced polymeric composites with natural fibers have garnered significant interest in recent years due to the need for biomass utilization and the requirements of various industries, such as automotive and construction. Among these natural fibers, Agave lechuguilla fiber, commonly known as ixtle (FIx) or Tampico fiber, exhibits important characteristics such as length, high strength, and durability. However, there is limited literature on its conditioning, functionalization, and utilization as a reinforcing material in polymeric composites (CP). This study presents the optimization of the alkali-silane treatment of FIx, identifying the most suitable reaction conditions to enhance their thermal stability, tensile strength, and silane coupling agent (ACSi) grafting on the fiber surface. The chemical treatment with ACSi proved highly effective, resulting in a significant grafting content, which was confirmed through FTIR and SEM–EDS analyses. The high level of functionalization did not compromise the mechanical performance of the fibers, suggesting that functionalized FIx holds great potential as a reinforcing material in CP. These findings open new paths for the sustainable use of Agave lechuguilla fibers, contributing to the development of environmentally friendly and high-performance polymeric composites in various industrial applications.

This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Fibers for Advanced Materials: Addressing Challenges).

Supplementary materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/fib11100086/s1, Figure S1: Optical microscope image of ixtle fibers at a magnification of 50 (a) untreated and (b) alkaline treated (FIx-5); Table S1: FTIR signal assignment for alkaline treated FIx; Table S2: FTIR Signal assignment for silane treated FIx.

Author contributions: Conceptualization, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; methodology, N.J.-M., M.D.G., R.V.M., M.D.B.-A. and L.E.L.U.; validation, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; formal analysis, N.J.-M., M.D.G. and L.E.L.U.; investigation, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; data curation, N.J.-M., M.D.G., R.V.M. and M.D.B.-A.; writing—original draft preparation, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; writing—review and editing, N.J.-M., M.D.G., R.V.M., M.D.B.-A. and L.E.L.U.; visualization, N.J.-M., M.D.G. and L.E.L.U.; supervision, L.E.L.U.; project administration, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U.; funding acquisition, N.J.-M. and L.E.L.U. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding: This research was funded by CONAHCYT, “Estancias postdoctorales por México”, grant umber CVU425480.

Data availability statement: Data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and upon request from the corresponding author.

Acknowledgments: The authors express their gratitude towards Rene Diaz Rebollar and Jazmin Gomez Sara for their technical assistance in conducting the chemical reactions presented in this current study. Additionally, the assistance provided by Luis Alberto Caceres Diaz in the execution of XRD analyses is also acknowledged. Furthermore, N.J.M. extends sincere recognition to CIATEQ A.C. for their provision of essential resources and infrastructure crucial to the advancement of this research. The support rendered by CONAHCYT through the “Estancias postdoctorales por México” program is also gratefully acknowledged, as it has contributed financial backing to the project. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Agave lechuguilla Natural fiber Silane coupling agent INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS ESPECIALIDADES TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS OTRAS

DIW1 encoding a clade I PP2C phosphatase negatively regulates drought tolerance by de-phosphorylating TaSnRK1.1 in wheat

Jingyi Wang Chaonan Li Long Li Matthew Paul Reynolds Jizeng Jia Xinguo Mao Ruilian Jing (2023, [Artículo])

Association Analysis Elite Genetic Resources Map‐Based Clones Protein Phosphatase 2C CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA DROUGHT GENETIC RESOURCES PROTEINS WHEAT WILTING

Transcriptome mining provides insights into cell wall metabolism and fiber lignification in Agave tequilana Weber

Luis Fernando Maceda Lopez ELSA BEATRIZ GONGORA CASTILLO Enrique Ibarra-Laclette DALIA C. MORAN VELAZQUEZ AMARANTA GIRON RAMIREZ Matthieu Bourdon José Luis Villalpando Aguilar Gabriela Chavez-Calvillo Toomer John Tang Parastoo Azadi Jorge Manuel Santamaría Fernández Itzel López-Rosas Mercedes G Lopez June Simpson FULGENCIO ALATORRE COBOS (2022, [Artículo])

Resilience of growing in arid and semiarid regions and a high capacity of accumulating sugar-rich biomass with low lignin percentages have placed Agave species as an emerging bioen-ergy crop. Although transcriptome sequencing of fiber-producing agave species has been explored, molecular bases that control wall cell biogenesis and metabolism in agave species are still poorly understood. Here, through RNAseq data mining, we reconstructed the cellulose biosynthesis pathway and the phenylpropanoid route producing lignin monomers in A. tequilana, and evaluated their expression patterns in silico and experimentally. Most of the orthologs retrieved showed differential expression levels when they were analyzed in different tissues with contrasting cellulose and lignin accumulation. Phylogenetic and structural motif analyses of putative CESA and CAD proteins allowed to identify those potentially involved with secondary cell wall formation. RT-qPCR assays revealed enhanced expression levels of AtqCAD5 and AtqCESA7 in parenchyma cells associated with extraxylary fibers, suggesting a mechanism of formation of sclerenchyma fibers in Agave similar to that reported for xylem cells in model eudicots. Overall, our results provide a framework for un-derstanding molecular bases underlying cell wall biogenesis in Agave species studying mechanisms involving in leaf fiber development in monocots. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

AGAVE CELL WALLS LIGNOCELLULOSE CAD PROTEIN CESA PROTEIN SCLERENCHYMA BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA GENÉTICA GENÉTICA MOLECULAR DE PLANTAS GENÉTICA MOLECULAR DE PLANTAS

Rapid effects of marine reserves via larval dispersal

Richard Cudney Bueno (2009, [Artículo])

Marine reserves have been advocated worldwide as conservation and fishery management tools. It is argued that they can protect ecosystems and also benefit fisheries via density-dependent spillover of adults and enhanced larval dispersal into fishing areas. However, while evidence has shown that marine reserves can meet conservation targets, their effects on fisheries are less understood. In particular, the basic question of if and over what temporal and spatial scales reserves can benefit fished populations via larval dispersal remains unanswered. We tested predictions of a larval transport model for a marine reserve network in the Gulf of California, Mexico, via field oceanography and repeated density counts of recently settled juvenile commercial mollusks before and after reserve establishment. We show that local retention of larvae within a reserve network can take place with enhanced, but spatially-explicit, recruitment to local fisheries. Enhancement occurred rapidly (2 yrs), with up to a three-fold increase in density of juveniles found in fished areas at the downstream edge of the reserve network, but other fishing areas within the network were unaffected. These findings were consistent with our model predictions. Our findings underscore the potential benefits of protecting larval sources and show that enhancement in recruitment can be manifested rapidly. However, benefits can be markedly variable within a local seascape. Hence, effects of marine reserve networks, positive or negative, may be overlooked when only focusing on overall responses and not considering finer spatially-explicit responses within a reserve network and its adjacent fishing grounds. Our results therefore call for future research on marine reserves that addresses this variability in order to help frame appropriate scenarios for the spatial management scales of interest. © 2009 Cudney-Bueno et al.

article, environmental monitoring, fishery, larva, marine environment, marine species, Mexico, mollusc, nonhuman, oceanography, prediction, animal, biology, environmental protection, food industry, geography, growth, development and aging, larva, met CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Y DEL ESPACIO OCEANOGRAFÍA OCEANOGRAFÍA

Trade-off in the design of sustainable cropping systems at a regional level: A case study on the North China plain

Jeroen Groot XiaoLin Yang (2022, [Artículo])

Holistic Analysis Model-Based Analysis CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y BIOTECNOLOGÍA CROP ROTATION FOOD SECURITY WATER USE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ECONOMIC VIABILITY

Desarrollo químico y su validación (por Cemex) de un cemento, un concreto y un mortero especial -resistente al biodeterioro- para asegurar que la infraestructura hidráulica utilizando estos materiales, garanticen su mejor funcionamiento y durabilidad

LUIS EMILIO RENDON DIAZ MIRON (2010, [Documento de trabajo])

El IMTA se ha abocado al estudio de las causas, tratamiento y prevención del deterioro de la infraestructura hidráulica, particularmente de los sistemas de drenaje del país. Por tal motivo, desarrolló un cemento resistente al biodeterioro, el cual fue formalmente patentado.

Industria del cemento Biodegradación Construcciones hidráulicas Desarrollo tecnológico Informes de proyectos INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Biodegradación de desechos de curtiduría y lodo residual por composteo y vermicomposteo

Lina Cardoso MERCEDES ESPERANZA RAMIREZ CAMPEROS (2006, [Artículo])

La industria de la curtiduría genera desechos con

compuestos tóxicos y materiales orgánicos de lenta

degradación. El presente trabajo tuvo como propósito

evaluar la biodegradación y reducción de contaminantes

de estos residuos mediante un proceso de composteo

aerobio termofílico, seguido de una etapa de

vermicomposteo con Eisenia foetida.

Biodegradación Composteo Vermicomposteo Industria del cuero Lodo residual INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Estrategias para mejorar la calidad del efluente de un sistema de tratamiento por digestión anaerobia de vinazas de tequila

ADRIANA SERRANO MEZA Marco Antonio Garzón Zúñiga BLANCA ESTELA BARRAGAN HUERTA EDSON BALTAZAR ESTRADA ARRIAGA (2017, [Ítem publicado en memoria de congreso])

El objetivo del trabajo es evaluar el desempeño de un Biofiltro Anaerobio Sumergido (BAS) empacado con Tezontle en la remoción de contaminantes de las vinazas de tequila para generar una tecnología que pueda ser implementada por los pequeños y medianos productores de tequila.

Industrias Aguas residuales Biodegradación INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Aprovechamiento de biosólidos y composta en el cultivo de haba (Vicia faba L.)

SOFIA ESPERANZA GARRIDO HOYOS MARIA GUADALUPE MARTIN DEL CAMPO SANCHEZ ROCIO VACA PAULIN JORGE ALBERTO LUGO DE LA FUENTE (2005, [Artículo])

La disposición final que se le puede dar a los biosólidos procedentes del tratamiento de aguas residuales municipales depende de sus características físico - químicas y microbiológicas. El contenido de

materia orgánica y su riqueza en elementos esenciales puede permitir que dichos biosólidos sean usados como fertilizantes agrícolas. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la acumulación de metales pesados en el suelo y en el cultivo de haba (Vicia faba L.), así como el

valor nutrimental de la semilla de haba, acondicionados con biosólidos y composta provenientes de una planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales del altiplano mexicano.

Biosólido Composta Metales pesados Suelos restaurados INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

Escenarios de la distribución de plomo en agua, sedimentos y bacterias del lago de Chapala, México

ANNE MARGRETHE HANSEN HANSEN ADRIANA VILLA NAVIA MANFRED JOSEF VAN AFFERDEN MOELDERS (2006, [Artículo])

Para evaluar la distribución de plomo en los recursos naturales en el lago de Chapala se analizó la adsorción de este metal en bacterias y, mediante datos publicados en la literatura y modelación numérica, se estimó el riesgo asociado al consumo de peces y agua. Experimentos de adsorción en tres cepas de bacterias y simulaciones de la distribución en un sistema agua-sedimentos-bacterias indican que la distribución del plomo en el lago depende de variaciones en calidad del agua tales como sólidos suspendidos totales, plomo total y biomasa. Considerando únicamente el plomo contenido en los sedimentos depositados en el fondo del lago, las simulaciones sugieren que las concentraciones generalmente no sobrepasan los límites y criterios establecidos para uso y protección del agua, sedimentos y biota. Considerando la existencia de una fuente adicional que localmente aumente la concentración de plomo con un factor de diez, la cantidad de plomo en agua y sedimentos puede sobrepasar los límites establecidos. La bioacumulación de plomo en el lago de Chapala fue estimada a partir de los factores de bioconcentración y biomagnificación del metal, calculados mediante los valores simulados en este trabajo y concentraciones publicadas sobre plomo en peces (Ayla Jay y Ford, 2001). Los resultados indican que el plomo se concentra en bacterias y peces, y puede alcanzar factores de 721 y 6,195, respectivamente. Asimismo, la bioacumulación de plomo en el lago ocurre por bioconcentración en peces más que por biomagnificación en la cadena trófica.

Lagos Contaminación por plomo Modelo de equilibrio químico Bioacumulación Lago de Chapala CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA