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

Tensile behavior of 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) based composites reinforced with natural fiber

Eliana M Agaliotis BALTAZAR DAVID AKE CONCHA ALEJANDRO MAY PAT Juan Pablo Morales Arias Celina Bernal Alex Valadez González Pedro Jesús Herrera Franco Gwenaelle Proust JUAN FRANCISCO KOH DZUL José Gonzalo Carrillo Baeza Emmanuel Alejandro Flores Johnson (2022, [Artículo])

Natural fiber-reinforced composite (NFRC) filaments for 3D printing were fabricated using polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced with 1–5 wt% henequen flour comprising particles with sizes between 90–250 μm. The flour was obtained from natural henequen fibers. NFRCs and pristine PLA specimens were printed with a 0° raster angle for tension tests. The results showed that the NFRCs’ measured density, porosity, and degree of crystallinity increased with flour content. The tensile tests showed that the NFRC Young’s modulus was lower than that of the printed pristine PLA. For 1 wt% flour content, the NFRCs’ maximum stress and strain to failure were higher than those of the printed PLA, which was attributed to the henequen fibers acting as reinforcement and delaying crack growth. However, for 2 wt% and higher flour contents, the NFRCs’ maximum stress was lower than that of the printed PLA. Microscopic characterization after testing showed an increase in voids and defects, with the increase in flour content attributed to particle agglomeration. For 1 wt% flour content, the NFRCs were also printed with raster angles of ±45° and 90° for comparison; the highest tensile properties were obtained with a 0° raster angle. Finally, adding 3 wt% content of maleic anhydride to the NFRC with 1 wt% flour content slightly increased the maximum stress. The results presented herein warrant further research to fully understand the mechanical properties of printed NFRCs made of PLA reinforced with natural henequen fibers. © 2022 by the authors.

POLYLACTIC ACID (PLA) NATURAL FIBER HENEQUEN FIBER NATURAL FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE (NFRC) ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING 3D PRINTING MECHANICAL PROPERTY INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS TECNOLOGÍA DE MATERIALES PROPIEDADES DE LOS MATERIALES PROPIEDADES DE LOS MATERIALES

Como las redes sociales contribuyen al conocimiento de la sistemática de plantas

RODRIGO STEFANO DUNO GERMAN CARNEVALI FERNANDEZ CONCHA (2022, [Artículo])

La ciencia y la sistemática, en particular, se han beneficiado enormemente de la tecnología. Pregúntele a cualquier amante de la naturaleza y de la fotografía, el cambio que significó la llegada de las cámaras digitales en sustitución de las cámaras convencionales. Hoy deseamos destacar otra novedad tecnológica, no menos tangible, y de enorme repercusión mundial; las redes sociales. En este breve texto presentaremos casos concretos de cómo las redes sociales pueden ser una herramienta fundamental para incrementar el conocimiento de la diversidad biológica.

APOCYNACEAE DROSERACEAE FACEBOOK NATURALISTA NOVEDADES TAXONOMICAS REDES SOCIALES BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Use of organic substrates on the quality of watermelon seedlings

Benigno Rivera Hernández Victor Hugo Quej Chi Roberto Gutiérrez Burón José Luis Andrade Torres EUGENIO CARRILLO Vianey González CLAUDINA VILLARREAL (2022, [Artículo])

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a succulent fruit and vine-like plant that is cultivated in Mexico and it generates employment and currency for the country. However, there is the need to research what local organic substrates can substitute peat moss as a culture medium to produce watermelon seedlings of good quality and at low cost. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of five local organic substrates as substitutes of the commercial substrate “Peat Moss”, for the production of seedlings of two watermelon cultivars, Sun Sweet and Jubilee. Five local organic substrates were studied: cacao husk, compost, vermicompost, bovine manure, coconut fiber and the commercial substrate “Peat Moss” as control. The response variables were percentage of germination, indicators of morphological quality and morphological quality indexes, stability of the clod, and relative efficiency of the local substrates. The best morphological indicators and morphological quality index of the seedlings were found with the substrates cacao husk and vermicompost, with a seedling quality similar to those obtained with the commercial substrate. Compost presented the lowest stability of the clod and relative efficiency. The substrates of cacao husk and vermicompost can substitute the commercial substrate “Peat Moss”, in addition to being easy to obtain and of low cost; so they are a viable alternative for rural farmers in the production of watermelon seedlings. © 2022, Sociedade de Olericultura do Brasil. All rights reserved.

CITRULLUS LANATUS CACAO HUSK VERMICOMPOST COCONUT FIBER BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA BIOLOGÍA VEGETAL (BOTÁNICA) ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL ECOLOGÍA VEGETAL

Simulación del movimiento del aire en un invernadero tipo Venlo

Simulation of air movement in a Venlo-Type greenhouse

JORGE VICTOR PRADO HERNANDEZ ABRAHAM ROJANO AGUILAR FELIPE BENJAMIN DE LEON MOJARRO MAURICIO CARRILLO GARCIA LAURA ALICIA IBAÑEZ CASTILLO VICENTE ANGELES MONTIEL IRINEO LORENZO LOPEZ CRUZ (2013, [Artículo])

En años recientes se ha observado que los modelos matemáticos basados en las ecuaciones completas de Navier-Stokes representan adecuadamente la ventilación en invernaderos y ofrecen información detallada de la distribución espacial de la masa de aire; sin embargo, resulta muy costosa la adquisición de los permisos de uso de los paquetes de cómputo comerciales por lo que es necesario investigar sobre modelos simplificados con el fin de reducir los costos de los estudios. En este trabajo se simuló la circulación de aire en un invernadero tipo Venlo en diferentes condiciones de ventilación, mediante dos modelos: uno de ellos considera las ecuaciones completas de Navier-Stokes, y el otro resuelve un modelo simplificado de Navier-Stokes en el que no se considera la aceleración convectiva en la ecuación de cantidad de movimiento.

Invernaderos Ventilación natural Método del elemento finito Simulación INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF SPECIAL PHOTONIC CRYSTAL FIBERS WITH HIGH COUPLING OF THE FUNDAMENTAL MODE TO LEAKY MODES FOR REFRACTIVE INDEX

Johan Sebastian Buriticá Bolaños (2023, [Tesis de maestría])

"This work explores the possibility of implementing a detection mechanism in optical fibers called “Lossy Mode Resonance” (LMR), which has begun to grow in popularity because, compared to other similar detection mechanisms in the area of optical fibers, has high flexibility with respect to its implementation."

Crystal Fiber sensor Leaky modes LMR CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA FÍSICA ÓPTICA FIBRAS ÓPTICAS FIBRAS ÓPTICAS

Oportunidad de aplicación de la metodología FRONT END LOADING en la expansión de gasoductos en el sureste mexicano: una evaluación

Opportunity to apply the front end loading methodology in the expansion of gas pipelines in the mexican southeast: an evaluation

Raúl Enrique Trejo Alvarado Luis Rolando Méndez Miguel (2023, [Artículo])

Con la finalidad de impulsar el desarrollo de la región sureste de México, la actual administración del gobierno federal se ha propuesto la ampliación de la red nacional de gasoductos hacia esa zona del país, con el fin de suministrar energía a los megaproyectos de la región. No obstante, estas obras presentan actualmente retrasos, evidenciando la necesidad de metodologías de gestión que permitan solucionar este problema de raíz. Una de las metodologías más prometedoras en esta materia es la front-end loading (FEL), ampliamente aplicada en el sector extractivo y energético. El propósito del articulo estriba en evaluar la posibilidad de aplicar la metodología FEL a los proyectos de expansión del Sistema Nacional de Gasoductos en el sureste mexicano.

To boost the development of the southeast region of Mexico, the current federal government administration has proposed the expansion of the national gas pipeline network to this area of the country, to supply energy to the region's mega-projects. However, these projects are currently experiencing delays, demonstrating the need for management methodologies to solve this problem at its root. One of the most promising methodologies in this area is front-end loading (FEL), which has been widely applied in the extractive and energy sector. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of applying the FEL methodology to the expansion projects of the National Gas Pipeline System in the southeastern México.

Gas natural Sector energético Front end loading (FEL) Evaluación de proyectos Sureste mexicano Natural gas Energy sector Project evaluation Mexican southeast INGENIERÍA Y TECNOLOGÍA CIENCIAS TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS ESPECIALIDADES TECNOLÓGICAS OTRAS OTRAS

Drought vulnerability indices in Mexico

David Ortega Gaucin JESUS DE LA CRUZ BARTOLON HEIDY VIVIANA CASTELLANO BAHENA (2018, [Artículo])

Drought is one of the most harmful hydro climatic threats to society. Mexico has been historically affected by recurring and long-lasting droughts that have severely impacted society and the economy. Consequently, public programs and policies have been developed in order to reduce the country’s vulnerability to drought, hence the importance of identifying the spatial distribution and the dimension—even in relative terms only—of vulnerability in different regions from social, economic, and environmental perspectives. This article presents a method for obtaining indices and maps of vulnerability to drought in Mexico; indices and maps are based on a set of socioeconomic and environmental indicators that the method combines using an objective analytic procedure that identifies the most vulnerable states and municipalities from social, economic, and environmental perspectives, all of which converge in overall vulnerability to drought. The results obtained indicate that 38.9% of total Mexican population inhabits municipalities with high and very high degrees of overall vulnerability to drought. For this reason, it is necessary to continue implementing actions and preventive and mitigation strategies via public policies and social programs aimed at decreasing the country’s vulnerability to the occurrence of drought events. This is the only way to facilitate the necessary conditions to reduce the impact of drought and to decrease people’s vulnerability to this phenomenon.

Sequías Desastres naturales Gestión de riesgos Vulnerabilidad CIENCIAS FÍSICO MATEMÁTICAS Y CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA

Amenazas y vulnerabilidades: las dos caras de los desastres en Celestún, Yucatán

Threats and vulnerabilities: two faces of disasters in Celestún, Yucatán

DENISE SOARES DANIEL MURILLO LICEA ROBERTO ROMERO PEREZ Gemma Millán (2014, [Artículo])

En este trabajo se reflexiona sobre la triada vulnerabilidad-desastres-desarrollo y se presenta un estudio de caso en el municipio de Celestún, Yucatán, sobre percepciones sociales acerca de la vulnerabilidad de la población frente a las amenazas de eventos meteorológicos extremos. Se pretende conocer las opiniones de la población respecto de su acceso a la capacitación sobre cómo enfrentar los huracanes, su capacidad para protegerse de dichas amenazas y su evaluación de la gestión de las autoridades locales en la materia.

Social and environmental constraints of the risks, responses to disasters, as well as the nature of the relationship between disaster and development have been the subject of increasing attention from researchers in the social sciences. That’s because the risks of disasters have become a growing threat by climate change. In this work we reflect over the triad vulnerability-disaster-development and present a case study in the municipality of Celestún, Yucatán, on social perceptions about the vulnerability against extreme weather events. We expected to know the views of the population regarding hurricanes, their access to the training and to evaluation of local authorities’ management.

Investigación realizada con fondos de la Secretaría de Educación Pública-Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Ciencias Básicas.

Analisis de vulnerabilidad Desastres naturales Condiciones sociales Celestún CIENCIAS SOCIALES

Variabilidad estacional de la productividad primaria y su relación con la estratificación vertical en la bahía de La Paz, BCS

Seasonal variability of primary productivity and its relation to the vertical stratification in La Paz, BCS

RAFAEL CERVANTES DUARTE RUBEN ANTELMO MORALES PEREZ JOSE EDUARDO VALDEZ HOLGUIN (2003, [Artículo])

Se estimó la productividad primaria (pp) vía fluorescencia natural en la bahía de La Paz durante octubre de 1996, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, septiembre, noviembre de 1997, y enero de 1998. simultáneamente a los registros de pp se realizaron perfiles verticales de temperatura (CTD) para determinar la estructura de la columna de agua, y de los cuales se estimó el índice de estratificación (_) de 0 a 100 m de profundidad. Durante primavera se observaron los valores promedio más altos de pp (16 mg C m-3 h-1) y valores bajos de _ (50 J m-3) que corresponden a una columna de agua casi homogénea. En contraste, en las subsecuentes estaciones (verano y otoño), la pp decreció a valores mínimos (2 y 5 mg C m-3 h-1), mientras que _ se incrementó significativamente (249 y 347 J m-3). Los resultados indican que existe una dependencia lineal de la pp y la mezcla en la columna de agua (r2 = 0.62, p<0.05) durante los meses de verano. Periodos con una alta estratificación tienden posiblemente a inhibir la fertilización de la capa superficial, mientras que una columna de agua bien mezclada facilita el proceso de fertilización. Por lo tanto, es evidente que en la Bahía de La Paz la estratificación asume un papel importante como mecanismo que controla la pp y explica parcialmente la variabilidad estacional observada en la bahía.

Materia orgánica Producción primaria La Paz Fluorescencia natural BIOLOGÍA Y QUÍMICA