People are often looking for a panacea for environmental problems, whether it be renewable solar or wind power for electricity or electric vehicles for transportation. In the case of green materials, people are hoping for a 100% biobased material that can perform as well as its fossil fuel-derived counterpart and then biodegrade back to the molecules it once was. As scientists, we strive to discover and develop that cure-all technology for the environment. The reality is that there is no cure-all for environmental ills and we can only hope to become better stewards of the environment through changes in our behavior and the development of technologies that better enable us to live our lives in a more sustainable way. The current issue of Green Materials shows some of the interesting and innovative ways that scientists are using green materials to create a more sustainable world for us to live in.
Plants contain a vast array of small and large molecules with unbelievable functionality. Hayajneh et al.1 show that plant extracts from agricultural waste streams can be used as anti-corrosion coatings on steel. The heteroatomic and aromatic plant molecules adsorb onto the steel and provide the protective coating. Wang et al.2 describe a method to convert non-edible plant oils into thermally-stable, zwitterionic surfactants for oil recovery. Terroba-Delicado et al.3 create a nearly 100% bio-based composite of coffee waste and bio-HDPE partially derived from plant sugar fermentation. Finally, Xu et al.4 use pine tree rosin as a monomer in polyurethane synthesis. This also creates a functional material capable of fluorescing and being used in sensing so it can serve dual duty as an environmentally-friendly material and environmental sensor.
The material does not need to be derived from plants or be biobased to have environmental utility. Metal-organic framework (MOF) nanomaterials described by Ren et al.5 can photodegrade persistent pollutants like organic dyes and heavy metal ions. Mutlu and Dogan6 present results on the thermal and flame-retardant properties of chicken feather-thermoplastic polyurethane composites. Adding phosphorous to the composites decreases the flammability of the polyurethane component.
Overall, Volume 12, Issue 2 of Green Materials showcases how plant, animal, and synthetic components can be used to create new materials for the environment. Whether it be to use less fossil fuel-derived material or remove environmental pollutants, there is a large variety of approaches scientists can take to help make the world a better place.
