A Review on the Challenges for Increased Production of Castor

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is one of the oldest cultivated crops, but currently it represents only 0.15% of the vegetable oil produced in the world. Castor oil is of continuing importance to the global specialty chemical industry because it is the only commercial source of a hydroxylated fatty acid. Castor also has tremendous future potential as an industrial oilseed crop because of its high seed oil content (more than 480 g kg(-1)), unique fatty acid composition (900 g kg(-1) of ricinoleic acid), potentially high oil yields (1250-2500 L ha(-1)), and ability to be grown under drought and saline conditions. The scientific literature on castor has been generated by a relatively small global community of researchers over the past century. Much of this work was published in dozens of languages in journals that are not easily accessible to the scientific community. This review was conducted to provide a compilation of the most relevant historic research information and define the tremendous future potential of castor. The article was prepared by a group of 22 scientists from 16 institutions and eight countries. Topics discussed in this review include: (i) germplasm, genetics, breeding, biotic stresses, genome sequencing, and biotechnology; (ii) agronomic production practices, diseases, and abiotic stresses; (iii) management and reduction of toxins for the use of castor meal as both an animal feed and an organic fertilizer; (iv) future industrial uses of castor including renewable fuels; (v) world production, consumption, and prices; and (vi) potential and challenges for increased castor production.

Análise macroscópica e histológica do emprego da poliuretana derivada do óleo de mamona (Ricinus communis) aplicada na tíbia de cães em fase de crescimento

OBJETIVO: Estudar o efeito da poliuretana de mamona aplicada ao osso de cães em crescimento. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 12 cães subdivididos aleatoriamente em 3 grupos, os quais receberam o implante de mamona na face medial proximal da tíbia, com análise macroscópica e histopatológica aos 30 (GIII), 60 (GII) e 90 (GI) dias. RESULTADOS: A poliuretana foi recoberta por uma cápsula conjuntiva fibrosa, não ocorrendo proliferação óssea ao seu redor. CONCLUSÃO: A poliuretana é biocompatível, comportando-se como espaçador biológico em cães. Nesta espécie não ocorre a osteointegração.

Sistemas de produção de grãos e incidência de plantas daninhas

O sistema de semeadura direta e os diferentes sistemas de produção nele adotados podem contribuir para a supressão de plantas infestantes. em razão disso, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o controle de plantas daninhas em função de diferentes sistemas de produção de grãos. Os tratamentos utilizados foram: I. Sistema safra-pousio - soja/ pousio/milho/pousio/arroz/pousio/soja; II. Sistema safra-adubo verde - soja/milheto/ milho/guandu/arroz/crotalária/soja; III. Sistema safra-safrinha - soja/aveia-branca/milho/ feijão-da-seca/arroz/mamona/soja; IV. Sistema safra - forrageira- soja + braquiária/milho + braquiária/arroz + braquiária/soja. em novembro de 2009 (após três safras agrícolas), foi realizado o levantamento de plantas daninhas infestantes. Para isso, foi utilizado um quadro (0,3 x 0,3 m), lançado aleatoriamente quatro vezes dentro de cada parcela. As plantas foram identificadas, bem como feita a determinação do número total das espécies invasoras, da massa seca e da porcentagem de controle das espécies de acordo com o sistema de produção. Foi realizada ainda a análise fitossociológica da comunidade de plantas daninhas infestantes. Os sistemas safra-adubo verde, safra-safrinha e safra-forrageira apresentaram bom controle de plantas infestantes quando comparados ao sistema safra-pousio. Portanto, a presença de algum tipo de cobertura é importante para manter as características do solo favorável e um bom controle de plantas invasoras.

Quantificação do linalol no óleo essencial da Aniba duckei Korstermans utilizando uma nova coluna capilar POLYH4-MD em Cromatografia Gasosa

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Mechanical behavior of natural fiber composites

The use of natural fibers as reinforcement in polymeric composites for technical applications has been a research subject of scientists during the last decade. There is a great interest in the application of sisal fiber as substitutes for glass fibers, motivated by potential advantages of weight saving, lower raw material price, and ecological advantages of using green resources which are renewable and biodegradable.Castor oil, a triglyceride vegetable that has hydroxyl groups, was reacted with 4,4' diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) to produce the polyurethane matrix. Woven sisal fibers were used untreated and thermal treated at 60 C for 72h, and the composites were processed by compression molding.The present work study tensile behavior at four composites: dry sisal/polyurethane, humid sisal/polyurethane, dry sisal/phenolic and humid sisal/phenolic resin. The moisture content influences of sisal fibers on the mechanical behaviors were analyzed.Experimental results showed a higher tensile strength for the sisal/phenolic composites followed by sisal/polyurethane, respectively. In this research, sisal composites were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of ICM11

Effect of the doping medium on blends of polyurethane and polyaniline

Flexible and free-standing films from blends of polyurethane, based on castor oil, and polyaniline were obtained with various compositions by casting. Significant increase on conductivity followed by a considerable decrease on doping time was obtained by doping the films in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution with p-toluene sulphonic acid (TSA) or HCl instead of the conventional doping in aqueous solution. This doping efficiency is proposed to be due to an improved swelling of the blend structure caused by the solvent. The electrical conductivity increases significantly upon polyaniline content increase reaching 10(-2) S/cm for a polyaniline content of about 10% (w/w).

Dielectric relaxation of vegetable-based polyurethane

Vegetable-based polyurethane (PU) was prepared in the thin film form by spin coating. This polymer is synthesised from castor oil, which can be extracted from the seeds of a native plant in Brazil called mamona. This polymer is biocompatible and is being used as material for artificial bone. The PU was characterised by dielectric spectroscopy in a wide range of frequency (10(-5) Hz to 10(5) Hz) and by thermally stimulated discharge current (TSDC) measurements. The glass transition temperature (T-g=39degreesC) was determined and using the initial rise method the activation energy was found to be 1.58 eV. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Piezoelectric effect in composite polyurethane - Ferroelectric ceramics

Flexible and free-standing films of piezoelectric composites made up of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic powder dispersed in a castor oil-based polyurethane (PU) matrix were obtained by spin coating and characterised as materials for sensor applications. The piezoelectric coefficients d(31) and d(33) were measured with the usual technique. The piezoelectric charge constant d(33) yields values up to less than or equal to 24 pC/N, even at lower PZT content (33 vol%). Some desirable properties like piezoelectricity, flexibility and good mechanical resistance show this new material to be a good alternative for use as sensors and actuators.

Electromechanical properties of 0-3 vegetable based polyurethane and lead zirconate titanate composite.

Composite made of Lead Zirconate Titranate (PZT) ceramic powder and castor oil based polyurethane (PU) were prepared in the thin film form with 0-3 connectivity by spin coating. The composite films were obtained in the thickness range of 100 mum to 300 mum using 33-vol.% of ceramic. The samples mechanical resistance. The material was characterised by dielectric spectroscopy, thermally stimulated discharge current (TSDC), hysteresis measurements and laser-intensity-modulation method (LIMM). The pyroelectric coefficient at 343 K was 7x10(-5) C.m(-2) K-1 for the sample poled with 10 MV/m at 373 K for Ih. The results show that this new composite can be used as suitable piezo and pyroelectric sensors.

Dielectric and pyroelectric properties of a composite of ferroelectric ceramic and polyurethane

Flexible piezo- and pyroelectric composite was made in the thin film form by spin coating. Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) ceramic powder was dispersed in a castor oil-based polyurethane (PU) matrix, providing a composite with 0-3 connectivity. The dielectric data, measured over a wide range of frequency (10(-5) Hz to 105 Hz), shows a loss peak around 100 Hz related with impurities in the polymer matrix. There is also an evidence of a peak in the range 10(-4) Hz, possibly originating from the glass transition temperature T of the polymer. The pyroelectric coefficient at 34 K is 7.0x10(-5) C(.)m(-2.)K(-1) which is higher than that of P-PVDF (1X10(-5) C(.)m(-2.)K(-1)).

Analysis of dipolar relaxation in polyurethane/polyaniline blend

Thin films of blend made up of castor oil-based polyurethane (PU) and polyaniline (PANI) were obtained by casting. The molecular mobility was studied using dielectric spectroscopy and thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) for blends with two different compositions (90/10, 80/20) and the results were compared with PU pure. The peak located around -60 degrees C in TSDC thermograms of PU/PANI blend has dipolar behavior and might be attributed to the change in the molecular chain due to the interaction between isocyanate and the solvent. Vogel-Fulcher Tammann fits was performed on the observed relaxation and the result shows a alpha-relaxation-like. (c) 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

Effect of polyol excess on the electrical property of vegetable-polyurethane film

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Resposta tecidual a implantes de discos de poliuretana de mamona nas formas pré-moldada ou biomassa moldada

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Propriedades mecânicas do cimento ósseo e da poliuretana de mamona com e sem catalisador

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo experimental do poliuretano de óleo de mamona (Ricinus communis) como substituto parcial do tendão calcâneo comum em coelhos (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Com o objetivo de avaliar a eficiência da prótese de poliuretano de mamona como substituto parcial do tendão calcâneo comum, foram utilizadas 30 coelhas da raça Nova Zelândia, entre dois e três meses de idade e peso médio de 2kg. Após anestesia geral, o procedimento cirúrgico em ambos os membros constou de incisão caudo-lateral no sentido longitudinal do terço médio ao distal da tíbia e exposição do tendão calcâneo comum. Após a tenectomia do tendão do músculo gastrocnêmio, a prótese de poliuretano de cerca de 0,5cm de extensão por 0,5cm de diâmetro foi fixada aos cotos proximal e distal do tendão, empregando-se o fio de polipropileno monofilamentar 4-0, conforme técnica modificada de Kessler. A prótese de poliuretano na forma elastomérica revelou propriedades como textura e flexibilidade semelhantes à do tecido tendinoso, pode ser confeccionada na forma e no tamanho almejados e permite ser moldada, cortada e esterilizada por calor úmido. Todos os animais apoiaram os membros operados imediatamente após o retorno anestésico. Não se observaram sinais clínicos de infecção e não ocorreu deiscência de ferida. Percebeu-se aumento de volume local devido ao edema, evidente na primeira semana pós-cirúrgica, que gradualmente desapareceu . À palpação foi possível delimitar com facilidade a prótese que se conservou fixa no local e intacta. Clinicamente o poliuretano de mamona não induziu reação desfavorável que comprometesse a cicatrização tendínea, podendo ser indicado como substituto temporário de tendão.