Using recycled waste for soil improvement is a sustainable strategy that can reduce resource consumption. In this paper, recycled polyester fiber (RPF) is proposed to improve the engineering performance of red mud- improved volcanic ash (RV). A series of mechanical test were performed for RVs with five different content of RPF. And the microstructure was also investigated using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests. Results show that RPF significantly reinforces the mechanical strength and toughness of RV and the optimum content of RPF is 0.9%. The Unconfined compressive strength (UCS), cohesion (c) and internal friction angle (phi) of reinforced soil enhanced by up to 122%, 40% and 8% compared to untreated soil at the optimum incorporation and optimum water content, respectively. The failure model of RPF-reinforced RV is converted from brittle to ductile, and the toughness parameters are significantly improved. Microscopic investigations reveal that RPF forms a complex three-dimensional structure within the reinforced soil. Adhesion and friction interactions at the fiber-matrix interface are the main reasons for the enhancement of strength and toughness. However, the performance of composites does not continue increasing with RPF content. Excessive fibers gather and twist to form weak zones, reducing the strength and stiffness of material. In practice, the optimal fiber content needs to be controlled to ensure the best mechanical properties. This eco-friendly soil improvement can promote the harmless utilization of red mud and waste polyester materials contributing to ground improvement techniques in volcanic areas.

A multifunctional biodegradable additive powder has been created for simultaneous enhancement of toughness and compostability of the biopolymer poly(lactic acid) (PLA). PLA has promising strength and stiffness compared to commodity plastics, but the neat polymer is not a direct replacement for petroleum-based plastics in consumer products due to its brittle fracture and low ductility. Although officially certified as biodegradable, PLA suffers from a slow composting rate and is not considered compostable outside of specialized environments such as those found in industrial composters (where temperatures approaching 60 degrees C are used). A powder-based additive has been developed that increases both the elongation at break and the composting rate of PLA to enhance the attractiveness of PLA over current commodity plastics. In this study, various amounts of the additive are compounded into PLA using a single screw extruder. Test specimens are prepared using the additive manufacturing method of fused filament fabrication. The PLA-based composites show a minimal loss of strength and stiffness as compared to plasticized PLA resins, and the additives provide tunable properties to the material in the ability to control elongation versus strength and stiffness. Direct tensile testing of 3.75 mm filament for additive manufacturing to compare material properties is also investigated. The composting behavior is investigated using specimens made by extrusion as part of an additive manufacturing model system. Composting studies show an increase in composting rate under elevated temperature of 58 degrees C and 50 % relative humidity under modified ASTM D5338 soil contact testing. Microbial analysis indicates that the additive particles support the growth of specific degraders and shifts the composition of the microbial population of bacteria and fungi and has potential for enhancing the compostability in home compost.

Replacing traditional plastics with biodegradable materials, such as poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), is a reliable way to avoid farmland environmental pollution. However, the physical and mechanical properties of PBAT still have much to improve. Adding chain extenders to modify PBAT is one of the primary means. So far, the main chain extenders used are epoxy, anhydride, oxazoline, and isocyanate. In this paper, a blocked isocyanate chain extender with biological cyclodextrin as the skeleton material was designed and prepared(B3H35). When it was added to PBAT for melt blending at high temperature, the active isocyanate groups released by its deblocking reaction wound reacted with the terminal hydroxyl groups or carboxylic acid groups of PBAT to extend the molecular chain of PBAT, and then, a three-dimensional network was constructed based on dynamic hydrogen bonding, molecular entanglement, and physical cross-linking. As a result, the strength and toughness of PBAT improved simultaneously. Compared with pure PBAT, the tensile strength, elongation at break, and toughness of PBAT/B3H35 (2 wt %) increased by 17.7, 8.1, and 31.6%, respectively. In addition, 3,5-dimethylpyrazole, used as a blocking agent in this paper, is also released by deblocking during melt blending and endows PBAT/B3H35 with an excellent nitrification inhibition effect in agricultural soil. The experimental results show that the nitrification inhibition rate of the PBAT/B3H35 (3 wt %) reaches 80.64% after 35 days of landfill, significantly improving the utilization rate of the nitrogen fertilizer, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution. Overall, this work provides an idea and direction for designing and preparing functional chain extenders with simultaneous enhancement and toughening effects and nitrification inhibition functions for agricultural materials.