Low value animal fats, notably brown grease, represent one of the most underutilized by-products from agricultural animal processing. It is estimated that more than 1.7 million tons of low value animal fats are produced in the US annually. Chemically, these low value animal fats are primarily comprised of triglycerides and fatty acids. Herein, we report the synthesis of high sulfur content materials using the atom economical inverse vulcanization process. A blend of canola or sunflower oil with brown grease was used as the organic crosslinker and yield high strength composites CanBGx and SunBGx (x = wt% sulfur, varied from 85–90 %). The thermal stability and transitions of the composites were assessed using Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These composites were also characterized by infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), mechanical test stand analysis, elemental analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction. The high sulfur content materials exhibited impressive compressive (28.7–35.9 MPa) and flexural strengths (between 6.5–8.5 MPa). The mechanical properties of these composites significantly exceed that of previously reported fatty acid-sulfur composites and traditional building materials such as Portland cement. These first investigations using low value animal fats such as brown grease to yield high sulfur content materials with improved mechanical properties represent a promising alternative to better utilize animal coproducts for value-added high-strength sustainable structural materials.

High strength composites from low-value animal coproducts and industrial waste sulfur

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.