Upcycling of low intrinsic viscosity (IV) poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) grades, such as bottle‐ or recycled grades, by a reactive foam extrusion process, provides an appropriate alternative to high pricing, high IV grades commonly used for foaming applications. However, the drawback of bottle‐grade PET foams is its flame retardant (FR) performance. In this study, pyromellitic dianhydride was used as a chain extender to foam bottle‐grade PET. The influence of different FRs, containing halogenated (HFR) and four different phosphorous‐based types, on the processability and final foam properties was investigated. HFR showed better processability to achieve proper foams with fine morphology compared to P‐based FRs, where the FR content was adjusted between 2 and 5 wt%. However, HFR exhibited lower FR performance by cone calorimeter testing compared to the P‐based FRs and the commercial reference foam Kerdyn. Nonetheless, all of the FRs can only improve the time to ignition of the neat PET foams while the other values depend on the specific type of FR. In addition, all FR foams have improved mechanical properties more than twice in comparison to the neat PET foam.

O presente estudo foi conduzido para verificar o perfil de resistência de diferentes sorotipos de Salmonella spp. isolados em aviários de frango de corte frente a agentes antimicrobianos. Foram processados 342 suabes de arrasto provenientes de granjas avícolas do oeste do Paraná, no período de janeiro de 2010 a janeiro de 2011, sendo isoladas 39 amostras de Salmonella spp. Os sorotipos mais frequentes foram: S. Heidelberg, S. Mbandaka, S. Newport, S. Schwarzengrund, S. Enteritidis, S. Livingstone, S. Orion, S. Give e S. Infantis. A determinação do perfil de resistência para os 19 sorotipos de Salmonella identificados foi realizada em relação a 12 antimicrobianos comerciais. Os resultados indicam que 51% dos sorotipos de Salmonella apresentaram resistência a um ou mais antimicrobianos, com 12 diferentes padrões de resistência. O maior percentual de resistência foi verificado à tetraciclina (30,8%), e o menor à gentamicina e cloranfenicol (2,6%). Os níveis de resistência indicam que os antimicrobianos devem ser utilizados nos aviários de forma mais prudente, buscando, assim, minimizar a disseminação de cepas resistentes.

In this study focused on research on plants as a source of alternative and natural antimicrobial substances, the chemical composition of the essential oil from Prunus myrtifolia (L.) Urb. was assessed through gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and phytochemical screening of different extracts (aqueous, ethanolic, ethyl acetate, and hexanic) from the same plant, as well as the antimicrobial effect against the following microorganisms: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella Typhimurium, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoni, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans, through determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values, using the micro-dilution broth method. Finally, the goal was to assess the antioxidant activity of essential oil and plant extracts using the DPPH free radical method (2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). The largest class of volatile compounds identified in P. myrtifolia oil belongs to aldehydes represented by benzaldehyde compounds. With respect to antimicrobial activity, all extracts and essential oil showed activity against the microorganisms assessed, with exception of hexanic extract. Among the extracts assessed, aqueous and ethanolic extracts were the most effective. Antioxidant activity of aqueous, ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts was confirmed; however, antioxidant activity of essential oil and hexanic extract was not observed.

Polymer materials with different surface-to-volume ratios require different mechanisms of flame retardants regarding condensed phase and gas phase activity. The flame retardant formulations in poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) are investigated regarding a condensed phase and gas phase activity by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), TG-mass spectrometry (MS), TG-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UL94, cone calorimeter and scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer measurements. The flame retardant formulations containing phosphates, phosphonates, and phosphinates as flame retardants are analyzed by using a simultaneous analysis consisting of a differential thermal analysis-TGA device which is in situ coupled to FTIR and MS. All analysis methods show a gas phase activity for the phosphonate (PCO 910), a condensed phase activity for the phosphate (3,9-bis(phenoxy)-2,4,8,10-tetraoxa-3,9-diphosphaspiro-5,5-undecane-3,9-dioxide, (SPDPP) and a mixed condensed and gas phase activity for the new synthesized phosphate and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide containing flame retardant 3, 4,8,. The fire behavior of PCO 910 can be improved by adding O,O'-Terephthaloyl-bis-N,N'-naphthalimide ester as NOR radical-forming agent (NOR-RF) reaching a total amount of 3 wt % of both active agents for a UL94 V-0 classification in PET.