Wool, a natural biopolymer: extraction and structure–property relationships

Dynamic Adsorption of a Cationic Dye onto Wool Fibers as Column-Filling Media: Response Surface Optimization and Fixed-Bed Adsorption Modeling

“…The weight and atomic percentages reported in the inset table (in Figure 2) represent the locally averaged values. These are in reasonable agreement with the general chemical composition of wool reported in the literature [2]. The EDX spectrum of the wool fiber (Figure 2) disclosed the presence of all expected chemical elements, i.e., C, O, N, S (Pt is due to fiber metallization).…”

“…The weight and atomic percentages reported in the inset table (in Figure 2) represent the locally averaged values. These are in reasonable agreement with the general chemical composition of wool reported in the literature [2]. Dynamic vapors sorption (DVS) measurements for the wool sample, in the relative humidity (RH) interval of 0 to 90%, are reported in Figure 3, as the adsorption and desorption branches of the water vapors.…”

“…These histograms were built by counting 300 fiber diameters from different SEM images of wool samples. The inset image in Figure 1a shows cuticle-like structures on the top surfaces, which are specific to the wool fibers [2]. As given in the histogram from Figure 1a, the wool fiber diameters varied from 19 µm to 128 µm, following a normal distribution.…”

“…Figure 1 displays the histograms of fiber diameter distribution (Figure 1a,b), a as an example of an SEM micrograph of wool fibers given as the inset. These histo were built by counting 300 fiber diameters from different SEM images of wool sam The inset image in Figure 1a shows cuticle-like structures on the top surfaces, whi specific to the wool fibers [2]. As given in the histogram from Figure 1a, the woo diameters varied from 19 µm to 128 µm, following a normal distribution.…”

“…In many cases, the coarse wool fibers represent problematic wastes that are often burned or randomly dumped [1]. On the other hand, wool fibers (WF) possess many distinct attributes [2], such as natural origin, cheapness, keratin-based composition, cuticlelike texture, biodegradability, renewability, non-toxic nature, good mechanical features, and recyclability. It turns out that this overlooked byproduct holds untapped potential for sustainable practices and environmental solutions.…”