Covers recent advances in polymer degradation and stabilization. Focuses on the basics of photo- and bio-degradability. Delineates special and general environmental parameters such as solar irradiation, temperature, and agrochemical exposure. Surveys plastic waste disposal strategies such as recycling, incineration, chemical recovery by pyrolysis, and source reduction.

This handbook covers characteristics, processability and application areas of biodegradable polymers, with key polymer family groups discussed. It explores the role of biodegradable polymers in different waste management practices including anaerobic digestion, and considers topics such as the different types of biorefineries for renewable monomers used in producing the building blocks for biodegradable polymers.

This book presents a comprehensive and authoritative review of the recent developments and advances in biodegradable polymers and their biomedical applications. Following an interdisciplinary approach, it combines the medical and pharmaceutical fields in conjunction with biomedical engineering, polymer science, materials science, and pharmacological aspects of biodegradable polymers. The text covers the synthesis, properties, and characterization of biodegradable polymers and systems and their applications in sustained drug delivery, anticancer therapy, vaccine delivery, gene delivery, surgery, wound care, cardiology, dentistry, orthopedics, medical devices, tissue engineering, and cosmeceuticals. It also details the safety aspects, market economy, challenges, and opportunities related to biodegradable polymers, providing an understanding of the commercial and translational aspects of these crucial biomaterials. Edited and authored by renowned scientists working on biodegradable polymers, biocomposites, biodegradable systems, and implants, the book is an important resource for academicians, researchers, students, professionals, and general readers interested in exploring the potential biomedical applications of biodegradable polymers.

Handbook of Biodegradable Polymers, the seventh volume in the Drug Delivery and Targeting book series, provides a source manual for synthetic procedures, properties and applications of bioerodible polymers. The authors describe widely available materials such as polyactides, collagen and gelatin, as well as polymers of emerging importance, such as the genetically-engineered and elastin-based polymers which are either proprietary or in early stages of development. Section I addresses synthetic absorbable polymers, and Section 2 profiles natural, semi-synthetic and biosynthetic polymers. Section 3 discusses the surface characterization of degradable polymers, the modeling of biodegradation and non-medical polymers. This book is ideal for researchers from academia and industry as well as chemists, pharmacists and physicians who deal with biopolymers, drug delivery and targeting, bioengineering and implantable devices.

Sealing is an age-old problem that dates back to our earliest attempts to create a more comfortable living environment. Prehistoric people used natural sealants such as earth, loam, grass, and reeds to protect the interior of their homes against the weather. Today's applications extend to a myriad of uses. The Handbook of Sealant Technology provide

A hands-on guide to choosing and using old and new technologies for joining plastics and elastomers. Includes detailed discussions of over 25 techniques used to join plastics to themselves and to other materials. Advantages and disadvantages of each technique along with detailed discussions of applications are presented. A second section is organized by material and provides details of using different processes with over 50 generic families of plastics and how different techniques and operating parameters affect weld strength and other criteria. This book is an excellent reference and an invaluable resource for novice and expert alike in determining the best joining technique for their application and providing guidance in how to design and prepare for production.

This handbook provides an exhaustive description of polyethylene. The 50+ chapters are written by some of the most experienced and prominent authors in the field, providing a truly unique view of polyethylene. The book starts with a historical discussion on how low density polyethylene was discovered and how it provided unique opportunities in the early days. New catalysts are presented and show how they created an expansion in available products including linear low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, copolymers, and polyethylene produced from metallocene catalysts. With these different catalysts systems a wide range of structures are possible with an equally wide range of physical properties. Numerous types of additives are presented that include additives for the protection of the resin from the environment and processing, fillers, processing aids, anti-fogging agents, pigments, and flame retardants. Common processing methods including extrusion, blown film, cast film, injection molding, and thermoforming are presented along with some of the more specialized processing techniques such as rotational molding, fiber processing, pipe extrusion, reactive extrusion, wire and cable, and foaming processes. The business of polyethylene including markets, world capacity, and future prospects are detailed. This handbook provides the most current and complete technology assessments and business practices for polyethylene resins.

Revised and significantly expanded, the fifth edition of this classic work offers both new and substantially updated information. As the definitive reference on fire protection engineering, this book provides thorough treatment of the current best practices in fire protection engineering and performance-based fire safety. Over 130 eminent fire engineers and researchers contributed chapters to the book, representing universities and professional organizations around the world. It remains the indispensible source for reliable coverage of fire safety engineering fundamentals, fire dynamics, hazard calculations, fire risk analysis, modeling and more. With seventeen new chapters and over 1,800 figures, the this new edition contains: Step-by-step equations that explain engineering calculations Comprehensive revision of the coverage of human behavior in fire, including several new chapters on egress system design, occupant evacuation scenarios, combustion toxicity and data for human behavior analysis Revised fundamental chapters for a stronger sense of context Added chapters on fire protection system selection and design, including selection of fire safety systems, system activation and controls and CO2 extinguishing systems Recent advances in fire resistance design Addition of new chapters on industrial fire protection, including vapor clouds, effects of thermal radiation on people, BLEVEs, dust explosions and gas and vapor explosions New chapters on fire load density, curtain walls, wildland fires and vehicle tunnels Essential reference appendices on conversion factors, thermophysical property data, fuel properties and combustion data, configuration factors and piping properties “Three-volume set; not available separately”

This comprehensive book provides guidelines for maximizing plastics proc essing efficiency in the manufacture of all types of products, using all types of plastics. A practical approach is employed to present fundamental, yet comprehensive, coverage of processing concepts. The information and data presented by the many tables and figures interrelate the different variables that affect injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming, compression molding, reinforced plastics molding, rotational molding, re action injection molding, coining, casting, and other processes. The text presents a great number of problems pertaining to different phases of processing. Solutions are provided that will meet product per formance requirements at the lowest cost. Many of the processing variables and their behaviors in the different processes are the same, as they all in volve basic conditions of temperature, time, and pressure. The book begins with information applicable to all processes, on topics such as melt soft ening flow and controls; all processes fit into an overall scheme that re quires the interaction and proper control of systems. Individual processes are reviewed to show the effects of changing different variables to meet the goal of zero defects. The content is arranged to provide a natural progres sion from simple to complex situations, which range from control of a sin gle manual machine to simulation of sophisticated computerized processes that interface with many different processing functions.

Advances in Cyanobacterial Biology presents the novel, practical, and theoretical aspects of cyanobacteria, providing a better understanding of basic and advanced biotechnological application in the field of sustainable agriculture. Chapters have been designed to deal with the different aspects of cyanobacteria including their role in the evolution of life, cyanobacterial diversity and classification, isolation, and characterization of cyanobacteria through biochemical and molecular approaches, phylogeny and biogeography of cyanobacteria, symbiosis, Cyanobacterial photosynthesis, morphological and physiological adaptation to abiotic stresses, stress-tolerant cyanobacterium, biological nitrogen fixation. Other topics include circadian rhythms, genetics and molecular biology of abiotic stress responses, application of cyanobacteria and cyanobacterial mats in wastewater treatments, use as a source of novel stress-responsive genes for development of stress tolerance and as a source of biofuels, industrial application, as biofertilizer, cyanobacterial blooms, use in Nano-technology and nanomedicines as well as potential applications. This book will be important for academics and researchers working in cyanobacteria, cyanobacterial environmental biology, cyanobacterial agriculture and cyanobacterial molecular biologists. - Summarizes the various aspects of cyanobacterial research, from primary nitrogen fixation, to advanced nano-technology applications - Addresses both practical and theoretical aspects of the cyanobacterial application - Includes coverage of biochemical and molecular approaches for the identification, use and management of cyanobacteria