Soy meal, a coproduct of the soy oil-based biodiesel industry, has up to 50 wt% protein content. The main aim of this work was to develop value-added application for soy meal by blending with biopolymers. The chosen biopolymers were poly(butylenes adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA). This study is divided into two parts: the first part explained the plasticization of soy meal and modification of soy meal by denaturation. Characterization by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed that the soy meal was plasticized and denatured. This part also discussed the fabrication, testing and characterization of blends of PBAT/soy meal (SM), PBAT/plasticized soy meal (PSM) and PBAT/modified plasticized soy meal (mPSM). The elongation at break of the bioblend was found to increase after plasticization of soy meal, and improved furthermore after denaturation while the tensile strength remained the same. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the blends PBAT/mPSM had smoother surfaces and better internal structures than the other two. The second part of the study investigated the properties of mPSM blended with PBAT and PLA at varying ratios. The results revealed that with an increase in PLA content, the tensile strength improved, but the elongation of the blend reduced. No phase separations between PBAT and PLA were observed in the SEM pictures of the ternary blends, indicating limited miscibility between PBAT and PLA. / Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) (Project Title: “New Value-Added Biomaterials from Waste Streams of Biodiesel Industries and Polylactides (PLA)”; Project NO.: SR9223 TF#049549), Hannam Soybean Utilization Fund (HSUF)

This dissertation attempts to address the problem of how to prepare protein-based materials with the same level of order and precision at the molecular level similar to the structures we find in nature. It is divided into two parts focusing on feedstock and processing. Part one is devoted to discussing the use of agricultural proteins as a feedstock for material production. Particularly, it focuses on the effect of hydrogen bonding, or lack thereof, between proteins as mediated by hydration or plasticization. The effect of varying plasticizer (glycerol) levels on mechanical properties of a series of proteins is discussed in the context of primary and secondary structure of these proteins. We have found that the extent to which a protein can be plasticized is dependent on its molecular and higher order structure and not simply molecular weight, as it was often assumed in previous studies. The second part of the dissertation focuses on the study of self-assembly as a way to make useful peptide-based materials. There are major efforts underway to study protein self-assembly for various medical and industrial reasons. Despite huge progress, most studies have focused on nanoscale self-assembly but the crossover to the macroscopic scale remains a challenge. We show that peptide self-assembly into macroscopic fibers is possible in vitro under physiological conditions. We characterize the fibers and propose a mechanism by which they form. The macroscopic fibers self-assemble from a combination of β- and α-peptides and are similar to other naturally-occurring systems in which templated self-assembly is used to create functional peptide materials. Finally, the ability to control macroscopic properties of the fiber by varying the ratio of constituent peptides is demonstrated. Owing to the richness of the amino acid building blocks, peptides are highly versatile structural and functional building blocks. The ability to extend and control peptide self-assembly over multiple length scales is a significant leap toward incorporating peptide materials into dynamic systems of higher complexity and functionality. / Ph. D.

Ce travail s'inscrit dans la démarche générale de compréhension et d'amélioration des propriétés mécaniques des matériaux thermoplastiques amylacés, en proposant une nouvelle démarche originale de modification structurale de l'amidon thermoplastique s’appuyant sur la combinaison de deux techniques: la réticulation de l'amidon sous faisceau d’électrons et l'orientation macromoléculaire issue du procédé de transformation par extrusion. La première partie du manuscrit est consacrée aux propriétés thermomécaniques de l’amidon plastifié et propose notamment une mise à jour de la courbe maitresse contrainte-allongement mettant en évidence le phénomène d’antiplastification mais aussi de surplastification grâce notamment à l’étude des propriétés à Tg équivalentes. L’évolution des températures de transition β (Tβ) des matériaux a pu être reliée aux différentes étapes de la plastification et des analyses ATG ont mises en évidence les phénomènes de sorption et désorption du plastifiant. Les mécanismes d’endommagement de l’amidon plastifié ont également été explorés à l’aide de la technologie de vidéotraction. Le second chapitre du document est consacré à l’étude de la réticulation de l’amidon thermoplastique à l’état solide sous faisceau d’électrons. De nombreux facteurs ont été étudiés comme la dose absorbée, la teneur en eau, la teneur en plastifiant, le type et la teneur en réactif introduit, ainsi que l’impact du taux de réticulation sur le mécanisme de rétrogradation. Le troisième et dernier chapitre traite du mécanisme d’orientation moléculaire particulier de l’amidon thermoplastique, et de son impact sur les propriétés mécaniques. Le couplage de l’orientation et de l’irradiation sous faisceau d’électrons a également été appréhendé. / This work is part of the general approach aiming to understand and improving the mechanical properties of thermoplastics starch materials by proposing a new and original approach to the structural modification of thermoplastic starch through the combination of two techniques: radiation crosslinking and macromolecular orientation. The first part of the thesis focuses on the thermo-mechanical properties of plasticized starch and proposes an update to the master Stress-strain curve highlighting “antiplasticization” and “overplasticization” phenomena thanks to the study of properties at equivalent Tg. The evolution of materials β transition temperature (Tβ) could also be linked to the different plasticization stages and TGA results highlighted the sorption and desorption phenomenon of the plasticizer. The damage and fracture mechanisms of plasticized starch were also explored with videotraction technology. The second chapter of the document is devoted to the study of crosslinking of thermoplastic starch at solid state under an electron beam radiation. Many factors were explored like the absorbed dose, water content, plasticizer content, nature and amount of crosslinking agents introduced, and their impact on curing mechanisms and retrogradation of the plasticized starch. The third and final chapter deals with the specific mechanism of molecular orientation of the thermoplastic starch and its impact on mechanical properties. The coupling of orientation and irradiation under an electron beam was also investigated.

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Syftet med detta masterprojekt var att undersöka möjligheten att använda biobaserat, mjukgjort natriumalginat (NaAlg) som enzymbärare. Alginaterna görs traditionellt bearbetbara genom att tillsätta olika mjukgörare, såsom polyoler (glycerol, sorbitol, etc.), i detta arbete användes glycerol. Den experimentella aspekten av projektet involverade beredning i laboratorieskala av prover, som omfattade blandning, varmpressning, potentiell behandling med nedsänkning i kalciumbad och efterföljande torkning. Förlusten av kemikalier under bearbetningen kvantifierades med hjälp av termogravimetrisk analys (TGA) och ultraviolett-synlig spektroskopi (UV-Vis). De preparerade bearbetade proverna karakteriserades genom extraktionsexperiment. Under den första halvan av projektet undersöktes färgämnesladdningen av proverna för enkelhets skull. Senare byttes den laddade föreningen ut mot enzymer. UV-Vis-mätningar användes i båda fallen för att effektivt karakterisera proverna. De initialt preparerade mjukgjorda natriumalginatproverna var för känsliga och löstes lätt i vatten. Följaktligen utfördes experiment för att förbättra stabiliteten hos matrisen till en tillräcklig nivå genom jonbyte av natriumjoner till kalciumjoner. Denna process förbättrade avsevärt vattenstabiliteten hos proverna. Av resultaten verkar det som om frisättningen av den laddade föreningen kan kontrolleras genom jonbytesbehandlingen. När väl förbättrad vattenstabilitet hos matrisen upptäcktes, undersöktes effekten av mjukningsmedlet genom att ändra blandningsförhållandet för glycerol. Det visade sig att nivån av glycerol i provet är omvänt proportionell mot den laddade föreningens återhållbarhet. De enzymladdade proverna implementerades först med användning av lipasenzymer på grund av att de var lättillgängliga i laboratoriet. Inom kort visade det sig att analysen för att kvantifiera lipasaktivitet utförs i 2-metyl-2-butanol (2M2B), vilket inte orsakade någon svullnad i proverna som observerats tidigare. Därför byttes det laddade enzymet till Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP). Det visade sig att HRP-laddade prover hade aktivitet efter bearbetning. De vattenstabiliserade HRP-laddade proverna hade mätbar aktivitet under fyra timmars exponering för analysen. Förutom enzymatisk analys övervakades frisättningsprofilen för protein också med användning av Bradford-analysen. Man såg att efter en initial måttlig frisättning av enzymerna, planade frisättningen ut och upphörde efter fyra timmar. Resultaten av Bradford-analysen överensstämde med de enzymatiska aktivitetsmätningarna. Det bör noteras att den ursprungliga formuleringen av projektet var starkt baserad på en nyligen utvecklad bearbetningsmetod, extrudering för alginatkompositer. Tyvärr gjordes inga tester med extrudering på grund av tekniska svårigheter med instrumentet. / The aim of this master project was to investigate the possibility to use bio-based, plasticized sodium alginate (NaAlg) as enzyme carrier. The alginates are traditionally made processable by adding various plasticizers, such as polyols (glycerol, sorbitol, etc.), in this work glycerol was used. The experimental aspect of the project involved the lab-scale preparation of samples, which encompassed compounding, hot pressing, potential treatment with a calcium bath immersion, and subsequent drying. The loss of chemicals during processing was quantified using Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The prepared processed samples were characterized by extraction experiments. In the first half of the project, the colorant loading of the samples was investigated for simplicity. Later the loaded compound was exchanged for enzymes. UV-Vis measurements were employed in both cases to characterize the samples effectively. The initially prepared plasticized sodium alginate samples were too sensitive and readily dissolved in water. Consequently, experiments were performed to improve the stability of the matrix to a sufficient level by ion exchange of sodium ions to calcium ions. This process significantly improved the water stability of the samples. From the results, it seems the release of the loaded compound can be controlled by the ion exchange treatment. Once enhanced water stability of the matrix was found, the effect of the plasticizer was investigated by changing the mixing ratio of glycerol. It was found that the level of glycerol in the sample is inversely proportional to the restrainability of the loaded compound. The enzyme loaded samples first were implemented by the use of lipase enzymes due to being readily available in the laboratory. Shortly, it was found that the assay to quantify lipase activity is performed in 2-methyl-2-butanol (2M2B), which did not cause any swelling in the samples as observed before. Therefore, the loaded enzyme was switched to Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP). It was found that HRP loaded samples possessed activity after processing. The water stabilized HRP loaded samples possessed measurable activity over four hours of exposure to the assay. In addition to enzymatic assay, the release profile of protein was also monitored using Bradford assay. It was seen that after an initial moderate release of the enzymes, the release leveled off and stopped after four hours. The results of the Bradford assay aligned with the enzymatic activity measurements. It should be noted, that the original formulation of the project was heavily based on arecently developed processing method, extrusion for alginate composites. Unfortunately,no tests were performed with extrusion due to technical difficulties with the instrument.

This diploma thesis deals with design of office building with warehouse. The buildings are situated on slightly sloping terrain in cadastre unit of Sudoměřice u Tábora. Both buildings have rectangular shape and are connected with two sides. The Alemat s.r.o. company is internet shop, predominately with electronics. In the office building is also showroom where are some products will be shown. The warehouse will serve for receipt and issue of goods and to store them. The perimeter walls of office building is designed from ceramic block thickness of 250mm, for example Heluz Family 25. The walls will be insulated with 200mm of expanded polystyrene. The foundation construction is designed as foundation strips from plain concrete and permanent formwork brick filled with concrete and reinforced with steel. The ceiling construction is designed as prestressed panels thickness of 250mm. The roof is flat with main hydro isolation made of plasticized PVC foil loaded with pea gravel. The main construction of warehouse will be made of steel frames. The exterior skin of the warehouse will form panels Kingspan thickness of 140mm. The foundation construction is designed as monolithic foundation pads. Between the pads will be monolith grade beams. The roof is designed also from Kingspan panels. To the panel will be mechanically fastened plasticized PVC foil. Roof drainage is designed to rain gutters.