Valorization of seaweed residue and agricultural side streams for molded biocomposite production: sequential RSM optimization of formulation and hot pressing
- 1Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering 01 Vo Van Ngan Street, Thu Duc District Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam
Abstract
Seaweed residue after agar extraction is an underutilized secondary biomass with limited self-bonding ability, which restricts its direct use in molded biocomposites. In this study, seaweed residue was combined with rejected corn kernel flour, rejected cassava root flour, polyvinyl alcohol as binder, and glycerol as plasticizer to produce a molded biocomposite by hot pressing. Response surface methodology (central composite design) was applied in two sequential stages to optimize material formulation and hot-pressing conditions, using thickness, density, hardness (defined as peak bending load), and flexibility (defined as deflection at peak load) as responses. The optimum formulation was identified at 0.59 g rejected corn kernel flour and 0.38 g rejected cassava root flour per g seaweed residue, and 6% polyvinyl alcohol, while the optimum hot-pressing condition was 95 °C, 2.7 min, and 187 N. Polyvinyl alcohol, although present at only 3–6%, was the only formulation variable with a significant effect on all four responses, and a control mixture without polyvinyl alcohol, tested at one fixed formulation, could not be consolidated. Verification experiments agreed with predictions within 5% for thickness, hardness, and flexibility (about 8.7% for density). A glycerol level of 0.2 mL g−1 maintained the highest peak bending load, whereas 0.4 mL g−1 caused pronounced softening. The optimized composite had a moisture content of 9.8%, a 5 min surface water uptake of 4.7%, and 65% weight loss after 28 days in a preliminary soil-burial test.
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BibTeX
@article{hoang2026valorization,
title = {{Valorization of seaweed residue and agricultural side streams for molded biocomposite production: sequential RSM optimization of formulation and hot pressing}},
author = {Nhung Thi-Tuyet Hoang and Anh Thi-Kim Tran and Duy-Dat Nguyen},
journal = {RSC Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra03696a},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra03696a},
note = {CC BY-NC 3.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Valorization of seaweed residue and agricultural side streams for molded biocomposite production: sequential RSM optimization of formulation and hot pressing
AU - Nhung Thi-Tuyet Hoang
AU - Anh Thi-Kim Tran
AU - Duy-Dat Nguyen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - RSC Advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra03696a
UR - https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ra03696a
AB - Seaweed residue after agar extraction is an underutilized secondary biomass with limited self-bonding ability, which restricts its direct use in molded biocomposites. In this study, seaweed residue was combined with rejected corn kernel flour, rejected cassava root flour, polyvinyl alcohol as binder, and glycerol as plasticizer to produce a molded biocomposite by hot pressing. Response surface methodology (central composite design) was applied in two sequential stages to optimize material formulation and hot-pressing conditions, using thickness, density, hardness (defined as peak bending load), and flexibility (defined as deflection at peak load) as responses. The optimum formulation was identified at 0.59 g rejected corn kernel flour and 0.38 g rejected cassava root flour per g seaweed residue, and 6% polyvinyl alcohol, while the optimum hot-pressing condition was 95 °C, 2.7 min, and 187 N. Polyvinyl alcohol, although present at only 3–6%, was the only formulation variable with a significant effect on all four responses, and a control mixture without polyvinyl alcohol, tested at one fixed formulation, could not be consolidated. Verification experiments agreed with predictions within 5% for thickness, hardness, and flexibility (about 8.7% for density). A glycerol level of 0.2 mL g−1 maintained the highest peak bending load, whereas 0.4 mL g−1 caused pronounced softening. The optimized composite had a moisture content of 9.8%, a 5 min surface water uptake of 4.7%, and 65% weight loss after 28 days in a preliminary soil-burial test.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -