Research Articles

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were isolated from Agave tequilana residues derived from ethanol production. Hemicelluloses and lignin extraction from agave bagasse was carried out via organosolv (ethanol/acetic) digestion followed by conventional sulfuric acid hydrolysis. The ethanol/acetic acid treatment resulted in cellulose yields of approximately 67% after lignin and ash removal. Compared to soda and sodium chlorite treatments with organosolv, the time and chemical load needed for delignification were remarkably reduced. The morphology of the cellulose fiber obtained in the three treatments was between 0.55 and 0.62 mm, with which CNC was obtained in the order of 83 to 195 nm in length. It is noteworthy that the longest cellulose fibers and nanocrystals were obtained from organosolv cellulose. The organosolv treatment led to a high purity cellulose, derived CNCs with a minimum energy consumption and mild chemical usage, and also considered the use of material streams associated with distillation processes. Thus, a viable alternative is suggested for the production of high quality CNC from widely available residual biomass that otherwise poses environmental and health-related risks.

This paper aimed to determine coniferous and non-coniferous sawnwood demand drivers and used historical data on their development as independent variables in the sawnwood demand models. The study presented a general form of ad hoc model that explained sawnwood consumption per capita as a function of a range of socio-economic factors. Based on the theory of demand, the most important factors were identified to enter the regression model including significant price and income variables. In the case of the non-coniferous sawnwood model, time lag variables were applied. The results of the estimated econometric models confirmed the presence of different explanatory variables for both types of sawnwood. While consumption per capita of both coniferous and non-coniferous sawnwood was determined by the activities of the construction sector, and demand appeared to be very elastic in relation to the number of completed dwellings, the price and substitution for other wood materials had a significant impact only on non-coniferous sawnwood.

Cellulose and hemicellulose make up roughly two-thirds of lignocellulose. Currently, research is mainly focused on converting them to different chemicals, which causes low utilization rates and high separation costs. In this work, the simultaneous conversion of C6 and C5 sugars from cellulose and hemicellulose to methyl lactate in near-critical methanol with 15 different types of metal chlorides was studied. The trends of the catalytic conversions of C6 and C5 sugars with different metal chlorides were similar. Methyl lactate yield initially increased and then decreased steadily with an increase in the pKa value of the metal ions, which suggested that medium Lewis acidity was favorable for the production of methyl lactate. A possible reaction mechanism was proposed. The results will provide direction for the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts for simultaneously converting cellulose and hemicellulose to methyl lactate.

A novel composite adsorbent was prepared by using cellulose acetate modified with zwitterion, for zwitterionic cellulose acetate (ZCA), then blended with graphene oxide (GO). The adsorbent was prepared by sol-gel method and used to remove Cu2+ and Cd2+ from aqueous solution. The morphologies, surface chemical structures, and crystallinity of the obtained adsorbents were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffractometer (XRD), respectively. N2 adsorption-desorption measurements revealed that the surface area and pore volume were 45.3 m2g-1 and 0.249 cm3g-1. For adsorption, effect of time, and pH, adsorbate concentration was investigated; different adsorption models were also evaluated. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity was 32.0 mg/g for Cu2+ and 27.6 mg/g for Cd2+, observed at pH 5.5 and 298 K. Simultaneously, the adsorption isotherms were well-fitted to the Langmuir model, and kinetics study showed that the adsorption process was fitted well by the pseudo-second-order model. Further regeneration experiments revealed that the adsorption of ZCA/GO was about 90% of the initial saturation adsorption capacity after repeated use 5 times, indicating that they are promising absorbents for practical application in industry.

The goal of this work was to develop a composite material, a membrane, based on polylactic acid (PLA) reinforced with cellulose microcrystalline (MCC). Membranes based on PLA were fabricated using electrospinning. The fabrication parameters, fiber morphology, and mechanical properties were analyzed. For fabrication, 12 mL of solution (12%, weight basis, of PLA in chloroform) was used and three different injector-collector distances and three voltages were employed. The fiber morphology was observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). To fabricate reinforced membranes using microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), an amount of 1.0%, 3.0%, and 5.0% of MCC, based on the polymer mass, was used. The MCC distribution was observed using SEM. The membranes were tested via tensile and tearing tests according to the corresponding ASTM D882-12 (2012) and ASTM D1938-14 (2014). It was observed that plain fibers tended to form, depending on the injector-collector distances. Additionally, microfiber porosity was observed, which was attributed to the solvent evaporation. Moreover, the addition of 1% of MCC was translated into an important increase of tensile strength, which in some cases reached a 476% increase; similar effects were observed in the tear test results.

Medical computed tomography (CT) has been used in forestry science and the wood industry to explore the internal structures of trees in a non-destructive way. The wood material has great diversity in structure, density, and size. The software system for medical CT is not applicable to analyze and process sectional images of wood. In order to solve this problem, a CT imaging system, based on the principle of X-ray fan-beam scanning, was constructed for this study. The computer tomography technique was applied in the non-destructive testing of wood. Four kinds of representative specimens—laminated wood, multi knot logs, large diameter logs, and small diameter logs—were selected as scanned objects. The sinusoidal images and sectional images were reconstructed with scanning data. The results showed that the accuracy of CT images is determined by the information in the sinusoidal images, from which the shapes and locations of cracks and knots can be identified. The internal properties of wood in some tomography, such as the size, number, and location of cracks and knots, the number of tree rings, and the growth law of early wood and late wood can be visually observed. Finally, the feasibility and validity of the CT imaging system was tested as a non-destructive method for verifying the internal structures of wood.

There has been great interest in developing cost-effective and high-performance catalysts for the ozonation treatment of biologically refractory wastewaters. This study developed a novel copper-cerium oxide supported alumina (Cu-Ce/Al2O3) catalyst for the catalytic ozonation of pulp and paper mill wastewater. The evenly distributed composite metal oxides on the surface of catalysts evidently improved the catalytic degradation efficiency. The Cu-Ce/Al2O3/O3 process increased the total organic carbon (TOC) removal by 6.5%, 9.5%, 24.5%, and 35.5%, compared with Ce/Al2O3/O3, Cu/Al2O3/O3, Al2O3/O3, and ozone alone processes, respectively. The enhanced catalytic ozonation efficiency was mainly ascribed to an increased hydroxyl radical (·OH)-mediated ozonation, both in the bulk solution and on the surface of catalysts. The surface hydroxyl groups (-OHs) of Al2O3 along with the deposited Cu-Ce oxides greatly enhanced the catalytic performance. This work illustrated potential applications of Cu-Ce/Al2O3 catalyzed ozonation for the advanced treatment of biologically recalcitrant wastewaters.

The use of biocarbon derived from renewable resources to substitute for petroleum-based carbonaceous materials in composites and other applications often requires size reduction. Biocarbon obtained by the pyrolysis of miscanthus was subjected to ball milling from 2 to 24 h. Particle analysis was performed by combining scanning electron microscope imaging and image-based particle counting. The milled biocarbon had a highly heterogeneous shape and size distribution, making image-based analysis the most suitable method. The average particle size was reduced from above 3 µm after 2 h of milling to below 1 µm after 24 h of milling. The specific surface area doubled from 148 m²/g to approximately 300 m²/g after 2 h of milling, but it did not change with longer milling. Ball milling caused a gradual decrease of the thermal conductivity from 0.137 to 0.116 W·m-1·K-1. The ash content increased from 8 to 17% after 24 h of milling. Polypropylene composites filled with the biocarbon with and without ball milling showed lower density and comparable mechanical properties to a talc-filled composite except for lower impact strength. Using ball milled biocarbon led to a steady increase of the impact strength with longer milling time, reaching values on a par with that of the talc composite.