Research Articles

Lipases are enzymes commonly used in industry. This study describes the production of lipolytic enzyme via a newly isolated strain of Aspergillus oryzae under a submerged fermentation process. Five strains of A. oryzae were isolated from oil-contaminated soil and water as well as dead decaying organic matter. Qualitative screening revealed that A. oryzae RBM4 strain was a lipase producer, and the process was optimized for enhanced production. Incubation time, incubation temperature, initial pH, use of agricultural by-products, nitrogen sources, and substrates were tested. The results revealed that initial pH 5.5(12.7 U/mL/min) in 72 h (19.39 U/mL/min) at 30 °C (27.40 U/mL/min) sorghum (35.66 U/mL/min), NaNO3 (17% more than blank), yeast extract (47.95 U/mL/min), and Shan ghee (58.12 U/mL/min) were the best conditions. Extracellular lipase production was increased up to 78% by applying all the above conditions.

There is controversy concerning the presence of xyloglucans in gelatinous (G) layers of Populus spp. tension wood, particularly in mature G-fibers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) immunogold localization combined with LM15 antibody (recognizes XXXG-motif of xyloglucans, heptasaccharide) was used to investigate the distribution of xyloglucan epitopes in both transverse and radial sections of P. tremula tension wood. Results provided clear evidence for the presence of xyloglucans in both mature and developing G-layers. Developmental decrease of LM15 epitope localization in G-layers was also detected during G-fiber maturation. High magnification TEM observations showed specific localization of LM15 epitopes on newly synthesized cellulose macrofibrils present in the innermost layer of developing G-layers adjacent to the cell lumen, suggesting linkage between xyloglucans and cellulose macrofibrils. Possible mechanisms were discussed for developmental changes of xyloglucan with respect to the different results reported in the literature.

The application of chitosan biopolymer with and without nanoparticles in the papermaking process was investigated. The effect of the chitosan’s molecular weight on its interaction with silica nanoparticles in recycled old corrugated container pulp was studied. Initially, the nanosilica particles were analyzed via atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, which confirmed the spherical shape of the silica nanoparticles with diameter less than 5 nm. Dynamic light scattering method was used to determine the zeta potential and the hydrodynamic radius of the chitosan with different molecular weights. Infrared spectroscopy was used to show the possibility of hydrogen bonding between the chitosan and the nanosilica. The results showed that the chitosan with low and medium molecular weights in alkaline and in some neutral suspensions had better process performances. Increasing the molecular weights of the chitosan improved the mechanical properties. The influence of chitosan on the process parameters was dependent on different factors such as its configuration in the aqueous media before and after adsorption, its ability to penetrate the fiber pores, and its charge density. In contrast, the effect of chitosan on the strength of paper was influenced by its performance following adsorption and retention within the fibrous mat.

Thermogravimetric combustion characteristics of ginkgo leaves (GK), pine needles (PN), corn straw (CS), aspen leaves (AS), and white poplar leaves (WP) were studied. Results showed that the combustion of selected samples consisted of at least two weight loss stages. Besides, characteristic temperatures lagged towards high temperature zones under high heating rate, which was considered as the effect of insufficient transfer of heat. The combustion of volatile compounds and char from PN and CS was isolated under high heating rate and consequently the exothermic rate around 300 °C was intensified and the exothermic rate over 400 °C was decreased, while the maximum heat release rates of GK, AS, and WP were transferred into high temperature zones with the increasing of heating rate. The average activation energy of PN and CS was high though their combustion completed at a lower temperature, which was possibly due to the low average energy of molecules in samples in low temperature environment. The aromaticity, degree of condensation, CH2/CH3, and structure parameters of oxygen-containing functional groups were calculated according to the peak areas derived from the convolution of FTIR spectra. These parameters explained the discrepancy in both reactivity and exothermic behaviors of biomass samples during combustion.

The strength performance of edge connections between the cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels, as currently applied to CLT construction, was compared to that of connections reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) by means of a tensile-type shearing test. In this study, the reinforced half-lapped connection is intended to prevent CLT from coming apart due to failure of self-tapping screws (STS) by bonding GFRP sheets to connections between CLT panels. The end-distance and edge-distance of this reinforced half-lapped connection were designed to equal 5D (where D is the fastener diameter) and 4D, respectively, which is shorter than the 6D recommended by European Technical Approval (ETA). Nevertheless, the yield strength was increased by 7%, and the stiffness by 92%, compared to the non-reinforced half-lapped connection. In addition, the internal spline connections using GFRP-reinforced plywood were 57 and 36% higher than the connection made up of LVB or plywood, respectively, and the energy dissipation percentages were 400 and 76%, respectively. These results indicate that the reinforcement effect of the connection by the GFRP was very significant. On the other hand, the half-lapped connection of the larch CLT improved the strength performance as the end-distance increased, and the end-distance had a greater effect on the strength performance than the edge-distance.

It is important to remove excessive concentrations of boric acid from water because it can lead to environmental problems. However, current adsorbents are limited in separating boric acid from water due to their low desorption capability and poor selectivity for boric acid. In this study, the authors developed a functional cellulosic paper via crosslinking cellulose and tannic acid with chitosan to efficiently and reversibly remove boric acid from water. The adsorption capacity reached 769 mg/m2 according to the Langmuir model. The corresponding desorption rate of the chitosan/tannic acid-modified paper exceeded 80% in the whole flow rate region ranging from 15 to 250 mL/h. The reversible adsorption and desorption of boric acid were attributed to the formation and dissociation of the borate bond between the tannic acid and boric acid, respectively, at different pH values. This study improved the selectivity, batch adsorption, expensive carriers, and desorption difficulties of existing boric acid adsorption materials. This approach offers a new way to design highly efficient adsorption/desorption materials by constructing reversible chemical bonds for removal of other pollutants.

Glue laminated timber is currently manufactured using classical adhesives such as resorcinol formaldehyde and phenol resorcinol formaldehyde. These are proven structural adhesives; however their long cure times and rising costs are creating opportunities for newer technology adhesives. One such class are the structural polyurethanes with decreased spread rates and faster curing times. Their limitation lies in their inability to adhere timbers of densities exceeding 800 kg/m3. When used on species including the southern pines (Pinus spp.) with a high frequency of latewood, they delaminate after accelerated weathering tests due to stresses imposed on the glue line during the drying process. Surface incision has been trialed in this study to increase the penetration of polyurethane adhesives and reduce glue line stresses. The study shows that incisions to a depth of 2 mm decreases delamination when compared to matched samples with no incisions. The significant increase in glue line surface area may result in stress reduction as the more compliant adhesive may distribute the stresses better across the glue line. Furthermore, microscopic analysis suggests that the incisions are reducing glue line stress through crack propagation into the timber pointing to the possibility of increased timber compliance at the glue line.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were fabricated using rubber wood (RW) as the raw material via acid hydrolysis followed by ultrasonication. The CNCs samples were then grafted with succinic anhydride to obtain modified CNCs, hereafter called CS. The CS samples were subsequently coated with a cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, and the obtained samples were named as CC. The morphology, chemical structure, and thermal stability of the RW, CNCs, CS, and CC samples were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. Finally, the drug release performance was investigated using CC as the drug carrier and hesperidin, a hydrophobic drug, as the model drug. The drug release mechanism was also considered. The results of this study identified a new route for the high-value utilization of RW and also demonstrated that RW could be used as a novel substrate for the construction of cellulose-based hydrophobic drug delivery systems.

High fertilizer inputs augment the reactive nitrogen level in soil, air, and water. Unused reactive nitrogen acts as a pollutant and harms natural resources. This study focused on the thermal processing of corn starch into a coating material using disodium tetraborate and urea. The processed corn starch was coated over granular urea in a vertical bed coating reactor. The chemically modified starch, when compared with native starch, exhibited better stability and mechanical strength over time. The modified starch looked like a weak gel, and its loss modulus was dominated by the storage modulus. However, for native starch, the viscous component dominated the elastic component, especially at lower angular frequencies. The nitrogen release from the coated urea was remarkably slower than the uncoated one. A small difference in the peak and final starch viscosities in the presence of urea and borate revealed low thermal cracking of the starch molecules. The surface of the granular urea that was coated with chemically modified corn starch was uniform, dense, hard, and least porous. The uncoated urea granules became released into water in 6 min under gentle shaking, whereas the coated urea took almost 32 min to completely release.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a bio-based building material that enables rapid construction and buildings with low embodied energy. Despite its comparative maturity in European markets, relatively little information regarding process design and economics for the manufacture of cross-laminated timber is available in the literature. Two techno-economic analyses were conducted to quantify the mill-gate cost of cross-laminated timber. The cross-laminated timber manufacturing process was described, and costs were analyzed for two facility scales. Cross-laminated timber produced at the large-scale facility using lumber priced at an average value for the northwest United States has a minimum selling price of $536/m3. Sensitivity analyses were used to define the impact of plant size, asset utilization, lumber price, plant capital cost, material waste, and other variables on minimum selling price. The cost of cross laminated timber rises quickly when a facility is not fully utilized. The second-ranking cost controlling variable is lumber price, while energy prices have minimal influence. The price of cross laminated timber can be optimized by locating a facility near low-cost lumber. The lowest-price region analyzed was the southeast United States using Southern Pine, which reduced the cost of cross laminated timber to $518/m3.