Volume 11 Issue 2

The use of large cross-section timber for structural purposes has increased in Spain, and knowledge of its properties is strategically necessary. The Spanish visual strength-grading standard UNE 56544 (2011) efficiency applied to large cross-section structural timber was analyzed using a sample of 363 specimens of radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don.) from the Basque Country and Catalonia, Spain. Different sizes were tested (80 × 120 × 2400 mm3, 150 × 250 × 5600 mm3, 150 × 250 × 4300 mm3, and 200 × 250 × 5000 mm3). Bending strength, modulus of elasticity, and density were obtained, and characteristic values were determined in order to assign strength class according to European standard EN 338 (2010). Knots and twists were the most relevant singularities for visual strength grading. It was concluded that large cross-section Spanish radiata pine timber was suitable for structures, and it was assigned to the C20 strength class.

Pinus pinaster wood was pulped in ethanol/water medium catalyzed with sulfuric acid, and lignin was recovered from the liquid phase by precipitation upon water addition. Lignin samples were characterized for composition and thermal properties. Lignin samples were reacted with selected esterification agents (butyric, isobutyric, or crotonic anhydrides) under experimental conditions leading to extensive conversion of the available hydroxyl groups, and the esterified lignins were assessed for composition and thermal properties. Samples made up of crude polylactic acid or its blends with lignins (raw or esterified) were assayed for mechanical properties. The blends of polylactic acid with lignin modified with butyric anhydride presented higher Young’s modulus and elongation at break than neat polylactic acid.

Cationic rosin has many uses in papermaking; however, its performance as an internal sizing agent differs depending on the circumstance, especially in the recycling of pulps. In this study, a comprehensive laboratory approach was used to investigate the process variables affecting the cationic rosin application in the paper recycling process. In this respect, four levels of alum (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%) and four levels of cationic rosin (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%) were considered to find the best alum/cationic rosin combination in acidic conditions (pH 5). After considering all aspects of the paper, such as the mechanical properties (tensile, burst, and tear indices), wet resistance (Cobb test and dynamic contact angle test), and chemical usage (economically and environmentally-friendly procedures), the 1.0% alum and 0.5% cationic rosin levels were selected for optimum performance. This research also showed that the combined effect of alum with cationic rosin was favorable. Moreover, the sequence of alum and cationic rosin addition, which is a challenge in paper mills, also should be considered. The results indicated that the addition of cationic rosin after alum obtained the best mechanical and wet resistance results. In addition, the results showed that both acidic and neutral pH were acceptable in this sizing process.

This study shows that the mechanical properties of steam-pressed scrim lumber (SPSL) are sufficient for use in many commercial wood products and pass APA certification values. Values are greater than many of the commercial products on the market today. This study indicates that adding borates and/or silane-based water repellents before pressing combined with a silane-based water repellent after pressing is effective for producing durable SPSL material.

Marine angiosperms could inevitably offer considerable potential resources for their fiber, yet little research has been conducted, especially in Malaysia. Fiber characteristics of five species of seagrass – Enhalus acoroides, Cymodocea serrulata, Thalassia hemprichii, Halophila ovalis, and Halophila spinulosa – were evaluated. Fiber dimensions were studied to determine slenderness ratio, flexibility coefficient, Runkel’s ratio, and Luce’s shape factor species selection. The seagrass species have the potential in papermaking production as they possessed slenderness ratio >33 (98.12 to 154.08) and high Luce’s shape factor (0.77 to 0.83); however the species exhibited low flexibility coefficient <50 (30.07 to 35.18) and >1 Runkel’s ratio (1.11 to 1.60), which indicate rigid fiber. The five seagrass species have high cellulose >34% (40.30 to 77.18%) and low lignin content <15% (5.02 to 11.20%), which are similar to those encountered in non-wood plant species. Handmade paper sheet of Enhalus acoroides using pulp subjected to mechanical blending exhibited the highest tensile strength (4.16 kN/m) compared to hand-beaten pulp (3.46 kN/m). The highest breaking length (3.43 km) was achieved by a paper sheet of Thalassia hemprichii using hand-beaten pulp. Based on their physical and chemical composition properties, seagrass have potential as sources of fibrous material for handmade papermaking.

A potentially more environmentally compatible approach was evaluated, involving the use of an enzyme (X) stage optimally inserted into various bleaching sequences for Eucalyptus kraft pulps. The efficacy of the X stage was evaluated in terms of final brightness, CIE whiteness, post-color number (brightness reversion), effluent characteristics, etc. The results showed considerable benefits with an enzymatic pre-treatment bleaching sequence for improved final pulp brightness (1.6 units higher) and reduced adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) (32% lower), in addition to improved biological oxygen demand (BOD) to chemical oxygen demand (COD) ratio, when using 0.5 kg/t pulp dosage of xylanase; enzymatic post-treatment bleaching sequences were observed to boost final CIE whiteness up to 3.4 units and to reduce post color number by 48% at 0.5 kg/t pulp dosage of xylanase. In addition, approximately 32% reductions in AOX released, as well as appreciable improvement in BOD-to-COD ratio, were observed in the bleach effluents. An improved ratio of BOD-to-COD facilitates possible enhancement in the bio-degradability of discharge effluents in a secondary treatment stage. Nine different bleaching sequences were compared. Three sequences for each category (pre-treatment, intermediate, and post-treatment bleaching sequences) were performed to provide an overview of the influence of xylanase treatment on various pulp properties and environmental sum parameters of the ensuing effluents.

Nutrients were extracted from corn stalks, peanut shells, de-oiled peanut meal, chicken manure, and sewage sludge by a subcritical water (SCW) hydrolysis reaction. Compared with the other feedstock, the aqueous phases extracted from de-oiled peanut meal showed the highest water-soluble organic carbon, amino acid, total nitrogen, and phosphorus contents. The effects of solution pH, final hydrothermal temperature, and reaction time on nutrient extraction from de-oiled peanut meal were investigated. The analysis showed that alkaline reagents promoted liquefaction. The highest yield of the total primary nutrients (82.6%) was obtained with extraction reaction at 180 °C for 1.5 h using 0.1 mol/L KOH. The liquid fraction from this reaction was investigated for its potential use as a fertilizer with germination experiments. A higher germination index and root activity were obtained using the liquid extract with the appropriate dilution. These results indicated that subcritical water hydrothermal treatment is a viable way to recover nutrients from biomass wastes. In addition, de-oiled peanut meal is a suitable feedstock for the production of nutrient-rich liquid extract.

Effects of nutritional and physicochemical factors were investigated for cellulase production by the newly isolated thermophilic strain Bacillus licheniformis 2D55 (Accession No. KT799651). The optimum cellulase production in shake flask fermentation was attained at 60 °C, pH 3.5, 180 rpm, and in a medium containing untreated sugarcane bagasse and pre-treated rice husk at 7% (w/v), urea, 1 g/L, peptone, 11.0 g/L, Mg(SO4)2, 0.40 g/L, CaCl2, 0.03 g/L, Tween 80, 0.2% (w/v), and 3% inoculum. The highest caboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase), filtre paperase (FPase), and β-glucosidase produced under the optimized conditions were 29.4 U/mL, 12.9 U/mL, and 0.06 U/mL, respectively, after 18 h of fermentation. Optimization of the parameters increased the CMCase, FPase, and β-glucosidase activities by 77.4-fold, 44.5-fold, and 10-fold, respectively. The crude enzyme was highly active and stable over broad temperature (50 to 80 °C) and pH (3.5 to 10.0) ranges with optimum temperature at 65 °C and 80 ºC for CMCase and FPase, respectively. The optimum pH for CMCase and FPase was 7.5 and 6.0, respectively. Saccharification of sugar cane bagasse and rice husk by crude cellulase resulted in perspective yields of 0.348 and 0.301 g g-1 dry substrate of reducing sugars. These results suggest prospects of thermostable cellulase from B. licheniformis 2D55 in application for bio-sugar production and other industrial bioprocess applications involving high temperatures.

Drying time reduction has always been a major concern in the drying process and is achievable by increasing the temperature of the surrounding air. To optimize the quality of the resulting material, drying conditions must be enhanced to reach a balanced correlation between the drying time and quality of the dried timber. This paper analyses the high-temperature drying of wood and the optimization of this process, as well as the effect that drying temperature and thickness of beech timber specimens has on the drying process. The high-temperature drying of beech wood was carried out by means of hot air in a laboratory drier for maximum 33 hours at maximum temperatures of 130 and 150 °C. The initial moisture content of samples was approximately 70%. The resulting drying times were short in comparison to conventional warm-air drying, which is caused by the high intensity of drying during the removal of bound water. Finally, it can be concluded that the thickness of the dried specimens is a significant factor in the process of high-temperature drying of beech wood.

A series of choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents (ChCl-DESs) were synthesized and characterized, and their performance in the dissolution of cellulose was investigated. The hydrogen-bond donors significantly (β-value) affected the properties of ChCl-DESs, causing differentiated dissolution performances. ChCl- imidazole (Im) showed the highest Hammett acidity function (1.869), hydrogen bond basicity (0.864), and dipolarity/polarizability effect (0.382) among the ChCl-DESs. The ChCl-Im showed the lowest pseudo-activation energy for viscous flow (31.76 kJ mol-1) among the ChCl-DESs. The properties of ChCl-Im caused the highest solubility of cellulose (2.48 wt.%) relative to the other ChCl-DESs. Polyethylene glycol (PEG), as a co-solvent, significantly (β-value) enhanced the accessibility of ChCl-Im to cellulose by breaking the supramolecular structure of cellulose, promoting its dissolution. The decrystallization of ChCl-Im-coupled PEG approximately doubled the dissolving capabilities, and the solubility increased by more than 80% in comparison with only ChCl-Im. The cellulose was directly dissolved by ChCl-Im-coupled PEG, and no other derivatives were produced.