Volume 18 Issue 3

The forest sector plays an important role in sustainable development for market and nonmarket goods and services. Investors and policy makers are increasingly seeking to rely on forests to provide both commercial forest products and nature-based solutions that will meet consumer demands and contribute to bioenergy, climate change amelioration, and biodiversity. To meet the expectations of climate and energy policies, forecasts estimate that more than US$70 billion of investments are needed annually by 2050. To achieve this level of investments, these increasing demands for investments in forests must be based on scientific research, reliable data, and credible business applications. In the era of information overload, access to peer-reviewed open-access journals has never been more critical than it is now. We summarize the role of our new Journal of Forest Business Research in providing improved applied research for practitioners seeking to achieve better outcomes relative to investment, finance, and economic goals for sustainable development.

While paper as a medium of information is declining in demand, paper as a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging is gaining interest. In light of these changes, the paper industry is seeking new growth by developing highly-functional paper material that can replace plastics. To this end, the industry needs to develop paper with high-barrier and strength properties, as well as technologies that can improve recyclability of such material. Beyond paper, the industry is also developing novel wood-based chemicals that can replace traditional fossil-fuel derivatives. For these to become commercially viable, the industry needs to focus on achieving cost-competitiveness. Finally to reinforce these two initiatives, the government needs to engage in active dialogues with the industry leaders and provide related R&D support.

Paper, which is in fact a very complex cellulose-based product derived from different lignocellulosic resources, is usually regarded as a simple omnipresent commodity in our lives. Wood fibers derived from trees are the most employed sources for papermaking purposes. From an environmental protection perspective, and for their essential role in our life (they give us the life itself through their foliar system supporting the photosynthesis process), trees should not be extensively cut down and they should be used less and less for papermaking. Thus, employment of non-woody alternative sources for papermaking could be exploited more as an attractive and feasible option.

The extensive application of petroleum-based plastics has caused serious environmental pollution and ecological problems. Now, governments in the world are urgently aiming to develop biodegradable and renewable plastic alternatives. Agricultural waste, being widely available and affordable, may provide a resource of natural polymers to replace those from fossil sources for material manufacturing. However, there are still some non-negligible issues needing more attention. Herein, we briefly discuss the issues and challenges in the conversion of agricultural waste into bioplastics to provide a possible way for its further utilization.

This opinion piece focuses on the topic of preserving library books that are facing the problem of aging, and it delves into the importance of preserving such books and the challenges faced in doing so. The strategies adopted for preservation are discussed, and some questions are posed that need to be answered in the area of preservation of library books. This work may serve as a useful guide for librarians and others concerned with the preservation of books, providing insights into the best practices, challenges, and strategies for maintaining library books for posterity. Indeed, the preservation of library books is crucial for ensuring the continued accessibility and availability of knowledge and information for future generations.

Fire hazard is a constant risk in everyday life with the use of combustibles such as polymeric materials, wood, and fabrics, to name a few. Halogenated compounds have been widely used as efficient flame-retardants, often being applied as coatings or impregnations. With growing environmental concerns and regional bans on the use of halogenated flame-retardant compounds, bio-based alternatives are garnering significant research interest. Naturally occurring materials such as eggshells, DNA, and certain proteins have developed a self-defense mechanism against fire over millions of years of evolution. Cork, a naturally occurring biological tissue in outer bark, is of interest as it is often used as a heat shield and moisture repellent, specifically in spacecraft. A deeper look into the chemical structure of cork indicates the presence of suberin, a bio-polyester group that makes up as much as 40% of its chemical composition. These bio-polyester groups play a key role as a protective barrier between the plant and the surrounding external environment. Thus, the role of suberin in plants could be mimicked for the design of biobased flame-retardant materials.

Numerous efforts have been made to mitigate the negative impacts of the production of construction materials on the environment. A reduction in the usage of virgin raw materials and the utilization of the waste materials or the biobased materials are examples of these efforts. However, a potential threat to the environment persists. Bacterial nanocellulose shows promise as a further way to produce environment-friendly construction materials.

The development of biomass (e.g., lignin, cellulose or vegetable oil)-based reversibly dynamic covalent cross-linked elastomer vitrimer materials is a novel approach to address issues related to the recycling of waste cross-linked elastomer material. The primary questions discussed are about how to design chemically recycled biomass-derived cross-linked elastomer vitrimer materials, what are the potential challenges in sustainable manufacturing of cross-linked renewable resources derived elastomer vitrimer materials, and what are their potential advanced applications under extreme environmental conditions, such as extreme low or high temperature and irradiated environments.

A LiFePO₄ battery is the best device for energy storage. Batteries are currently being developed for higher capacity using novel materials. Carbon is one material that can be used to improve the properties of LiFePO₄ batteries. The chitin produced from shrimp shell is a viable material that can be transformed into organic carbon. The chitin is revealed to be an element of 36.6 wt% carbon (C). Carbon is formed of small crystallites comprising electrode composite with a uniform carbon coating that can improve the electrochemical activation for LiFePO₄/C composites. When the electrochemical reaction was operated at 1.2 V, the flow rate was increased 80%. The average charge-discharge capacities were 100 and -100 mAh/g, respectively, while the average energy density over a period of 20 cycles was 336 Wh/kg (maximum ~350 Wh/kg). Therefore, organic carbon can be used to remarkably improve the properties of LiFePO₄ batteries with low-cost materials.

The carbonization of five Malaysian bamboo species, namely Bambusa vulgaris, Dendrocalamus asper, Gigantochloa hasskarliana, Gigantochloa levis, and Schizostachyum brachycladum, was conducted to investigate the charcoal properties and compare the quality of bamboo charcoal produced based on proximate analysis. Carbonization at 750 °C using a modified Iwasaki steel drum kiln was successful for all bamboo species. Bamboo morphological features varied and basic density increased with culm height. A charcoal yield of more than 30% was recorded in all bamboo species except for B. vulgaris and D. asper. Charcoals made from D. asper and G. hasskarliana could serve as the alternative raw material for charcoal production in charcoal industries due to their low moisture, low volatile matter, low ash, and high fixed carbon content. All species had a mean gross calorific value between 24.4 and 29.2 MJ/kg. Among different culm sections, the bottom section produced the best quality charcoal. The charcoal quality from all species was of acceptable quality for domestic use.