Volume 19 Issue 4

The resistance of epoxy composite modified with nanocellulose and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) to decay by white rot (Trametes versicolor) and brown rot (Coniophora puteana) fungi was investigated using EN 113 (1996) as the guideline. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of TEOS as a cross-linked agent in epoxy/nanocellulose composite, and its resistance against white rot and brown rot fungi. The epoxy resin was mixed with 10 wt% nanocellulose. The other three sets were prepared the same, but with the addition of 1%, 2%, and 3% TEOS for each set. All types of epoxy composites were air dried in a mold at ambient temperature for seven days followed by oven drying at 80 °C for 30 min. The composites were oven dried at 103 °C, sterilized, and exposed to the fungi at 22 °C for 16 weeks. It was found that the use of 1% to 3% TEOS in the composite reduced the percent weight loss following decay by T. versicolor, but not in the case of C. puteana. Overall, all types of the composite in this study were classified as highly durable and durable against the T. versicolor and C. puteana respectively. The surface and structure of all types of composites were still intact after 16 weeks of exposure period.

For sustainable use of lignocellulosic resources, pruned tree branches of cocoa, one of the major evergreen tropical tree crops with significant economic importance worldwide, were investigated as a potential source of kraft pulp. This study determined the chemical composition, fiber dimensions, kraft pulp, and paper properties of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao L.) branches compared to the deciduous trees traditionally used in the paper industry. A handsheet of cocoa pulp showed promising results with narrow fiber length distribution, high paper density, and high mechanical strength. The yield of kraft pulp made from cocoa branches wood was lower. The tensile and burst indices of cocoa pulp handsheet were 2 and 2.5 times higher than that of hardwood traditionally used in the paper industry. These results suggest a potential use of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) tree branch wood for pulp production using the kraft process.

The performance of a wood wall connected by wood nails and twist nails was tested. It was found that during the monotonic load testing, the wood nails connected to the shear panel and stud at the column bottom broke when the deformation reached 12.1 mm. However, the primary failure mode was that the twist nails bent and the head cap became dented in the shear panel. For reciprocating loads, it was found that the wood nails experienced local fracture on the tensile side. The skeleton curve of the wood wall connected by twist nails showed a good trend of bearing capacity changes in both tension and compression sides. Based on the properties of the standard wood wall, a new T-shaped fastener was designed for the midply wood wall. The lateral performance of the reinforced standard wood shear wall and midply wood shear wall were tested. By adding T-shaped pull-up fasteners, sandwich wall structure and double row nails, the strength, stiffness, and ductility of the midply wood wall were substantially better than those of standard walls connected with twist nails using conventional pull-up fasteners.

A crude hexane extract of seed kernel was processed into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) using methanolic-sulfuric acid. Herbal mixtures (seed extracts of A. squamosa and essential oils of Cymbopogon nardus (citronella) and Pelargonium graveolens (geranium)) were evaluated against root knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp). The mortality of J2s of M. incognita in hexane and methanol extracts (AHE+AME) of A. squamosa with geranium oil (GO) ranged from 50.75-89.75% to 71.50-99.00% at 31.25 to 1000 μgmL^-1 in 24 to 96 hours. The number of galls after CO+AHE+AME treatment was 4.0 ± 0.0 and 5.67 ± 0.58 galls/seedling and were recorded at 1000 and 500 μgmL^-1 treatments on 30 days after inoculation, compared to carbofuran (3.0 ± 0.0 and 4.3 ± 0.6 galls/seedling) at 1000 and 500 μgmL^-1 and velum prime (3.6 ± 0.6 and 4.6 ± 0.6 galls/seedling) at 1000 and 500 μgmL^-1. The maximum shoot length of brinjal seedlings was recorded in CO+AHE+AME treatment compared to carbofuran (47.3 ± 0.6cm) and velum prime (48.7 ± 0.6 cm) at 1000 μg mL^-1 in soil drenching application. Methanol and hexane extracts (AHE+AME) obtained from Annona squamosa seeds were investigated for their nematicidal properties. M. graminicola in direct-seeded rice at the nursery level and M. incognita in brinjal (eggplant) were controlled for up to sixty days when treated with these mixtures.

An advanced flexible programming methodology for CNC woodworking machines was developed. As the research starting base, a three-axis CNC woodworking machine was used. The developed methodology is proposed for programming, simulation, postprocessing, and machining by woodworking machine. This flexible programming method integrates the standard programming based on CAD, CAD/CAM systems, and STEP-NC protocol through different output files, enabling data interoperability during the realization of the machining tasks. The control system for the machine is configured based on the open-architecture software LinuxCNC to verify the flexible programming method and the results obtained. Programming verification was realized by simulation on a configured virtual machine in different programming environments and finally on a virtual machine integrated with the control system. The results obtained from the study were evaluated comparatively.

This study examined the mechanical characteristics of 3D printed concrete utilized in sculpture materials, with an emphasis on the incorporation of wood fibers. A series of experiments were conducted to probe into the wood fiber-reinforced 3D printed concrete sculpture materials. Through mechanical and microscopic examinations, the role of flexible fibers in enhancing the bearing capacity of concrete 3D printed components was investigated. The results indicated that an optimal amount of wood fiber addition significantly improved the mechanical properties of the concrete sculpture materials. At the interlayer interface, wood fibers exhibited elongation, thereby mitigating the specimen damage. However, beyond a certain threshold, the mechanical properties tended to decline due to either the agglomeration or direct dislodgment of wood fibers at the interlayer interface, which resulted in an absence of notable deformation. This scenario thereby failed to impede crack propagation. Hydrophobic performance assays revealed an elevation in surface hydrophobicity of 3D printed concrete sculpture materials with the inclusion of wood fibers. Yet, an excessive amount of wood fibers caused a gradual reduction in the contact angle, implying a decrease in the hydrophobicity of the material surface.

Prior work on computer-vision wood identification (CVWID) for North American hardwoods yielded two independent deep learning models – a  22-class model for diffuse-porous woods and a 17-class model for ring-porous woods – but did not address semi-ring-porous woods nor provide a CVWID solution for an unknown specimen without a human first determining which model to deploy. As untrained human operators would lack the anatomical proficiency to differentiate among porosity domains, it is necessary to develop a consolidated model that can identify diffuse-, ring-, and semi-ring-porous woods. Previous research suggests that prediction accuracy might decrease as class number grows. A potential strategy to reduce the number of classes a CVWID system must consider at a time is to hierarchically deploy a cascade of models. In pursuit of a unified model that can cover North American hardwoods of all porosity types, this study compared the accuracies of a consolidated 39-class (ring- + diffuse-porous) model and a consolidated 42-class (ring- + diffuse- + semi-ring-porous) model with a two-tiered, cascading model scheme whereby images are first differentiated into three porosity domain classes and then again into only those taxonomic classes with that porosity. The results showed that the cascading model scheme can mitigate the accuracy reductions incurred by the 42-class model and nearly eliminate the occurrence of cross-domain misidentifications.

Fungal infection in agricultural grains is a global problem, particularly if it is accompanied by mycotoxin production. In this study, the degradation of mycotoxins by laccase and manganese peroxidase was investigated. Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Fusarium graminearum were recorded in infected maize grains. Aflatoxin B1 (AF B1) was detected (from 3.38 to 2.60 ppm) on the infected samples by fungi compared to other detected aflatoxins. Trichothecene (T-2) toxin and deoxynivalenol (DON) were recorded with concentrations ranging from 0.464 to 0.184 ppm and 0.370 to 0.214 ppm, respectively. The addition of laccase and manganese peroxidase to the inoculated medium with A. flavus and F. graminearum individually degraded the produced AF B1, B2, G1, G2, T-2 toxin, and DON from 5.0, 1.33, 0.76, 0.61, 0.63, and 0.38 ppm to 2.77, 0.66, 0.37, 0.15, 0.45, and 0.38 ppm using laccase, to 3.08, 1.25, 0.61, 0.39, 0.55, and 0.36 ppm using manganese peroxidase. The computational technique (docking) demonstrated the laccase and manganese peroxidase activities on aflatoxin and DON degradation. Consequently, the results suggested that laccase (PDB ID: 1HFU) and manganese peroxidase (PDB ID: 1MNP) promise innovative activity toward aflatoxin degradation, while 1HFU has more effect than 1MNP on DON degradation.

The global spread of invasive plants is an important environmental problem and a real threat to biological diversity, with significant impacts on agriculture, forestry, and human and animal health. Invasive plant eradication produces large amounts of plant biomass, which should be safely utilized. The study reviews possibilities for using biomass of invasive plant species in the bioeconomy to safely convert them to items of value. Invasive plant biomass can be used as fuel or for energy production applying either biochemical or thermochemical processing technologies. The biomass of invasive plants also can be used for energy production or isolation of biologically active components. Invasive plants contain many groups of substances providing their defense potential against predators; these substances participate in metabolic regulation processes and others. Amongst the substances of interest for bioeconomy are lipids, polyphenols, alkaloids, carbohydrates, plant fibers, and essential oils. In the development of invasive plant biomass utilization strategies, the bio-based value pyramid and the waste hierarchy should be considered. Scientific sound strategies of invasive plant management will limit their spread and provide economic benefits via their eradication.

The use of decorative wood veneers in contemporary design is increasingly emphasized as society becomes more aware of quality of life and environmental protection. This article explores in detail four key aspects of decorative wood veneers as a contemporary design medium: visual perceptual elements, multisensory interaction, sustainability and environmental impact, and technology and innovation. Through its unique aesthetic attributes and multisensory experience, decorative wood veneers enhance the aesthetics and user experience of interior design, respond to the global trend of sustainability, and promote innovation and environmental responsibility in the design industry through the use of environmentally friendly materials and advanced technologies. This article aims to provide insights for designers, researchers and related industries to stimulate further exploration of the application of decorative wood veneers in design innovation.