Volume 2 Issue 3

Although this journal mainly considers the study of cellulosic materials as sources of structural wood, fibers, chemicals, energy, and products such as paper, it would be short-sighted to view all trees as existing in order to meet such needs. An individual tree may have multiple roles, from a human perspective. The point of this essay is that different groups of trees ought to be managed in one of four ways – as crops, as natural habitat, as an awe-inspiring heritage, as in the case of national parks, and as dear friends in our yards and along our boulevards.

In NaHSO3-solutions of coniferaldehyde and its methyl ether (models for lignin chromophores of the cinnamaldehyde type) a dynamic equilibrium between the aldehydes and their hydrogen sulfite adducts is set up. A comparatively slow addition of hydrogen sulfite to the double bond leading to 1,3-disulfonic acid derivatives occurs; coniferaldehyde reacts slower than its methyl ether. In Na2SO3-solution both aldehydes are rapidly converted to 1,3-disulfonic acid derivatives. The results suggest that in both NaHSO3-solution and Na2SO3-solution the free cinnamaldehydes and sulfite ion are the reactants in the formation of disulfonic acid derivatives. Alkaline treatment of the 1,3-disulfonic acids leads to regeneration of the cinnamaldehydes. On prolonged storage in Na2SO3-solution, the 1,3-disulfonic acid derivative of the methyl ether of coniferaldehyde undergoes reactions leading to colored products and regeneration of the cinnamaldehyde on alkaline treatment fails. A model compound representative of lignin chromophores of enone type (trans-3,3’,4,4’-tetramethoxychalcone) rapidly undergoes addition to the double bond with formation of a sulfonic acid derivative in Na2SO3-solution. Treatment of a second model of enone type, 2,6-dimethoxy-p-quinone, with NaHSO3/Na2SO3-solution results in formation of a sulfonic acid derivative. The reactions of lignin chromophores of the enone and enal types with hydrogen sulfite/sulfite are discussed.

In this work we examined the morphological and chemical characteristics of the fibrous strands of oil palm empty-fruit-bunch which were left behind after being stripped of their fruits used for oil production. The empty-fruit-bunches were mechanically loosened to yield the fibrous strands, which can be used in paper and board making. We found that the fibrous strands had unique structure by having several large-diameter, long vessel elements in their core region, surrounded by vascular fibers. They had numerous silica-bodies attached to craters on their surfaces; the craters were perforated at the bottom. Many other minerals were also present in the strands. Our microscopic observations suggested that the silica-bodies are connected to a network of siliceous pathway within the fibrous matrix, and minerals tend to concentrate adjacent to the silica-bodies. Our findings could be useful in identifying suitable techniques for processing the oil palm fiber strands into value-added products.

The influences of flax lignin and phenolic compounds obtained from spruce bark on the development of Lycopersicon esculentum plantlets were evaluated. Depending on the applied treatment and the concentrations used, the natural aromatic compounds had stimulatory effects on the germination capacity and the plantlets height and leaf area. The influence of lignin on Lycopersicon esculentum was lower compared to the phenolic extract.

The aim of this work was to explore how various surface treatments would change the dispersion component of surface energy and acid-base character of hemp nanofibers, using inverse gas chromatography (IGC), and to investigate the effect of the incorporation of these modified nanofibers into a biopolymer matrix on the properties of their nano-composites. Bio-nanocomposite materials were prepared from poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as the matrix, and the cellulose nanofibers extracted from hemp fiber by chemo-mechanical treatments. Cellulose fibrils have a high density of –OH groups on the surface, which have a tendency to form hydrogen bonds with adjacent fibrils, reducing interaction with the surrounding matrix. It is necessary to reduce the entanglement of the fibrils and improve their dispersion in the matrix by surface modification of fibers without deteriorating their reinforcing capability. The IGC results indicated that styrene maleic anhydride coated and ethylene-acrylic acid coated fibers improved their potential to interact with both acidic and basic resins. From transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it was shown that the nanofibers were partially dispersed in the polymer matrix. The mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were lower than those predicted by theoretical calculations for both nanofiber-reinforced biopolymers.

Rice straw (RS) is one of the most abundant lignocellulosic waste by-products worldwide and provides an alternative substrate to produce useful chemicals such as bioethanol and lactic acid. However, higher enzyme loadings are needed to obtain a higher product yield, which makes the large-scale utilization economically difficult. The presence of non-ionic surfactants and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) during the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosics has been found to increase the conversion of cellulose into fermentable sugars. We have found that adding 0.2g g-1 substrate of polyoxyethylene(20) sorbitan monooleate (PSM) or high-mass PEG increased the sugar yield by 22% and 12%, respectively, when enzyme loading was at 10FPU g-1 for 24h. PSM behaved better than PEG when different substrate concentrations, temperatures, and enzyme loadings were investigated. PSM provides an opportunity to reduce enzyme dosage while still keeping the same extent of hydrolysis. We also investigated the effect of PSM on the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of pretreated RS to lactic acid. Results showed that addition of 0.7g L-1 PSM improved the lactic acid production by 24% compared to the reference without PSM addition at 72h.

Medium or high charge density cationic polyelectrolytes are frequently used for water treatment. In the papermaking wet-end they are used as retention agents or as flocculating aids. Negative polyelectrolytes that enter the papermaking system increase the demand for cationic polyelectrolytes. Polyelectrolyte concentration can be determined by the colloidal titration method, using either of two options for detecting the endpoint: i) visual observation or spectrophotometric determination of the colour change of an indicator, or ii) streaming current measurement. This work discusses the best conditions for the application of the titration using spectrophotometric measurement for the end point detection. Poly-diallyldimethylammonium chloride was used as the cationic polyelectrolyte, potassium polyvinyl sulphate as the negative polyelectrolyte, and o-toluidine blue as the positive indicator dye. The polyelectrolyte concentration range, interference from the metal ions affecting the indicator color change, the optimal indicator concentration to avoid precipitation problems, and the effect of adding a surfactant to the indicator solution were also considered. Titration curves were analyzed and optimized. Under these conditions the technique provided results with acceptable precision.

The sorption properties of lignin-wool composites towards oil pollution at different concentrations of the contamination were studied. The release ability of oil pollutant was studied by a gravimetric method and by determining the chemical oxygen demand of cleaned water. It has been established that technical hydrolysis lignin–wool composites display a low release ability of oil-based pollutants and a slow rate for achieving release equilibrium.

In order to make full use of rice straw (RS) produced at large quantity in China and to reduce the production cost of L-lactic acid, attempts were made to utilize the hydrolysate of RS as sole carbon source and the lignocellulose as inert support for producing L-lactic acid using solid state fermentation (SSF). The pretreated rice straw was enzymatically hydro- lyzed by cellulase, and the hydrolyzate, containing reducing sugars supplemented with a minimum of (NH4)2SO4, MnSO4, and yeast extract, was used as moistening agent to impregnate 5g of RS, which was used as the inert support for SSF. Maximum L-lactic acid production of 3.467g per 5g of support was obtained at 37 oC, using Lactobacillus casei as inoculum, after 5 days of fermentation with optimized process parameters such as 72% moisture content, 4g per 5g support of reducing sugars, 2.5ml per 5g support of inoculum size, 3g per 5g support of CaCO3, and pH 6.5.

The response of kraft pulp of Melocanna baccifera (Muli bamboo) to different conditions of oxygen delignification and subsequent bleaching using CEHH sequence was studied. Oxygen delignification caused the kappa number of the pulp to drop between 40 and 75% over the range of temperature 70-100 °C, oxygen pressure 2-7 bar, alkali charge 2-4%, and reaction time 5-60 min. The oxygen-delignified pulp could be bleached to a brightness level of 86%. The conditions that favored greater kappa reduction also caused a greater reduction in the pulp viscosity, which called for an economic balance between the environmental benefits and the degradation of the pulp. Reaction temperature during oxygen delignification had an effect on the fiber curl and kink, while other variables such as oxygen pressure, alkali dose, and the reaction time had no significant effect on fiber deformation.