Volume 20 Issue 3

Wood’s hygroscopic nature limits its outdoor applications. Technologies such as wood polyesterification, involving the in situ reaction of alcohols and carboxylic acids, densify the wood cell wall and potentially reduce hydroxyl group activity. Whey ultrafiltration permeate, a co-product of whey protein purification, which is rich in lactose, can be a source of OH groups for wood modification. This study explores lactose’s reactivity with biobased carboxylic acids and evaluates the resulting wood properties post-modification. Spectroscopic analyses confirmed that lactose reacts with carboxylic acids when heated above the melting point, and the Maillard reaction and caramelization may occur due to whey ultrafiltration permeate’s non-protein nitrogen substances and acidic medium combined with high temperatures. Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy analysis verified that lactose and malic acid react within trembling aspen sawdust, significantly reducing moisture absorption and enhancing thermal stability. This study proposes a novel valorization of whey ultrafiltration permeate and a simple process for improving wood properties.

Plant materials throughout the world, i.e. biomass, can provide annually roughly 18 x 10¹⁵ Watt-hours (6.5 x 10¹³ MJ) of energy, considering just the residues from agriculture and forestry. However, at least part of that amount has higher-valued uses, including being made into durable products, thereby keeping their carbon content from contributing to global warming. This review considers circumstances under which it may be advantageous to use biomass resources, either alone or in combination with other renewable energy technologies – such as solar and wind energy – to meet society’s energy needs, especially for electricity, heating, and transportation. There is a rapidly expanding pool of published research in this area. To slow climate change, rapid maturation of the most promising technologies is needed, followed by their widespread and early implementation. Of particular interest are synergistic combinations of technologies, including the use of solar energy and biomass together in such a way as to provide hydrogen, heating, and electricity. Another need is to use biomass to make high-energy-density liquid fuels, including aviation fuels, diesel, and naphtha. Although some proposed schemes are complicated, biomass is expected to be gradually implemented as a growing component of installed renewable energy capacity in the coming years.

Ruminants are significant contributors to methane (CH₄) emissions due to methanogenesis by their gut microbiomes. The enzyme methyl coenzyme M reductase (MCR) is crucial for this process in rumen archaea. Targeting MCR via computational tools has emerged as a novel approach to reduce CH₄ emissions in ruminants by inhibiting methanogenesis. This study focused on evaluating wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) compounds as potential MCR inhibitors using in silico methods. Initially, 21 wheatgrass compounds were selected, and their drug-likeness traits were assessed using Lipinski’s rule of five. Five compounds, namely 2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3-phenylenediamine, Caryophyllene oxide, Caryophyllene, N,N-tetramethylene-.alpha.-(aminomethylene) glutaconic anhydride, and n-hexadecanoic acid met all criteria. These compounds were further analysed for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties using the Swiss ADME tool, confirming their drug-likeness traits with no Lipinski’s violation. Molecular docking analysis was performed using the CB-Dock2 tool to assess binding interactions with MCR. The compounds showed binding affinities in the following order: N,N-tetramethylene-.alpha.-(aminomethylene) glutaconic anhydride (-7.3 kcal/mol) > Caryophyllene (-6.8 kcal/mol) > Caryophyllene oxide (-6.7 kcal/mol) > n-hexadecanoic acid (-6.3 kcal/mol) > 2,4,6-trimethyl-1,3-phenylenediamine (-6.0 kcal/mol). These findings suggest that the selected wheatgrass compounds have potential as anti-methanogenic agents, positioning them as promising MCR inhibitors for mitigating CH₄ emissions in ruminants.

This research aimed to provide a comprehensive model to identify the factors that affect growth in production within the wooden furniture industry in the post-corona era. A mixed research method was used, gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. The statistical population consisted of experts and academics, with the effective factors being explored through interviews. In the qualitative section, through thematic analysis and the use of MAXQDA software, 10 themes were identified after 10 interviews. To determine the final indicators, a researcher-made questionnaire was distributed to five experts, resulting in the presentation of the conceptual model. In the quantitative section, 120 individuals were selected (112 responded). The questionnaire, including the final indicators, was then distributed to them. In this section, the SEM method and Smart-Pls software were used for factor analysis. The results indicated that factors such as the political environment, supply chain, and improvement of the business climate had the greatest impact on production growth. A significant relationship was found between factors influencing technological developments, productivity, procedural modifications, monetary policies, financial policies, rules and regulations, political environment, administrative bureaucracy, improvement of the business climate, supply chain, and production growth in the wooden furniture industry in Iran during the post-corona era.

The addition of graphene oxide promotes electron transfer between microorganisms in a photo-fermentative biohydrogen production system, while biochar improves the efficiency of hydrogen production by buffering the pH. In order to improve the efficiency of biohydrogen production, the effects of two redox mediators (ROMs), biochar and graphene oxide, at different concentrations on photo-fermentation biohydrogen production were studied. The results showed that the addition of graphene oxide and biochar decreased the redox potential (ORP) of the system. The lowest ORP was -286 mV (graphene oxide) and -290 mV (biochar), which represent that the reducing power of fermentation broth increased. When the addition of graphene oxide was 150 mg/L, the cumulative biohydrogen production reached the maximum of 404 mL, which was 46.3% higher than that of the control group without graphene oxide; When biochar was added at 1 g/L, the cumulative biohydrogen production reached the maximum of 383 mL, which was 45.9% higher than that of the control group. At the same time, the cumulative biohydrogen production was fitted by Gompertz equation, indicating that the kinetic parameters were very suitable to describe the effect of the addition of graphene oxide and biochar on the biohydrogen production from corn stalks by photo-fermentation.

A shape-stabilized lauric acid-activated carbon composite was prepared using a one-step impregnation method. Activated carbon (AC) was produced from different wood waste (Scots pine (Pi) and poplar (Pop)), and lauric acid (LA) was used as a phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage. Wood waste from Scots pine and poplar was activated with phosphoric acid (A) and zinc chloride (S) at 600 °C for 90 min to produce AC. The AC was examined by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and the properties of the LA/AC composites were investigated by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscope (FTIR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TG), and thermal conductivity. The BET surface area of the produced AC was 1050, 1130, 625 m²/g, and 746 m²/g for PiA, PiS, PopA, PopS, respectively. The porous structure of AC reduced the leaching of LA during phase change. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed a latent heat capacity of 29 J/g and a melting temperature of 48.9 °C for the LA/AC composite. The DSC results indicated that the composites exhibited the same phase change characteristics as those of the LA and their latent heats decreased. The TG results indicated that the AC could improve the thermal stability of the composites. Thermal conductivity decreased by 7.48% in PiA-PCM samples but increased by 6.86% in the PopS-PCM by AC.

Cello-oligosaccharides (COS) are products of the preliminary hydrolysis of cellulose. They have been the subject of significant research and application potential across various fields, including food, feed, and biotechnology. This study explored an eco-friendly, efficient process for producing COS from bamboo biomass. Subsequently, the optimal hydrolysis conditions using microcrystalline cellulose as the substrate were determined to establish the best process for converting bamboo cellulose into COS. The resulting hydrolyzate was analyzed, with cellobiose content (mg/L) serving as the response variable to identify the optimal conditions for pH, hydrolysis temperature, enzyme addition amount, substrate addition amount, reaction time, and inhibitor addition amount. Finally, various bamboo pretreatment technologies and cellulose hydrolysis methods were integrated to determine the most suitable hydrolysis technology for bamboo cellulose. The results of this study demonstrate that enzymatic hydrolysis can be employed as a production method to convert bamboo cellulose to COS.

Increasing the mechanical strength of wooden materials with glass fiber fabric reinforcement and composite elements can be a very suitable method for restoration and strengthening techniques in historical wooden structures. In this study, the effects of fiber-reinforced laminated wood composites were examined with respect to bending strength and modulus of elasticity in bending. Experimentally, 0°/90° woven glass fiber fabrics with areal weights of 200, 300, and 400 g/m² were bonded using epoxy resin to the longitudinal surfaces of two different wood species (Scots pine and Turkish beech). An evaluation of the bending properties of these wooden sandwich structures revealed that the incorporation of glass fiber fabric reinforcement led to a significant enhancement in their bending strength. In addition, a significant improvement was achieved in the modulus of elasticity. It was observed that glass fiber fabric, especially the 400 g/m² weight options, increased the durability of wood materials more. As a result, the bending strength of wood materials can be significantly increased with glass fiber fabric reinforcement. This method can be considered a promising reinforcement technique, particularly in the fields of engineering and construction. However, in the context of historical restoration, the use of external reinforcement must be approached with caution due to conservation principles such as material authenticity, reversibility, and minimal intervention.

The water resistance, strength, and thermal properties of the thermoplastic composites were investigated by using different blends of barley stalk flour and waste glass flour as hybrid fillers in HDPE (50 wt%). Virgin E-glass fibers were also used for comparison with the results of the waste glass. The test specimens were prepared by hot-press molding. It was found that the water resistance, tensile strength, and modulus of the HDPE polymer composite prepared with the addition of barley straw flour alone were improved with the use of the waste glass flour and barley straw hybrid. The water absorption (24-h) of the HDPE/barley straw composite was found to be 8.38% while the water absorption decreased to 2.2% in hybrid use with 15 wt% waste glass flour. The addition of the barley straw and waste glass altered the crystalline structure of the HDPE, reducing the melting temperature and melting enthalpy while increasing the crystallinity index. The waste glass provided better thermal stability and a controlled increase in the crystallinity, whereas the glass fiber provided higher crystallinity at the expense of greater disruption to the crystalline structure.

The use of aging aids can be used in conjunction with existing furniture to expand the aging function of the furniture, so that the furniture better meets the needs of the elderly. Pneumatic massage is a kind of massage technology that realises the massage function by inflating and deflating the airbag. Compared with mechanical massage, it has the advantages of simple structure, soft force, safety and reliability, and it is especially suitable for the application of old age recreation products. In order to accurately match the needs of the elderly for pneumatic massage products and develop suitable pneumatic massage cushion products, this paper constructs a research framework of user needs-user behaviour-design elements based on the joint AHP-AEIOU-QFD model, which clarifies the user needs and core design elements of the ageing pneumatic massage cushion and provides an important basis for product development. Firstly, the AHP method was used to construct the user requirements model, which clarified that safety and core functions are the core primary needs of the elderly, and structural rationality and pneumatic massage function are the core secondary needs of the elderly. Further, the QFD method converts the user requirements into technical parameters and analyses them and clarifies the modular airbag and support structure design as the core design elements of the age-friendly pneumatic massage cushion products. Finally, the JACK simulation platform is used to conduct comparative experiments on the design parts of the products, and the simulation data verifies the feasibility of the optimised products. The results of this paper have an important role in guiding the design and development of ageing massage cushion products.