Volume 21 Issue 1

Creating wood joints usually requires glue or staples. These items are detrimental for the end-of-life of wood products, decreasing their potential recyclability, reusability, and biodegradability. Ultrasonic welding is a processing method to assemble thermoplastic polymers, allowing the creation of joints without adhesive. Wood is composed of amorphous lignins and hemicelluloses that could, under the right conditions of heat and pressure, act as a glue to bind wood pieces together. Thus, the scope of this proof-of-concept study is to investigate the use of ultrasonic welding to assemble veneer wood for packaging applications. Wood pieces were assembled using an ultrasonic welder while screening a large range of materials and processing conditions. Mechanical performances were assessed by measuring the shear strength of wood joints. Results showed that veneer wood can be assembled using ultrasonic welding, leading to a higher resistance than stapled joints. However, the procedure is highly sensitive to wood properties, as the acoustic energy tends to be easily focused by its internal structure. It decreases the reproducibility of the welding procedure and increases the dispersion of joint properties. Achieving a better energy focus is nonetheless possible using appropriate conditions. Overall results are encouraging for further industrial development.

The aging of paper significantly impacts fiber-water interactions, leading to a decline in dispersibility over time. This deterioration is particularly critical for water-dispersible paper and packaging applications designed to dissolve easily after use, as well as for recycling processes, where reduced dispersibility increases energy consumption and reject content. The aging process is notably faster and more pronounced in unbleached fibers compared to bleached fibers, indicating that lignin plays a crucial role in this phenomenon. A decrease in dispersibility is closely linked to reductions in water retention value (WRV) and increases in paper wet strength, driven by natural aging mechanisms such as hornification, auto-crosslinking, extractives self-sizing, and cellulose recrystallization. These processes reduce fiber swelling capacity and hinder paper disintegration in water. To mitigate the decline in dispersibility due to aging, minimizing moisture cycling and avoiding high temperatures are promising. Also reduction of refining energy and wet-end starch dosage in papermaking are ways to better preserve repulpability. Understanding these aging mechanisms is essential for optimizing paper formulations and ensuring long-term performance in both functional and recyclable paper products.

The soil application of organic materials, such as biochar and organic fertilizers, serves as an important approach to maintaining soil nutrient cycling and enhancing soil quality. Here the effects of biochar and organic fertilizer application were comparatively analyzed relative to soil organic matter, NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) content, and soil surface electrochemical properties. The primary factors influencing soil surface electrochemical properties were identified. It was found that application of two organic materials could increase the contents of total nutrients and available nutrients. Among all indicators, nitrate nitrogen showed the most significant increase, with T1 and T2 increasing by 34.2% and 75.7% compared to CK, respectively. The two organic materials enhanced soil surface charge quantity, specific surface area, and surface charge density. SOC and HS contents were identified as the top two influencing factors for changes in soil surface electrochemical properties. The explanation index of SOC reached 70.1% and 39.4% for T1 and T2, while those of HS were 20.3% and 31.2%, respectively. These efforts elucidated the impacts of the return of organic fertilizer and biochar to the field on soil surface electrochemical properties, which could provide data support for enhancing arable land quality and fostering healthy soil development.

With the continuous increase of waste PP plastics, how to recycle and reuse waste PP has become particularly important. In this study, waste PP and bamboo fiber (BF) were used as raw materials. The effects of bamboo fiber mesh size, bamboo fiber content, and hot-pressing process parameters (temperature, pressure, and time) on the physical and mechanical properties of waste PP/BF composites were systematically optimized through single-factor and orthogonal experiments. Composites prepared with 60 to 80 mesh bamboo fiber at 55% to 65% content exhibited the best physical and mechanical properties. The critical factors affecting the elastic modulus and bending strength were bamboo fiber content and hot-pressing temperature, while bamboo  fiber content, hot-pressing temperature, and time had the greatest influence on the 72 h water absorption. The optimized process parameters were bamboo fiber content of 55%, hot-pressing temperature of 200 °C, hot-pressing pressure of 0.9 MPa, and hot-pressing time of 17.5 min. Under these conditions, the composite met the requirements of GB/T 29500 (2013) standard. Further research is needed to optimize performance for outdoor applications.

Although consumer interest in green furniture is growing, existing research has seldom examined the underlying psychological mechanisms driving such behavior. To address this gap, data from a survey of 915 Mainland Chinese consumers were analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) to assess how multidimensional customer value—encompassing economic, functional, relational, and emotional dimensions—mediates the effect of perceived green value on purchase intention. The results reveal that emotional value is the strongest mediating pathway linking perceived green value to purchase intention. It also enhances consumers’ perceptions of economic, functional, and relational value. This underscores the central role of emotional engagement in motivating green furniture purchases. Theoretically, this study enriches customer value theory by demonstrating how emotional value bridges product perceptions and purchase intention in the durable green consumption context. Practically, the findings suggest that green furniture firms can strengthen purchase intention by embedding emotional resonance into product design and marketing, alongside communicating economic, functional, and relational benefits.

One of the most common health issues that affect individuals is pain, which can manifest in a variety of ways. Opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are frequently prescribed for pain relief; however, their prolonged use can result in substantial adverse effects on various bodily systems. As a result, it is important to identify alternative medications that are both more effective and secure. The health benefits of Citrullus colocynthis herb, rich in beneficial elements, are well documented. The effects of an aqueous seed extract of C. colocynthis were examined in this study. The B16F10 melanoma cell line was employed to evaluate the extract’s cytotoxicity. The authors implemented antimicrobial investigations employing four bacterial strains. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities were assessed using Swiss albino mice and Wistar albino rats, respectively. The cytotoxicity analysis demonstrated that the C. colocynthis extract did not manifest any significant cytotoxic effects on the B16F10 melanoma cell line. The extract exhibited efficacious activity against the Gram-positive bacteria that were the subject of antimicrobial investigations. Pain inhibition effects exceeded 70%, with the analgesic activity. Consequently, the C. colocynthis extract exhibits potential as an analgesic and antimicrobial agent, necessitating additional research and development work.

Although the preparation of wood adhesives from protein in oilcake has significant advantages in terms of environmental protection and cost control, it still faces many challenges that need to be addressed in practical applications. This study used Camellia oleifera cake protein extracted from C. oleifera seeds as raw material to prepare adhesives through thermal, alkaline, acidic, and enzymatic treatments, which were then applied in the production of plywood. The results showed that thermal treatment increased the viscosity of the protein adhesive and improved the bonding strength to 1.12 MPa. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated partial transformation of the secondary structure of protein molecules, while differential scanning calorimetric analysis showed an increase in curing temperature. Alkaline treatment slightly reduced the viscosity but achieved a bonding strength of 1.14 MPa, disrupting some of the crystalline structures of the protein and lowering the curing temperature. Acidic treatment greatly reduced the viscosity but resulted in the highest bonding strength of 1.36 MPa, partially hydrolyzing peptide bonds and reducing both the curing temperature and crystallinity. Enzymatic treatment decreased the viscosity of the protein adhesive but lowered the bonding strength to 0.82 MPa, with extensive hydrolysis of peptide bonds. Different treatment methods altered the rheological properties and bonding properties of the adhesives by affecting the molecular structure, aggregation state, and chemical reactivity of C. oleifera protein.

Biological nanomaterials such as nanographene and fluorite have garnered the attention for the production of diverse products, particularly food packaging, owing to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. The objective of this study was to prepare a coated paperboard sheet utilizing nanomaterials and mineral compounds to enhance the physical characteristics and printability of the brown kraft liner paper. In this investigation, a 120 g/m² brown kraft liner was employed, in conjunction with varying quantities of nanographene, zein protein, and fluorite, combined with internal resin for the coating process. The physical properties were examined. The samples were treated in standard conditions of 20 °C and 65% relative humidity. The results revealed that the coating led to an increase in yellowness, opacity, glossiness, optical density, and resistance to air permeation compared to the control sample. Notably, the air resistance of the graphene-coated sample was about 5350 seconds. The roughness increased by 9.7 µm with the use of fluorite. Furthermore, a noticeable increase in opacity and glossiness was observed in the coated samples. The adhesion of the coated layer and flexo ink was also excellent, so that it remained intact on the paper surface.

The effectiveness of the ethanolic extract of A. glycyphyllos leaves was evaluated for treating arthritis. This was done by examining its ability to protect chondrocytes (cartilage cells) from inflammation caused by IL-1β stimulation, as well as its ability to alleviate arthritis generated by CFA in rats. Rats in the CFA control group exhibited increased paw inflammation on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Inflammation was greatly reduced when treated with A. glycyphyllos extract at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. There was a positive correlation between the extract dosage and the rats’ body weight. The extract alleviated inflammatory and arthritic symptoms in animals with CFA, leading to an improvement in the arthritic index. Animals afflicted with arthritis exhibited elevated levels of inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) and a decrease in their ability to move. The administration of the extract significantly improved the locomotor score and strongly suppressed the activation of inflammatory markers. The extract effectively reduced the production of NO, PGE2, MMP1, and MMP13 in IL-1β-stimulated PRCs, with the extent of reduction depending on the dosage. This investigation showcased the therapeutic properties of the A. glycyphyllos extract in treating arthritis.

Wood and stone have different damping ratios. The seismic analysis of wood-stone structures is important. The vertical wood-stone structure is regarded as a three degree of freedom system. Based on Caughey damping model of substructures, the whole damping matrix was constructed. Then combined with Newmark-β method, a numerical method was proposed to calculate dynamic responses of wood-stone structures. Numerical results showed that the seismic performance of wood-stone structures was stronger than that of stone structures, and it was weaker than that of wood structures. During the process of earthquake action, the middle wood substructure can obviously improve seismic performance of the wood-stone structure. The bottom structure has greater stiffness, but weaker seismic performance.