Volume 7 Issue 2

Ball-milled bamboo was pre-swelled with a cold aqueous solution of NaOH and urea, and then reacted directly with benzyl chloride to synthesize benzylated bamboo. The effects of the molar ratio of benzyl chloride to OH groups in the bamboo (1 to 4), the reaction temperature (70 to 110 °C), and the reaction time (2 to 8 h) on both the product yield and the degree of substitution (DS) were evaluated. Yields between 67.6 and 94.0% and DS between 0.31 and 0.74 of the benzylated bamboo were obtained under such conditions. The incorporation of benzyl groups was evidenced by FT-IR and CP/MAS 13C-NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the crystalline structure of the native ball-milled bamboo was markedly damaged after modification. In addition, the benzylated bamboo was subjected to thermal degradation at a high temperature with an increase in substitution. It was suggested that the benzylated bamboo with a low crystallinity as well as large non-polar groups is promising as a filler for use in the composite material industry.

Treatment with dilute sulfuric acid (H2SO4) or calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) at 121°C and 103.4 kPa was used to improve the efficiency of the cellulose digestion of purple guinea grass. Cellulase hydrolysis of the dilute H2SO4-pretreated purple guinea grass under optimized conditions (6% (w/v) in 3% (w/v) H2SO4 for 30 min) yielded a slightly higher level of reducing sugars than that from the Ca(OH)2 pretreatment under optimized conditions (6% (w/v) in 4% (w/v) Ca(OH)2 for 5 min). However, the level of glucose released from the Ca(OH)2-pretreated purple guinea grass was slightly higher than that from the dilute H2SO4 pretreatment. Ethanol fermentation, via the separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) process using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, of the Ca(OH)2-pretreated purple guinea grass and then hydrolyzed with commercial cellulase (9 PFU/g, dry wt.) for 6 h yielded ethanol at 0.44 g/g glucose (0.21 g/g cellulose) within 48 h, while that from the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process yielded 14.3% less ethanol at 0.18 g/g cellulose within 96 h (including the 6 h saccharification time). The ethanol yield from the SHF process increased 1.14-fold to 0.497 g/g glucose (0.24 g/g cellulose) when the fermentation was performed in a 5 L fermentor.

In this research, the effect of pre-steaming on mass transfer properties, including air permeability and water vapor diffusivity of fir wood (Abies alba L.), a gymnosperm species with torus margo pit membrane, was evaluated. The pre-steaming was performed at temperatures of 120, 140, and 160°C for 1 hour under a pressure of 2-3 bars. Then, the pre-steamed specimens were conventionally dried at a constant temperature of 160°C and a relative humidity of 50% to the final moisture content of 10%. Subsequently, the mass transfer properties of the dried specimens were measured in longitudinal and radial directions. Overall, the pre-steaming was found to be an effective modification method to improve the mass transfer properties of Abies alba L. The improvement was more remarkable for the air permeability as well as through the radial direction. The specimens steamed at the temperature of 160°C had higher mass transfer rates than those steamed at the temperatures of 120 and 140°C. Results of chemical analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy, and SEM imaging provide some explanations for the effects of pre-steaming.

Fiber thermomechanical refining is a critical step for the manufacturing of medium density fiberboard (MDF). To increase productivity and improve fiber quality with a reduction in energy consumption during refining, it is essential to determine appropriate refining conditions, such as the chips retention time (accumulated chip height, CH) in the pre-heater, feeding screw revolution speed (SR) in the chip feeding pipe, and the opening ratio of the discharge valve (OV) in the discharge pipe. Using multiple regression analysis, relationships between the response variables (the total fibers, the specific energy consumption obtained by the motor power consumption/the total amount of dry fibers, and the percentage of qualified fibers) and the predictor variables (OV, CH, and SR) were modeled. Specific energy consumption decreased with an increase in CH. When more chips were stored in the pre-heater, the chips were softened by the extended steam-treatment time, reducing the energy consumption. There were negative relationships between the percentage of qualified fibers and the predictor variables (OV and SR). It was reasoned that a greater proportion of coarse fibre was produced when the discharge valve opening ratio or the feeding screw speed increased. This resulted in a reduction in the percentage of qualified fibers. Due to the large sample size (1667 measurements for each variable) in this study, the resulting regression equations can be applied to estimate the productivity, energy consumption, and fiber quality during refining in an MDF mill.

The utilization of compost vineyard wastes as suppressive growing media against Fusarium wilt is a good alternative for the disposal and recycling of these organic wastes. Inoculation of biological control agents (BCAs) enhances the biocontrol activity of compost. In this experiment, vineyard compost was sampled at different stages during the composting process, rating the values of acceptability for growing media. Under greenhouse nursery conditions, composts inoculated with Trichoderma harzianum T-78, (Th T-78) gave higher plant fresh weights, as well as lower pathogen incidence and disease severity than treatments with Th T-78 inoculated at muskmelon sowing and non-inoculated composts. Comparing the two composts inoculated with Th T-78 at different stages of the composting process, the one inoculated at the beginning of maturation phase showed lower pathogen incidence and disease severity than the one inoculated at the beginning of the composting process.

In North America, flooring strips are manufactured with grooves at the back. There are various reasons for these grooves but, historically, they were considered a strategy to reduce weight and transportation costs as well as improving dimensional stability. As no data are available to assess best practices in terms of performance, we have investigated methods to reduce flooring strip weight. One way to achieve this is to adjust the number and shape of grooves. Using warp as a comparison tool, we were able to analyze the merits of a finite number of designs. With this approach, however, we could not guarantee that the result was the most favourable. The search for a solution led to design optimization, i.e.: minimizing weight by acting upon a part of the strip’s shape, taking into account its warp resistance or stiffness. This paper describes an optimization strategy adapted to the calculation of the optimal design subjected to arbitrary mechanical and geometrical conditions (including the thickness of the wear layer). This approach is not limited to flooring strips, and it can be used in any situation where a linear hygromechanical model is relevant. This strategy involves two steps: global optimization with respect to admissible variations of the shape (or design) followed by a post-processing phase that takes into account various other mechanical and possibly geometrical conditions imposed on the strip.

This paper reports on the synthesis of a series of amide derivatives from acrylopimaric acid (APA). The derivatives contained aromatic groups and were characterized by IR, 1HNMR, MS, and elemental analysis. The antibacterial activity of the derivatives against Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria were also investigated. When compared with the other derivatives, compounds 3a and 3f showed much higher activity against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacteria) with inhibition zones of 5 mm and 5.5 mm, respectively. Structure-activity relationship analysis revealed that ortho-substituted phenyl derivatives and meta-substituted phenyl derivatives exhibited higher activity than the para-substituted derivatives. Meanwhile, the halogen-substituted compounds did not show visible antibacterial activity compared with other compounds, which may have been caused by the lower electron density of the halogen-substituted phenyl rings.

With the attempt to develop an environmentally safe whey protein-based adhesive with good water resistance, a low-molecular-weight PFO was used as a modifier, and the effects of scavengers on the formaldehyde emission and bond properties were investigated. Plywood evaluation and HPLC analysis indicated that the PFO synthesized with a low content of sodium hydroxide as a catalyst (NaOH/phenol mole ratio = 0.064) at a low reaction temperature (60-75oC) had good water solubility and very low viscosity that was preferable to the modification of whey protein-based adhesives. Combinations of ammonia and sodium sulfite as formaldehyde scavengers had positive effects on the formaldehyde emissions of plywood panels bonded by the PFO-modified whey protein adhesives and had slight effects on bond properties. A necessary stoichiometric excess of ammonia-sulfite combination during PFO post-treatment is critical to effectively reduce formaldehyde emission. The whey protein-based adhesive modified with the most preferable post-treated PFO is water-resistant and environmentally safe, which had a dry shear bond strength of 1.98 MPa and a 28 hour-boiling-dry-boiling wet shear strength of 1.73 MPa according to standard JIS K6806-2003, a formaldehyde emission of 0.067mg/L according to standard JIS A5908, and undetectable level of free phenol by HPLC.

During the production of beer large amounts of yeast waste are generated. This paper considers the possible making of environmentally friendly adhesive compositions from such wastes. Chemical treatment of yeast wastes increases their adhesive characteristics. Chemical cross-linking with glutaric aldehyde and biological cross-linking by enzyme transglutaminase improves the moisture resistance of the adhesive compositions. In terms of their physical and mechanical parameters they are not inferior to glues of natural origin and can be used for bonding paper, cardboard, and wood. The bonding strength of paper was 421.8 N / m, and that of wood was 27.8 MPa.

Demand for hardwood from plantation-grown stands for pulp and bio-energy in the southern US is more than 90 million tons per year and is increasing. In the specific case of bio-energy and pulp, demand for biomass from eucalypts could approach 20 million tons/year by the year 2022. Fast growing species and hybrids of Eucalyptus are being evaluated to partially fill this demand gap. Though widely grown in a number of countries for pulp as well as for bio-energy, eucalypts in the southern US have not been extensively researched. Initial growth rates of 18 to 36 green tons/ha/year on rotation lengths of 6 to 8 years are possible. Current estimated costs for energy production from eucalypts in the Southern US are estimated at $3.10 to $3.49 per MBtu, where landowner required return rates on reforestation capital invested range from 6 to 14 percent. Eucalypts as a bio-energy feedstock can be competitive with coal in cost per BTU in the southern US.