Volume 7 Issue 3

In this study, the bending strength and stiffness of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) produced from beech (Fagus orientalis L.), poplar (Populus x euramericana I-214), and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden) wood using urea formaldehyde (UF), melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF), and phenol formaldehyde (PF) adhesives were determined. The tests were conducted in the flatwise and edgewise directions. The modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), specific modulus of rupture (SMOR), and specific modulus of elasticity (SMOE) were calculated. Variance analysis of the bending properties indicated that the effects of the species of tree, the direction of the load, and the type of adhesive were statistically significant. However, according to variance analysis of the SMOR, the effects of the type of adhesive were not significant. The results showed that the type of adhesive did not influence the bending properties of laminated veneer lumber. It can be stated that the differences among groups were due to differences in their densities. The direction of the load and the species of the tree had significant effects on the bending properties.

Wheat straw pulp was mechanochemically processed in a PFI mill in order to improve the effect of laccase/xylanase system (LXS) treatment before bleaching. The delignification and bleachability of the prepared pulp were investigated. The delignification of the prepared pulp could be enhanced with the mechanochemical processing (refining) and LXS treatment. The delignification was increased by 29.8% with refining 7000 revolutions and 5 IU/g enzyme dosage. The LXS treatment after the mechanochemical process could save 28.6% effective usage of chlorine in the subsequent hypochlorite bleaching process, compared with the traditional bio-bleaching. The crystallinity of cellulose was increased by the co-treatment with mechanochemistry and LXS treatment. This result was further supported by the observations from SEM. This co-treatment with mechanochemistry and bio-treatment enhanced the delignification and bleachability of pulp.

Absorbent-grade paper is a highly specialized product due to introduction of certain special characteristics, namely high water absorbency, castor oil penetration (COP), and porosity. Water absorbency is affected by the radius of capillaries within the paper. Likewise the COP is affected by pulp beating and by the degree of collapse of the paper structure during sheet pressing. Using 4% NaHCO₃ solution during manufacturing of absorbent grade paper not only improves all the three basic properties, but it also mitigates the cost of absorbent grade paper by US$ 4.07 per metric tonne. Fibers come closer to each other during sheet making as a result of increased surface tension forces due to mixing of NaHCO₃ in tap water.

Bacillus subtilis and essential oils have been explored separately for their ability to limit colonization by wood stain and mold fungi, but neither approach has been completely effective. One alternative strategy would be to combine the bacterial biocontrol with one or more natural products extracts. In this report, the ability of combinations of B. subtilis B26 and 20 essential oils to limit fungal stain was explored on Douglas-fir sapwood wafers under controlled laboratory conditions. A number of extracts markedly improved the anti-fungal activity of B. subtilis B26, including 0.25% myrtlewood oil, 0.5% orange oil, 0.5% lime oil, and 1% Leyland cypress needles oil, which yielded improvements by 2 to 8 times. However, none of the combinations completely protected the wood from fungal attack. The results illustrate the difficulties associated with controlling the diverse array of organisms that can colonize freshly cut wood.

Biomaterials from olive tree pruning are an abundant agricultural residue in various Mediterranean regions. A suggested use of this residue is its separation in a main fraction (trunks and stems with diameter > 1 cm) and a residual fraction (leaves and stems with diameter 1 < cm), using biorefinery procedures. The main fraction is cooked with ethanol, giving rise to a pulp, which can be used either in paper or in bioethanol production if before pulping the main fraction is subjected to a hydrothermal treatment. Pulping with 70% ethanol concentration, 185 °C for 80 min resulted in a pulp with a yield of 46.30% and a content of holocellulose, α-cellulose, and lignin of 77.17%, 62.49%, and 21.73%, respectively. The paper sheets obtained had a breaking length of 1168 m, a burst index of 0.44 kN /g, a tear index of 2.25 mN.m2/g, and a brightness of 43.66%. The pulp converted into bioethanol (by simultaneous hydrolysis and fermentation) achieved a conversion of 70 g bioethanol/100 g potential bioethanol. The residual fraction of olive tree prunings was subjected to combustion to produce thermal energy. The heating value was 18700 kJ/kg, the flame temperature range was 1094 to 2013 ºC, and the dew point temperature range of the flue gases was 47 to 53 °C.

Italy is one of the major users of cherry wood (Prunus avium L.), and its cultivation has been increasing since the early nineties, together with studies aimed at improving genotypes, with a selection usually based on growth, stem form, vigor, and tree adaptation. Here, the phenotypic correlations between growth rate and the physical and mechanical properties of wood are investigated in two wild cherry plantations. X-ray microdensitometry was also applied to analyze the age-age correlations of wood density. It was shown that growth rate did not affect wood properties, and density was confirmed to be the trait that best represents the main properties of wood. The absence of relationships between wood density and growth rate was confirmed by densitometric analysis, although an increase of wood density with an increase of ring width was detected for very narrow rings (less than 3 mm wide). The average density at age 7 to 8 was observed to be highly correlated (r > 0.90) to the average density of a 19-year-old tree, allowing reliable estimation of the wood properties of older trees by early investigation of young trees.

This study presents the adsorption behavior of the methylene blue (MB) dye onto the activated carbon produced from soybean oil cake by chemical activation with KOH at 800 °C. The adsorption isotherms, kinetic models, and thermodynamic parameters of the adsorption were studied. The Langmuir isotherm showed a better fit than the Freundlich isotherm. The adsorption rate was described by pseudo-second-order kinetics. The negative values of ΔG° and the positive values of ΔH° indicate that the adsorption of MB was favored and endothermic.

The behavior of stone groundwood / polypropylene injection-molded composites was evaluated with and without coupling agent. Stone groundwood (SGW) is a fibrous material commonly prepared in a high yield process and mainly used for papermaking applications. In this work, the use of SGW fibers was explored as a reinforcing element of polypropylene (PP) composites. The surface charge density of the composite components was evaluated, as well as the fiber’s length and diameter inside the composite material. Two mixing extrusion processes were evaluated, and the use of a kinetic mixer, instead of an internal mixer, resulted in longer mean fiber lengths of the reinforcing fibers. On the other hand, the accessibility of surface hydroxyl groups of stone groundwood fibers was improved by treating the fibers with 5% of sodium hydroxide, resulting in a noticeable increase of the tensile strength of the composites, for a similar percentage of coupling agent. A new parameter called Fiber Tensile Strength Factor is defined and used as a baseline for the comparison of the properties of the different composite materials. Finally the competitiveness of stone groundwood / polypropylene / polypropylene-co-maleic anhydride system, which compared favorably to sized glass-fiber / polypropylene GF/PP and glass-fiber / polypropylene / polypropylene-co-maleic anhydride composite formulations, was quantified by means of the fiber tensile strength factor.

Agglomeration phenomena of two mixed xerographic toners were investigated using 1-octadecanol as the agglomeration agent and a cationic surfactant as the co-agglomeration agent. One toner carrying no surface charge agglomerated well under most conditions, while the other toner carrying a negative surface charge performed worse. It was found that when mixing these two toners together during pulping and when using 1-octadecanol as the agglomeration agent alone, there was an additive effect on agglomeration. On the other hand, addition of a small amount of cationic surfactant dramatically enhanced the mixed toner agglomeration efficiency and generated an obvious synergistic effect. The particle number after agglomeration was significantly reduced, and the particle size was greatly increased compared to the single toner agglomeration. The optimal amount of the cationic surfactant was close to the optimal cationic surfactant demand of the negatively charged toner. Based on these findings it can be recommended that the cationic surfactant should be added during agglomeration of the mixed office waste paper, and its optimal dosage needs to be chosen to reach the best performance.

Copper/carbon core/shell nanoparticles (CCCSNs) recently have been introduced as an industrial material. In this paper, composites based on high density polyethylene (HDPE), bamboo fiber, CCCSNs, and coupling agent (MAPE) were prepared by melt compounding. The influence of CCCSN content on the resulting composites’ mechanical, biological resistance, and thermal properties was investigated. It was found that CCCSNs within the carbon black matrix were processed well with bamboo fiber-plastic blends through mixing and injection molding. The materials enhanced composite strength and modulus-related properties. Composites with CCCSNs and natural fibers reduced heat capacity and thermal diffusivity. Composites with CCCSN materials also enhanced termite and mold performance. Thus, the material can be used as additive for plastics and other polymers to modify strength properties, biological resistance (e.g., mold and stain), and thermal conductivity properties.