Volume 7 Issue 4

Previous preliminary studies showed good efficacy of treatments based on a mixture of siloxane materials, functionalized with amino groups and coupled with copper, against the brown rot fungus Coniophora puteana (Palanti et al. 2011). In the present work, a one-step impregnation was performed on two sets of samples differing in size, in order to verify and compare the homogeneity of treatments. Leaching and resistance against brown rot and white rot fungi were also tested according to European standards EN 84 and EN 113, respectively. Furthermore, an accelerated test of efficacy against fungal decay was also used for determining the treatment efficacy. The obtained results made it possible to validate the findings of the preliminary study concerning resistance of the treated wood against C. puteana, while extending them to the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor. In contrast, no protection was conferred by the treatment against the copper-tolerant fungus Poria placenta.

Cellulose nano-whiskers were used to enhance the performance of soybean meal-based adhesive. Soybean meal flour, cellulose nano-whiskers (CNW), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were used to develop different adhesive formulations. The effect of adhesive components on water resistance of the adhesive was measured on the three-ply plywood (three cycle soak test). The viscosity and solid content of the adhesive were measured. The cross section of the cured adhesives was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of the hot press parameters on the water resistance of the plywood bonded by soybean meal/CNW/NaOH/PEG adhesive was investigated. The results showed that using the CNW in the adhesive formulation improved the water resistance of the plywood by 20%. The plywood bonded by the soybean meal/CNW/NaOH/PEG adhesive met the interior plywood requirement (2000 (ANSI/HPVA HP-1)). Fewer holes and cracks, as well as a smooth surface were observed on the cross section of the cured adhesive after the incorporation of CNW. In the hot press process, the water resistance of the plywood bonded by the soybean meal/CNW/NaOH/PEG adhesive increased as the hot press temperature and time increased.

A thermally fusible softwood lignin was directly isolated by a solvolysis of cedar wood chips with a mixture of polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) and sulfuric acid. Its fusibility was found to be due to a PEG moiety introduced into the lignin by the solvolysis. The lignin was easily formed into fibers by melt-spinning at temperatures ranging from 145 to 172 ºC without any modification. The lignin fibers could be converted into infusible fibers as a precursor for carbon fibers (CFs) by conventional oxidative thermal stabilization processing in air or a stream of oxygen for 2 days. We found that the infusible fibers resulted from the partial cleavage of the PEG moiety from the lignin fibers after treatment with 6 M hydrochloric acid at 100 ºC for 2 h. The infusible fibers were converted into CFs with a tensile strength of 450 MPa by carbonization at 1000 ºC under a N2 stream.

Four chimeric xylanolytic enzymes were formed by fusion of a thermally stable xylanase XynCDBFV either to the N-terminus or C-terminus of a thermally stable acetylxylan esterase AxeS20E, with or without a Gly-rich flexible linker (S2). The three-dimensional (3D) structures of the chimeric enzymes were predicted using the I-TASSER server, and the results indicated that the structures of Axe-S2-Xyn and Xyn-S2-Axe were more similar to the native structures than were those of Axe-Xyn and Xyn-Axe. Axe-S2-Xyn and Xyn-S2-Axe were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by means of affinity chromatography. Response surface modeling (RSM), combined with central composite design (CCD) and regression analysis, was then employed to optimize the xylanase activities of the chimeric enzymes. Under the optimal conditions, Xyn-S2-Axe had greater hydrolytic activities on natural xylans and rice straw than did the parental enzymes. These results suggested that the chimeric enzyme Xyn-S2-Axe could be effective at hydrolyzing xylan in biomass and that it has potential to be used in a range of biotechnological applications.

A field study involving wheat production was extended in order to study the effects of biochar (BC) amendment in paddy soil that had long-term contamination of Cd. The BC was used as an amendment in Cd-contaminated soil for its special property. BC was amended at rates of 10 to 40 t ha-1 during the rice season before rice transplantation in 2009. BC amendments increased soil pH by 0.11 to 0.24 and by 0.09 to 0.24 units, respectively, while the soil CaCl2-extracted Cd was reduced by 10.1% to 40.2% and by 10.0% to 57.0% in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Consequently, the total wheat Cd uptake was decreased by 16.8% to 37.3% and by 6.5% to 28.3%. Wheat grain Cd concentration was reduced by 24.8% to 44.2% and by 14.0% to 39.2% in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The BC application in soil reduced Cd phyto-availability in two wheat seasons possibly by raising soil pH and soil organic carbon (SOC). Therefore, BC may be used for soil remediation, but not to reduce Cd uptake to an adequate level for food production on Cd contaminated soils.

This study investigates the effects of filler loading on the properties of rattan powder-filled polypropylene composites. The composites were prepared by incorporating rattan powder of average size 180 µm into polypropylene matrix using a Polydrive Thermo Haake internal mixer. Filler loadings of the rattan powders ranged between 0 and 40 parts per hundred parts of resin (phr). Mechanical, morphological, and thermal properties were studied. The tensile strength, elongation at tensile failure, and impact strength decreased, while stabilization torque, thermal stability, and water absorption increased with increasing filler loading. Tensile modulus increased with addition of rattan powder and eventually decreased at 40 phr filler loading due to the weakening adhesion between the filler and the matrix. The morphological studies of fractured surfaces using SEM confirmed the deterioration in tensile properties.

Bamboo’s ability to grow on nutrient-poor soils, with little requirement of silvicultural management, easy harvesting characteristics, vegetative propagation, fast growth, and a host of other desirable characteristics, make it a good candidate as an energy crop. Energy crops are cultivated solely for use as sources of energy through their conversion into alcohols. This study set out to determine the potential of moso bamboo to be used in the two-stage organosolv and alkali pretreatment for the production of bioethanol. Moso bamboo contains 63.3% (w/w) holocellulose and can serve as a low-cost feedstock for bioethanol production. After organosolv pretreatment (2% w/w H2SO4 in 75% w/w ethanol, 160 °C for 30 min), the bamboo was further delignified through pretreatment of sodium hydroxide (10% and 20% w/w) or calcium hydroxide (10% w/w), which resulted in about 96.5% (NaOH) and 85.7% (Ca(OH)2) lignin removal. The enzymatic hydrolysis of delignified cellulosic bamboo substrate with cellulase (15 FPU/g glucan) and β-glucosidase (30 IU/g glucan) showed 80.9% to 95.5% saccharification after 48 h incubation at 50 °C and pH 4.8. Fermentation of enzymatic hydrolysates with Saccharomyces cerevisiae resulted in about 89.1% to 92.0% of the corresponding theoretical ethanol yield after 24 h.

Acoustic panels are used to overcome noise problems; the purpose of this study was to determine the acoustical properties of particleboard made from Betung bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper). The acoustic parameters measured were the transmission loss (TL) value and sound absorption coefficient. Particleboards of two different densities (0.5 g/cm³ and 0.8 g/cm³) that were made with three particle sizes (fine, medium, and wool or excelsior) were used in this study. The sound TL value was measured in a reverberation room, while the sound absorption coefficient was determined using the impedance tube method. A single-number rating of sound transmission class (STC) was determined based on TL measurements. The results showed that sound TL and STC values of medium-density particleboard (0.8 g/cm³) were better than low-density (0.5 g/cm³) board. However, low-density particleboard performed well as sound absorber panels. Generally, the boards absorbed sound at low (< 500 Hz) and high frequency ranges (> 1000 Hz) and reflected sound at middle frequencies. The sound absorption coefficient was better with the fine- and medium-sized particles than with the wool size; meanwhile, boards made from wool- or excelsior-sized particles possessed higher TL and STC values.

The safety of wood-plastic planks based on predicted modulus of rupture (MOR) is presented in this paper. Three different nondestructive testing (NDT) methods were used as checking tools for dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOE) of wood-plastic planks. The MOR was determined by a three-point bending test. The regression relationship between various dynamic MOE and MOR was evaluated to predict MOR of other identical wood-plastic planks. Furthermore, improved first-order second-moment (FOSM) method was used to analyze reliabilities based on measured and predicted MOR, and evaluate safety of them in service. Results indicated that reliabilities of other identical wood-plastic planks based on predicted and measured MOR were almost the same. The greatest difference between them was 0.01%; therefore, their reliability could be analyzed by predicted MOR.

This study investigated carbohydrate dissolution during tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol/hydrochloric acid (THFA/HCl) pulping of rice straw, and reaction kinetics equations were derived. For both cellulose and hemicellulose fractions, dissolution during pulping could be separated into two phases. In the initial stage, or phase I, of cellulose dissolution, small amounts were solubilized. In phase II, when delignification reached a level of approximately 85%, along with increases in HCl concentration and cooking temperature, cellulose dissolution accelerated. The dissolution rate of hemicellulose also accelerated. However, the phase I dissolution rate was faster than the phase II rate. From the dissolution rates of carbohydrates (i.e., cellulose and hemicellulose), the activation energies and frequency factors were then calculated, and the reaction kinetic equations were derived. Comparing the experimental data with the predicted data, the pulp compositions, regardless of the contents of lignin, hemicellulose, or cellulose, all showed a high degree of correlation (R2 > 0.99), thus proving that the derived kinetic equations were applicable to the process rationalization of THFA/HCl pulping of rice straw and in the control of pulp chemical compositions.