Volume 9 Issue 2

A detailed study was undertaken to examine the color and chemistry changes of pine wood flour when its extractives are removed and when it is delignified. The solvent systems employed were toluene/ethanol (TE), acetone/water (AW), and hot-water (HW), while sodium chlorite/acetic acid were used for delignification (i.e., lignin removal (LR)). Samples were analyzed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopy, and colorimetry. The study demonstrated that color parameters (i.e., CIE L*a*b*) were only slightly affected by the removal of extractives, but changed noticeably when extractions were followed by delignification. TE extraction was more effective at removing the yellow colored substances, whereas AW mostly removed red colored substances that contained C=O groups. Inclusion of a HW extraction step after extraction with AW (AW-HW) removed components that contained conjugated C=O structures. Inclusion of a delignification step after extraction with AW followed by HW extraction (AW-HW-LR) was effective at removing yellow substances that contained non-conjugated C=O groups.

A wood-based composite was prepared via simple electroless Ni-Cu-P plating on birch veneer for EMI shielding. The effects of CuSO4·5H2O concentration on the metal deposition, elemental composition, phase structure, surface morphology, wettability, surface resistivity, and shielding effectiveness of coatings were investigated. The coatings were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When the CuSO4·5H2O concentration was increased from 0.6 g/L to 2.2 g/L, the metal deposition was decreased from 79.61 g/m2 to 66.44 g/m2. Elemental composition showed that the copper content in the coating increased significantly, whereas the nickel content was reduced significantly and the phosphorus content was slightly reduced. The crystallinity of coatings increased, and fine-grain structure was observed, with higher copper content. Ni-Cu-P deposition improved the hydrophobic properties when the maximum static contact angle increased from 77.5° to 116.5°/cm2, and the EMI shielding effectiveness of Ni-Cu-P-coated veneers was higher than 60 dB in frequencies ranging from 9 kHz to 1.5 GHz.

The present work inspects the preparation of bio-composites of cassava starch with particles of eucalyptus wood through the application of a novel method of thermal compression. Bio-composites with different amounts of wood particles (5 to 30%), with particle sizes of 4 and 8 mm, were obtained. Chemical and mechanical evaluation of these samples was carried out using optical microscopy, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the moisture absorption effect. The effect of the amount and size of the wood particles was tested by comparison with a thermoplastic matrix sample. Results from these evaluations demonstrated that the thermo-compression method produced bio-composites with a distribution of particles in the matrix that contributed to an increase in their tensile strength. This mechanical property is also enhanced by interfacial adhesion between the matrix and particles, as confirmed by SEM. Furthermore, the maximum amount of particles in the bio-composites (30%) showed the maximum resistance to moisture absorption. Temperature and time parameters contributed to the formation of diffraction patterns VH and EH as a consequence of the structural disruption of native starch. Finally, FTIR showed the chemical compatibility between the starch, glycerol, and wood particles.

The effects of assembly time on the properties of plywood were investigated in detail in this study. Three-layer plywood was fabricated, and its wet shear strength and formaldehyde emission were measured. The assembly time was varied to create three different assembly conditions (A, B, and C). The assembly condition A consisted of UF resin mixed with NH4Cl and kept for 0 to 8 h before gluing; the assembly condition B consisted of glued veneer kept in the open air for 0 to 8 h; and the assembly condition C consisted of glued veneer pre-pressed for 0 to 8 h before hot-pressing. The thermal behavior of the adhesive applied through varying assembly times was tested by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results showed that the plywood prepared under condition C exhibited the highest wet shear strength, which was 37% and 18% higher than those under conditions A and B, respectively. The plywood prepared under condition C exhibited the lowest formaldehyde emission, which was 32% and 16% lower than those under conditions A and B, respectively. The DSC results indicated that the curing process consisted of three sections and that the rate of the curing reaction was the fastest in the first section and was similar in the latter two sections.

A superabsorbent resin (SAR) synthesized from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) by grafting acrylic acid (AA) was studied using single-factor analysis. The optimum preparation conditions were as follows: plasma discharge power of 250 W, processing time of 90 s, pressure of 300 Pa, m(CMC):m(AA) ratio of 1:9, m(K2S2O8):m(CMC) ratio of 1:4, and neutralization degree of 40%. Under these conditions, the resin has a salt water absorbency of 38.5 g/g and a stable chlorine dioxide solution absorbency of 27.2 g/g. The structural characterization of the SAR was also studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and differential scanning colorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the resin was synthesized by grafting copolymerization of CMC and AA, and the water absorbency and thermal stability of the resin were greatly improvedcompared to CMC alone. This method may provide a new way for high value-added utilization of bagasse.

Hydrothermal pretreatment of corncobs in aqueous media under non-isothermal conditions is an effective means for solubilizing hemicellulose fractions and improving cellulose hydrolysis. The effects of a range of pretreatment severities (temperatures of 170 to 230 °C) on the conversion of corncobs into fermentable sugars were examined. The major differences between the conversions of untreated and pretreated corncobs were the dissolution of hemicelluloses into the prehydrolyzate and the partial removal and relocation of lignin on the external surface of biomass particles (in the form of recondensed droplets) in the pretreated corncobs. Hemicellulose dissolution increased with pretreatment temperature. The maximum sugar recovery (272.3 g/kg raw material) and the minimum accumulation of inhibitory compounds in the prehydrolyzate were observed following treatment at 190 °C. While the fibrils of the untreated raw material remained largely intact, serious disruption of the cell wall was observed in SEM images of the surfaces of pretreated samples. Accordingly, the cellulose digestibilities of residues increased from 26.8% for the raw material to almost 100% for the 190 °C-treated sample. It was concluded that low severity hydrothermal pretreatment can be successfully applied to corncobs to obtain high cellulose digestibility while operating at low enzyme charges.

Autohydrolysis of Eucalyptus globulus both with and without the addition of 5 g/L formic acid was explored for different liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratios at 150 ºC for 100 min. The L/S ratio has an impact on the dissolution of wood components during prehydrolysis. The extraction yield of wood components other than lignin decreased with increasing L/S ratio, while lignin removal increased with increasing L/S ratio, irrespective of acid reinforcement. The molecular weight (Mw) of dissolved hemicelluloses and lignin remained relatively constant. The average degree of polymerization of hemicelluloses isolated from the hot water extract was between 7 and 8 over a L/S ratio range from 3:1 to 50:1. The cellulose to glucose conversion yield of pretreated wood samples improved during prehydrolysis with 5 g/L formic acid. Although the conversion yield of autohydrolyzed wood meal stayed relatively constant, the conversion yield of dilute acid-pretreated wood samples increased with increasing L/S ratio.

The aims of this study were to introduce a new laboratory microwave device developed for the modification of wood properties and to examine the effect of microwave radiation on moisture loss, surface temperature, and mechanical properties (the static modulus of elasticity – MOE, and the modulus of rupture – MOR) of Norway spruce (Picea abies). The device was developed for a continuous modification process. The microwave (MW) generator works at a frequency of 2450 MHz, and the adjusted output ranges from 0.6 to 6 kW. The experiment was based on four different modes of MW modification, each of them with a varied generator output and conveyor speed. Regarding mechanical properties, the results showed that a feasible output for the MW modification of the samples was up to 3 kW, with a conveyor speed of around 0.4 m/min. The greatest moisture loss, approximately 40%, was found in the group treated at 5 kW and 0.2 m/min. The highest surface temperature, 87 °C, was measured in the group treated at 5 kW and 0.4 m/min after the second passage through the modification chamber.

Copper-based compounds are some of the most important biocides for the protection of wood in heavy duty applications. In the past, copper was combined with chromium compounds to reduce copper leaching, but a recent generation of copper-based preservatives uses ethanolamine as a fixative. To elucidate the leaching of copper biocides from wood, Norway spruce (Picea abies) wood was treated with a commercial copper-ethanolamine solution with two different copper concentrations (cCu = 0.125% and 0.25%). The aim of this research was to compare the laboratory leaching standards (ENV 1250-2, CEN/TS 15119-1, and CEN/TS 15119-2) with the field leaching studies in ground and above ground. The results indicated that the first leaching peak appears in the initial phases of leaching, both in laboratory and field studies. The degree of copper leaching is also affected by the method of treatment; copper-ethanolamine preservative solutions, when applied with superficial treatments, are more prone to leaching than is vacuum-pressure treated wood. On average, between 25% and 36% of copper was leached from the impregnated wood after 42 months of exposure.

The reaction kinetics of gasification are important for the design of gasifiers using biomass feedstocks, such as lignin, produced in biorefinery processes. Condensed and uncondensed lignin samples used in the present study were prepared using the SEW (SO2-ethanol-water) fractionation process applied to spruce wood chips: the dissolved lignin is precipitated during the recovery of SO2 and ethanol from the spent fractionation liquor. The gasification of char made from condensed and uncondensed SEW lignin was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at atmospheric pressure using either CO2 or steam. The main aim of this study was to quantify the reaction rate during the gasification process, which was found to be best described as zero-order. All experiments were performed at constant temperatures between 700 and 1050 °C to obtain the necessary information for describing the reaction rate equation in an Arrhenius form; the heating rate was 20 °C/min for both samples. The experiments led to almost similar results for both samples. The activation energies of CO2 gasification were approximately 160 kJ/mol and 170 kJ/mol for uncondensed and condensed lignin char, respectively. The activation energies of steam gasification were approximately 90 kJ/mol and 100 kJ/mol for uncondensed and condensed lignin char, respectively.