Volume 9 Issue 2

Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize dilute alkaline pretreatment conditions for the maximum glucose yield of poppy stalk, with respect to NaOH concentration (1.0 to 3.5%, w/v), pretreatment temperature (50 to 100 °C), and pretreatment time (10 to 110 min). Recovery of glucan ranged from 61.02% to 99.14%, based on the initial glucan in the raw material. The highest lignin removal (43.43%) was obtained at the pretreatment conditions of 90 °C and 3.50% NaOH for 90 min. The optimum pretreatment conditions for maximum glucose yield after enzymatic hydrolysis were found to be 2.40% w/v NaOH, 70 min, and 80 °C. Under these conditions, experimental glucose and xylose yields were 499.35 mg/g glucan and 498.66 mg xylose/g xylan, respectively.

A lignin-based quaternary amine anion exchanger (LQAE) modified from raw lignin was synthesized after the reaction with epichlorohydrin and triethylamine using an NaOH solution as the basic solvent. The reaction mechanism of the experiment was explored and validated. Effect of reaction conditions on the preparation of LQAE were investigated. The performance of the LQAE was characterized by FTIR, SEM, and elemental analysis. The adsorption rate and yield were the measurable indicators, and when the NaOH concentration was 6 M, the nitrate adsorption capacity and the yield were 36.7 mg nitrate/g anion exchanger lignin and 123.6%, respectively.

The lumber ofEucalyptusurophylla×E. camaldulensis was heat-treated at either 180, 190, 200, or 210 ºC for 3 h. According to the national forestry standard methods for evaluating the machining properties of lumber, the machining properties (including planing, sanding, boring, mortising, shaping, and turning) of heat-treated and untreated control samples were investigated. The results indicated that the machining properties of the lumbers were improved after heat treatment. In the machining comprehensive evaluation system (top score is 10 points), the scores of the control and heat-treated samples at 180, 190, 200, and 210 ºC were 4.74, 7.76, 8.08, 7.46, and 6.96 points, respectively. A temperature of 190 ºC was thus optimal for the comprehensive machining properties when heat-treatment was used to modify the machinability of E.urophylla×E.camaldulensis wood.

The chemical compositions of cotton stalk and bast are similar to those of hardwood and superior to those of grass fiber. With respect to the morphological characteristics of their fibers, cotton stalk is similar to hardwood and cotton bast is similar to softwood. The average length of cotton bast fibers is nearly triple that of cotton stalk fibers, and the length-to-width ratio is almost quadruple. Traditionally, cotton stalk and cotton bast are pulped together, which affects the quality and homogeneity of the pulp and complicates bleaching, limiting its use to low-grade paper. In this study, cotton bast and cotton stalk were separated and pulped individually by alkaline peroxide extrusion pulping (APEP). The orthogonal analytical method was used to determine the optimal pulping parameters. Compared to those obtained via the kraft pulp (KP) of cotton stalk as a whole, far superior yield and whiteness were obtained in APEP. Further, with APEP, lower amounts of chemicals and less energy were consumed and there was little pollution. The physical performance of APEP was slightly lower than that of KP. With respect to bast alone, the physical performance of APEP was almost as good as that of KP.

Ethanol production in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process using waste textiles as feedstock was studied. The dissolution pretreatment of waste textiles in ortho-phosphoric acid resulted in at least 2 fold improvement in enzymatic hydrolysis rate and reducing sugar yield. The reducing sugars obtained from dyed or discolored waste textiles by cellulase hydrolysis demonstrated no inhibitory effect on ethanol fermentation activity of Zymomonas mobilis employed in SSF. SSF with a high waste textile loading (75 g L^-1) could still be operable due to the fast liquefaction of the pretreated substrate via enzymatic hydrolysis. Approximately 50 g L^-1 ethanol was achieved within 24 h. In addition to 100% cotton textiles, the 40/60 polyester/cotton (T/C) blend waste textile could also be pretreated under the same condition to achieve the comparable ethanol production yield (~0.4 g EtOH g^-1 glucose) from its cotton fraction in SSF.

ChineseAbutilon theophrasti fiber (AF) ranks first in the world for yield; however, its application in the textile field is limited due to its characteristics. In this study, AF was used to reinforce high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Mechanical property tests, observations of the internal combination, creep behavior, and resistance to accelerate ultraviolet (UV) aging were conducted on these composites with different mass ratios. The results showed that the addition of the fiber could improve the impact resistance of the AF/HDPE composites. However, when the additive fiber content was > 60%, the flexural properties and resistance to creep deformation of the composites significantly decreased. Under the same conditions, the hygroscopic properties of the composites increased. After exposure to accelerated UV aging, the flexural strength of the composites decreased, but their impact resistance slightly improved. Infrared analysis demonstrated that lignin and other botanical compositions induced oxidative degradation in the composites. When the fiber-to-HDPE mass ratio was 60:40, the properties of the material were optimal.

Agricultural production in Malaysia has been continually growing. Most of the agricultural waste has been discarded or burnt on land; however, these agricultural wastes can serve as a feedstock for biochar production, which contributes an insignificant net amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere after soil incorporation. Three kinds of primary biochar were used in this study: empty fruit bunch biochar (EFB), wood biochar (WB), and rice husk biochar (RHB). EFB and WB were produced by slow pyrolysis, whereas RHB was produced by gasification. This study aimed to understand how pyrolysis technologies of native feedstocks impact the chemical characteristics and short-term soil stability of biochar. The kinetic parameters of C-mineralization suggested a tri-phasic C-mineralization process (labile, unstable, and recalcitrant carbon). The estimates indicated the existence of a very labile C-fraction in RHB with a very small decay constant K3. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction showed the three phases of the biochar, from the microcrystalline C of the labile fraction to the largely amorphous intermediate C of the unstable fraction, and lastly the formation of turbostratic crystallite C in the recalcitrant fraction. It has been concluded that RHB had a higher degree of aromaticity and greater stability, and therefore should be more recalcitrant to biological and chemical degradation.

The purpose of this study was to determine the pyrolysis characteristics and gas properties of woody biomass and coal. The main gases from the pyrolysis of biomass, coal, and mixtures of different ratios of the two were identified using TGA-FTIR. The evolution of gases and their characteristics were investigated in real time. Thermal analysis demonstrated that the biomass sources decomposed easily and that most of their weight was lost under lower temperatures than those of coal. TGA-FTIR analysis indicated that H2, CO2, CH4, and CO were the dominant gases released during the pyrolysis of biomass and mixtures. The results indicated that woody biomass could enhance coal pyrolysis or gasification and different types of biomass could have different influences on the thermal behavior of coal.

Statistical models and optimization of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. wood and bark delignification were achieved using response surface methodology (RSM). A central composite design was outlined to model the simultaneous influence of active alkali (AA), reaction temperature (T), and reaction time (t) on pulp yield (η) and kappa number (k) during the kraft pulping of wood and bark. Experimental results were fitted to a second-order polynomial with linear interaction of factors. The statistical models showed high coefficients of determination for both wood (R2η = 0.991, R2k = 0.975) and bark (R2η = 0.993, R2k = 0.984). Using these models, the optimum conditions to attain a pulp with the highest yield at an acceptable kappa number (below 17) were determined. For wood, the pulp yield was 51.6% (51.5% predicted) and the kappa number was 16.1 (16.9 predicted) under optimized conditions (AA = 21%, T = 151 ºC, and t = 118 min). For bark, the pulp yield was 51.3% (51.0% predicted) and the kappa number was 19.4 (16.9 predicted) under optimized conditions (AA = 15%, T = 166 ºC, and t = 114 min). The degree of polymerization (DP) of the carbohydrates for the optimized pulps, 1430 and 1151 for wood and bark, respectively, suggests low levels of polysaccharide degradation. The bark delignification showed similar behavior to wood.

Binderless fiberboards were made from oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) empty fruit bunches with two treatments: steam explosion and Fenton reagent oxidation. Fiberboards were prepared with a targeted density of 1.20 g/cm³ and a thickness of 4 mm. A factorial experimental design 22 with two center repetitions and one repetition was applied for each treatment. The oil palm waste was oxidized with Fenton reagent using a H2O2/Fe²⁺ ratio of 2%/0.2% to 4%/0.4% and a pressing temperature of 170 to 190 °C. Steam explosion was carried out at a severity factor of 3.5 to 4.0 at the same pressing temperature. Both treatments were examined under two major response variables: mechanical properties (modulus of rupture, MOR, and modulus of elasticity, MOE) and physical properties (thickness swelling, TS, and water absorption, WA). Steam-exploded samples developed better physico-mechanical properties than those that underwent Fenton reagent oxidation. The best results were obtained from fiberboards treated with the highest steam explosion design conditions (severity 4 and pressing temperature 190 °C) to give optimum values of MOE 3100.09 MPa, MOR 28.49 MPa, TS 11.80%, and WA 22.74%. Binderless fiberboards made from steam explosion-treated pulp satisfied favorably well the Colombian Standard NTC 2261.