Volume 9 Issue 4

Effects of volatiles from Pistacia chinensis Bunge and Juniperus chinensis cv. Kaizuka on human emotions were investigated. The volatiles were analyzed using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Human emotions were defined and measured using several physiological indices, including oxygen saturation of blood (OSB), finger temperature (FT), pulmonary ventilation volume (PVV), and electrocardiograph (ECG). These indices were measured using a multi-conductive physiology technique. The results showed that after participants had inhaled volatiles from P. chinensis Bunge, their OSB and FT decreased significantly (P＜0.05) in comparison to the control group, while the PVV increased. After inhaling the volatiles from J. chinensis cv. Kaizuka, the OSB and FT increased, while the PVV decreased. In addition, women’s FT and PVV and men’s OSB and PVV differed significantly from those of the control group (P＜0.05). Some ECG indices were also affected by the inhalation of volatiles. These results indicated that people tend to feel more excited or nervous when in the presence of P. chinensis Bunge, and more relaxed and comfortable while in the presence of J. chinensis cv. Kaizuka.

To investigate the removal of Congo red (CR) from an aqueous solution using cassava residue, a novel process incorporating adsorption and in vivo decolorization was proposed. The conditions and characteristics of CR adsorption on cassava residue were investigated by batch adsorption experiments. Langmuir and pseudo-second order models were found to fit well with the data of equilibrium adsorption and kinetics adsorption, respectively. The adsorption was affected considerably by the adsorbent (cassava residue) dosage and CR concentration. The maximum adsorptive capacity was 59.2 mg/g (mCR/mcassava residue), calculated by the Langmuir model. Then, CR-loaded cassava residue was further decolorized via an in vivo process by Trametes sp. SYBC-L4 . The laccase produced by Trametes sp. SYBC-L4 effectively decolorized CR, which was revealed by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The moisture content affected the performance of in vivo decolorization considerably. Decolorization of 81.6 ± 2.4% was achieved under the conditions of pH 5.5, temperature 30 °C, and moisture content of 60% after 16 days of cultivation. Moreover, analyses of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy indicated that the carbonyl (C=O), hydroxyl (-OH), and amino (-NH) groups in cassava residue were the potential adsorption sites for interaction with CR and that the structure of cassava residue was modified in the process of in vivo decolorization.

There is much research on nanomaterial from natural polymer because of its biocompatibility, abundance, and non-toxicity. This work is devoted to the study of free radical scavenging activities (FRSA) of nanoscale lignin biomaterials, which are recognized as promising natural antioxidants. The nanoscale lignin biomaterials were prepared from alkaline lignin by a solution-precipitation method with either ethylene glycol (NL1) or alkaline solution (NL2). Structural analysis of the nanoscale lignin biomaterials were conducted by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), laser particle size analyzer, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), potentiometric titration, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results indicated that NL2 had a smaller average particle size (278±13 nm) than NL1 (375±18 nm) and contained more phenolic hydroxyl groups (2.35±0.11 mmol/g) and had a lower weight-average molecular weight (Mw=6510±320). The FRSA of the biomaterials towards hydroxyl free radicals were measured and compared with the alkaline lignin. Some structure-activity relationships were proposed based on the analysis of experiment data, which revealed NL2 (IC50=0.18±0.01 mg/mL) had a 3.33 fold higher activity than NL1 (IC50=0.60±0.05 mg/mL), which could be attributed to the smaller particle size, more phenolic hydroxyl group, and lower weight-average molecular weight.

The effect of ammonia pretreatment on the anaerobic digestion performance of rice straw was investigated. The rice straw was pretreated with four different moisture contents (30%, 50%, 70%, and 90%) and three concentrations of ammonia (2%, 4%, and 6%). The results showed that the anaerobic digestion achieved best performance for the rice straw pretreated by ammonia concentration of 4% and moisture content of 70%, and biogas yield achieved the highest value (396.92 mL·g^-1 total solid ), which was 21.9% higher than that of the untreated rice straw. Higher moisture was recommended as it could increase system stability, shorten anaerobic digestion time, and increase biogas production. The composition analyses indicated that ammonia pretreatment could effectively destroy the chemical structure of lignocellulose, and partially decompose cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose and hemicellulose were converted by 79.2% and 63.2%, respectively, at optimal ammonia amount and moisture content. The ammonia pretreatment proved to be a simple and effective methods to improve the anaerobic digestion performance of rice straw.

The preparation of silica by an alkaline-heating and precipitation method from corn straw ash (CSA) obtained from a biomass power plant was the focus of this study. Sodium hydroxide was used as the silica extraction reagent, and H2SO4 was the precipitator. The concentration of sodium hydroxide solution was confirmed to have a significant influence on the production of sodium silicate from CSA. The optimum technological parameters for the preparation of sodium silicate and the suitable parameters for the preparation of silica were obtained by experiments and analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used for confirming that the as-obtained silica has characteristic IR absorption peaks of typical hydrated silicon dioxide. The microstructures of the as-obtained silica products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Comparison using HG/T3061 (2009) standards, and the characteristics of silica products were used to estimate whether the as-obtained silica products reached market requirements. The results show that the silica products are superior to the standard requirements and have a large market potential.

A total of 120 Acacia melanoxylon R. Br. (Australian blackwood) stem discs, belonging to 20 trees from four sites in Portugal, were used in this study. The samples were kraft pulped under standard identical conditions targeted to a Kappa number of 15. A Near Infrared (NIR) partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was developed for the Kappa number prediction using 75 pulp samples with a narrow Kappa number variation range of 10 to 17. Very good correlations between NIR spectra of A. melanoxylon pulps and Kappa numbers were obtained. Besides the raw spectra, also pre-processed spectra with ten methods were used for PLS analysis (cross validation with 48 samples), and a test set validation was made with 27 samples. The first derivative spectra in the wavenumber range from 6110 to 5440 cm-1 yielded the best model with a root mean square error of prediction of 0.4 units of Kappa number, a coefficient of determination of 92.1%, and two PLS components, with the ratios of performance to deviation (RPD) of 3.6 and zero outliers. The obtained NIR-PLSR model for Kappa number determination is sufficiently accurate to be used in screening programs and in quality control.

A systematic study was conducted on Phyllostachys pubescens by analyzing the chemical constituents of its rhizome and culm at different ages. Our results indicated that the ash contents of the rhizome and culm of P. pubescens at different ages showed the largest coefficient of variation (CV), followed by alcohol benzene extractives. The CVs of acid-insoluble lignin, holocellulose, HNO3-C2H5OH cellulose, and pentosan were relatively small. Analysis of t-tests indicated that significant differences were found in the contents of extractives, acid-insoluble lignin, holocellulose, and ash of rhizome and culm (p < 0.05). The differences in contents of HNO3-C2H5OH cellulose and pentosan were not significant. Analysis of multiplicity showed that the contents of HNO3-C2H5OH cellulose, pentosan, and ash were not significantly different in bamboos at the ages examined. Likewise, the contents of lignin, alcohol benzene extractives, and holocellulose exhibited no significant difference between one-year-old and three-year-old bamboos. However, the differences in these parameters between five-year-old bamboos and one- and three-year-old bamboos were all statistically significant. Our results suggest that three-year-old P. pubescens is suitable for use as a raw material for papermaking. In addition, our findings provide a theoretical basis for effective utilization of P. pubescens and enhancement of its value.

The thermal conversion of rice straw is an attractive option for recovering its energy, but the process requires exhaustive control because of ash-related problems. Straw washing is one method of reducing ash-related problems and improving combustion behaviour. In this study, the ash of washed and unwashed rice straw samples was chemically characterized, tested using thermogravimetric analysis and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and subjected to higher combustion temperatures in a muffle furnace. Results showed that silicon was the most important component in the ash. Furthermore, a reduction in undesirable inorganic compounds related to ash problems, such as chlorine and potassium, was achieved by washing the straw samples. This practice could improve thermal behaviour and decrease the sintering formation of ash.

Bamboo-bundle laminated veneer lumber (BLVL) was produced by joint lengthening technology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of joint form and the values of key parameters on mechanical properties of BLVL. Two joint forms, i.e., finger joint and scarf joint, and two corresponding joint parameters, i.e., finger length and scarf angle, were investigated in laminates. The results indicated that the mechanical properties of jointed BLVL were reduced in comparison to those of BLVL without joints. For finger-joint form, the BLVL member with 14 mm fingers achieved better compressive strength, bending modulus of rupture (MOR), and tensile strength than 19 and 25 mm ones. For scarf-joint form, the 30° scarf-jointed member exhibited the highest bending modulus and tensile modulus of rupture (MOR) in this study, then followed the 45° and 60° ones. The 60° scarf-jointed BLVLs were better than 30° and 45° groups in compression strength. Synthesis of the testing results revealed that finger-jointed BLVLs achieved better bending modulus of rupture than scarf-jointed ones.

Feruloyl oligosaccharide 1 (FO1) and feruloyl oligosaccharide 2 (FO2) were produced from wheat bran fermented by Aureobasidium pullulans (A. pullulans) through one- and two-stage temperature and pH controlling processes, respectively. Here the anti-tumor and immunostimulatory functions of FO1 and FO2 were further examined. Both FO1 and FO2 inhibited the growth of cancer cells but were non-toxic to normal cells in vitro. In S180 tumor-bearing mice, both FO1 and FO2 significantly inhibited the growth of transplanted tumors and promoted thymus, spleen indexes, interferon-γ, and interleukin-3 production. They also increased peripheral leukocyte count and bone-marrow cellularity. The biological activity of FOs prepared by different processes was further determined. Interestingly, FO2 possessed more potent anti-tumor and immunostimulatory effect than FO1 in a dose-dependent manner. At a dose of 250 mg/kg, the tumor inhibition rates for FO1 and FO2 were 22.42% and 44.85%, respectively. These antitumor properties of FOs may be mediated by their beneficial effects on immunity responses. These data suggest that FOs from wheat bran may be used as anti-tumor agents in the future.