Volume 12 Issue 2

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was prepared from the residue of the incomplete liquefaction of eucalyptus sawdust; atmospheric liquefaction was carried out using ethylene glycol as the solvent and 1-(4-sulfobutyl)-3-methylimidazolium hydrosulfate as the catalyst. The highest cellulose content in the residue reached 93.9%. The MCC prepared from liquefaction was characterized by various techniques, which included infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermo-gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The results were compared to those of a commercial MCC (cotton linters). The analyses indicated that hemicelluloses and lignin were removed extensively from the MCC produced from the sawdust. The MCC was a cellulose I polymorph with 79.0% crystallinity. The particles were shaped as elongated rods and had good thermal stability. The particle sizes of the produced MCC ranged from 1 µm to 100 µm with a mean of 38.6 µm.

To achieve a deeper and more uniform impregnation of water-soluble phosphorous-based fire retardants (WPFRs), in this work several physical pretreatment methods were developed including kerfing, boring, and the combination of both for structural square-wood posts in wooden buildings. Research was performed on three wood species, sugi (Cryptomeria japonica), larch (Larix olgensis), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco), which are generally recognized as refractory wood species. The effects of pretreatment method on chemical uptake, chemical penetration, and mechanical properties were evaluated. The methods were compared with the incising method, a traditional method used for wood preservation. The results indicated that the pretreatments effectively increased the chemical uptake and penetration, especially in larch wood. Although the traditional incising method also increased the chemical uptake, it decreased the modulus of rupture (MOR) and compressive strength. The boring and combined method with a boring diameter less than 12 mm are recommended for WPFR wood impregnation.

The optimization of the process conditions for fire retardant ultra-low density fiberboards (ULDFs) was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). Three parameters, namely those of Borax-Zinc-Silicate-Aluminum (B-Zn-Si-Al), chlorinated paraffin (CP), and chloride-vinyl chloride emulsions (PVDC) were chosen as variables. The considerably high R2 value (99.98%) indicated the statistical significance of the model. The optimal process conditions for the limiting oxygen index (LOI) were determined by analyzing the response surface’s three-dimensional surface plot and contour plot, and by solving the regression model equation with Design Expert software. The Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to optimize the process conditions, which showed that the most favorable dosages of B-Zn-Si-Al, CP, and PVDC were 800 mL, 46.47 mL, and 35.64 g, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the maximum LOI was 48.4.

Pine wood was pretreated with H2SO4 and NaOH, followed by liquefaction in methanol at temperatures ranging from 200 to 350 °C, to produce bio-oil. Composition analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation were performed to study the impact of the pretreatment on the pine wood structure. The SEM images showed that the structures of the samples were destroyed by pretreatment. After being pretreated by H2SO4, the size of holes generated was smaller than that with pretreatment by NaOH. Furthermore, the influences of the temperature, methanol content, and residence time on the yield of the water-soluble fraction (WS), ether-soluble fraction (ES), and bio-oil were determined. Shorter residence time and higher amounts of methanol favored the products of WS, ES, and bio-oil. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed that phenols, ketones, aromatics, and aldehydes are the main components of bio-oil.

The effect of temperature on the physiochemical characteristics of a solid fuel or biocoal derived from the dried trunk of Adansonia digitata (Baobab) was studied using torrefaction processes. The chemical composition of the solid fuel or char obtained by wet (HTC) and dry torrefaction processes were determined by elemental and thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer measured the porous texture and surface area of the prepared samples. The changes in the surface morphology and crystallinity of the prepared samples were evaluated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The torrefaction process successfully improved the energy content from 16.8 MJ/kg to 22.0 MJ/kg, which was evidently higher than the starting precursors. The maximum energy yield obtained was 90.0% using dry torrefaction at 250 °C. The energy densification ratio was also higher for the char produced by the dry torrefaction process. However, the char produced by the HTC process at 250 °C showed the highest surface area. The pore diameter was higher for HTC-char produced at the same temperature. Overall the results revealed that the torrefaction of lignocellulosic biomass is beneficial for upgrading the fuel quality and energy densification of char residues.

A microwave (MW) treatment of plantation eucalyptus (Eucalyptus urophylla) wood was investigated by applying MW treatments with varying conditions, such as radiation power, irradiation time, and initial moisture content of the wood. The wood permeability and drying properties were investigated. Results show that the permeability (both along the transverse and longitudinal directions) increased with the radiation power and the irradiation time. The permeability was considerably enhanced by the MW pretreatments, which effectively decreased the moisture content within the wood. A MW pretreatment can greatly accelerate the drying rate and shorten the wood drying time. Under atmospheric pressure the stain uptake along the transverse and longitudinal directions, with respect to the wood fibers, increased to 58% and 135%, respectively, compared to reference samples. Meanwhile, the drying rate increased to 171% and the drying time was cut by 65%. The MW pretreatment was found to generate a high-pressure internal steam that resulted in the rupture of wood cell pore membranes and ray cells. Therefore, a remarkable permeability increase and drying time reduction was achieved, which created favorable conditions for the fabrication of high value-added functional wood-based composites materials.

Bio-treated pulping wastewater (BTPW) was further treated using a combination of ozonation and biotreatment processes. The effect of ozonation on chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) removal and biodegradability enhancement of the BTPW was investigated. The results showed that the ozonation was effective for degrading the pollutants in the BTPW and improving its biodegradability. The CODCr removal reached approximately 34.8%, and the BOD/COD ratio increased from less than 0.15 to 0.36, after ozonation for 30 min. The raw BTPW biodegrades poorly, and treatment using a combination of ozonation with biotreatment could eliminate most of the refractory substances from the BTPW. The CODCr removal rates of the BTPW were 55.4% and 64.3% for the treatments using ozonation for 30 or 60 min, respectively, before subsequent biotreatment for 14 days. The CODCr removal rates were higher than that of the biological treatment alone by 44.7% and 53.6%, respectively.