Treesearch

A number of naphthalimide (NI) derivatives are used as efficient laser dyes, in medicine or in transmission electron microscopy. Only N,N- naphthaloylhydroxylamine (NHA) has been shown to be an effective wood preservative against wood decay fungi and termite damage. However, limited information is available concerning the analytical detection of Nl-derivatives in treated timber. There is a clear need for the analytical characterisation; e.g. with regard to the penetration depth or the assessment of retention after leaching. This paper describes the development of a gas chromatographic...

With the objective of using FT-Raman to quantitatively analyze ethylenic units in lignin in thermomechanical pulps (TMPs), coniferyl alcohol, coniferin, coniferaldehyde, and G-DHP lignin models were used to first demonstrate that the technique was fully capable of quantifying ring conjugated ethylenic units. Based on this result, the amount of ethylenic units in TMP was determined by quantifying the unit-specific contribution to the Raman spectra. The findings were that, in fully bleached spruce TMP (brightness 79.9%), the concentration of coniferyl alcohol ethylenic units was 1.38% and in...

The Raman microprobe technique was applied to structural analysis of single ramie fibers during mercerization. Polarized laser beam was irradiated on a ramie fiber in 0-30 % NaOD/D2O with the electric vector at 0 or 90° to the fiber axis, and Raman spectra thus obtained were studied in relation to the concentration of NaOD in D2O. Conversion of -OH to -OD in ramie cellulose with NaOD/D2O proceeded with an increase in the concentration of NaOD, and almost all OH groups in ramie cellulose were converted to -OD by the treatment with NaOD/D2O of more than 15 %; almost all intra- and inter-molec...

The lack of industrially suitable microorganisms for converting biomass into fuel ethanol has traditionally been cited as a major technical roadblock to developing a bioethanol industry. In the last two decades, numerous microorganisms have been engineered to selectively produce ethanol. Lignocellulosic biomass contains complex carbohydrates that necessitate utilizing microorganisms capable of fermenting sugars not fermentable by brewers' yeast. The most significant of these is xylose. The greatest successes have been in the engineering of Gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli, Klebsiell...

High-throughput screening requires simple assays that give reliable quantitative results. A microplate assay was developed for reducing sugar analysis that uses a 2,2'-bicinchoninic-based protein reagent. Endo-1,4-â-D-xylanase activity against oat spelt xylan was detected at activities of 0.002 to 0.011 IU ml−1. The assay is linear for sugar concentrations from 0 to 86 µg ml−1 and can also be used to assay protein concentrations (0 to 143 µg ml−1) on the same plate. A variety of temperatures and pH conditions can be used and, after incubation, the assay requires only one detection reagent...

Residues from the fermentation of cellulose by the anaerobic bacteria Ruminococcus albus (strain 7) or Ruminococcus flavefaciens (strains FD-1 or B34b) containing residual cellulose, bacterial cells and their associated adhesins, were examined for their ability to serve as components of adhesives for plywood fabrication. The residues contained differing amounts of protein (0.4–4.2% of dry weight), but the ratios of monosaccharides recovered following two-stage treatment of the residue with detergent (pH 7) and TFA were similar for all three strains (0.71 glucose:0.18 xylose:0.08 mannose:0.0...

A spectroscopic technique for determining AQ in pulping liquor was developed to effectively separate AQ from dissolved lignin. This technique is based on a flow analysis system with a Nafion membrane interface. The AQ passed through the membrane is converted into its reduced form, AHQ, using sodium hydrosulfite. AHQ has distinguished absorption characteristics in the visible range, whereas spectral contribution from the small lignin molecules that penetrate through the membrane is insignificant. It was found that AQ can be dissolved in dissolved lignin- enriched alkaline solutions, which...

The objective of this research was to develop a high purity cellulose/wollastonite pellet that could then be accurately metered and feed into a laboratory scale twin-screw extruder and compounded with a nylon 6 resin. The major focus was targeted on a 20 percent cellulose/20 percent wollastonite/60 percent nylon 6 composite. Limited research with nylon 6,6 resins was also attempted and will be discussed briefly. A process for developing a cellulose/wollastonite pellet was successful and 100 Kg were produced for twin screw extrusion processing with nylons. The 100 Kg of pellets were then...

Recently, we completed a project on the comparison of macrostickies measurement methods. Based on the success of the project, we decided to embark on this new project on comparison of microstickies measurement methods. When we started this project, there were some concerns and doubts principally due to the lack of an accepted definition of microstickies. However, we agreed to undertake the project due to its importance to the industry. As one can see from the list of authors and organizations above, we were fortunate that eight organizations/institutions agreed to participate in the...

Three microscopic characters were evaluated for the identification of Pinus contorta and Pinus ponderosa. The tangential diameter of the resin canals, including the epithelium, was compared to the tangential diameter of the entire resin canal complex. The latter measurement was shown to give diagnostic results for these species. Data from the examination of ray composition do not support previously published methods for separating P. contorta and P. ponderosa. The presence or absence of small elongate crystals in the subsidiary parenchyma of the resin canal complexes was shown to be the...