Treesearch

Four new species of corticioid fungi from Hawaii are described and illustrated. The new genus Hemmesomyces is described to accommodate the new species H. puauluensis. Radulomyces tantalusensis, Crustoderma fuscatum and Scopuloides magnacystidiata also are described as new. In addition, the new combination Crustoderma vulcanense is proposed. Keys to the species of Crustoderma, Radulomyces and Scopuloides are provided.

As of December 31, 2000, there were 603 buildings at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Norfolk with a combined floor area of nearly 17.3 million ft2. In one-third of these buildings, structural wood products were used in one or more major structural building applications, utilizing an estimated 11.6 million board feet of lumber, 0.4 million ft2 (3/8-in. basis) of structural panels, and 0.1 million ft2 (3/8-in. basis) of fiberboard. Wood buildings, on average, were about 40% smaller than their nonwood counterparts. They were also older. Half of all the buildings and three-fourths of all wood buildings...

Improving the exterior quality bonding of wood to epoxy adhesive resins is important for bonding glass-fiber-reinforced vinyl ester resin laminae to glulam structural members, as well as for repairing glulam members in exterior applications on site. The coupling agent for these applications, hydroxymethylated resorcinol (HMR), was recently improved by using a novolak version (n-HMR) to reduce reaction time. In this study, the chemical composition of HMR was changed to decrease the total amount of formaldehyde added to the system. The results showed that n-HMR can be applied to a wood...

In this study, a cellulose-fiber-reinforced Polyamide-6 (PA-6) composite, a hybrid composite (PA-6/cellulose/Wollastonite), and the neat PA-6 resin were injection molded into ASTM test–bar samples with conventional and microcellular injection molding. The impact and tensile strengths of molded samples were measured and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images were taken at the fracture surfaces. The effects of filler systems and the introduction of microcellular structure on the impact and tensile strengths were studied. It was found that the cellulose fibers and the cellulose/Wollasto...

Two fungal chloroperoxidases (CPOs), the heme enzyme from Caldariomyces fumago and the vanadium enzyme from Curvularia inaequalis, chlorinated 1-(4-ethoxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-dihydroxypropane, a dimeric model compound that represents the major nonphenolic structure in lignin. Both enzymes also cleaved this dimer to give 1-chloro-4-ethoxy-3-methoxybenzene and 1,2-dichloro-4-ethoxy-5-methoxybenzene, and they depolymerized a synthetic guaiacyl lignin. Since fungal CPOs occur in soils and the fungi that produce them are common inhabitants of plant debris, CPOs may have...

Mushroom-producing white-rot basidiomycetes can grow rapidly and produce heavy mycelial growth on treated conifer wastes with extractive-degrading fungi. This study evaluates the treatment of scaled-up conifer wood chips with Ophiostoma piliferum (Cartapip 97). Treated conifer chips were used as substrates for cultivating mushroom-producing basidiomycetes of various Pleurotus spp. This treatment reduced the extractives by 30% to 90%. These mushroom-producing lignolytic white-rot basidiomycetes can easily colonize and produce mushrooms on treated conifer wood chips.

There is now widespread acknowledgment that renewable bioresources, as a platform for raw inputs and as a source of powerful biocatalysts, have considerable potential to support sustainable economic growth, increase national energy security, strengthen rural communities, and minimize anthropogenic effects on the environment. Clearly, the transition to renewable resources from fossil fuels must meet certain replacement criteria in the economic arena. However, significant advances are required in science and technology development to help meet such criteria and to ensure sustainable enterprises.

Biopulping is the process of pretreating chips with fungus before mechanical pulping, resulting in significant energy savings and sheet strength improvements. This work presents sugar analysis, methylene blue adsorption, and titration data suggesting an increase in acid group content in wood is common with biopulping treatment. Some discussion of possible mechanisms of acid generation and fungal self-protection is presented.

Wood used in industrial settings, and in some arid parts of the United States, may be subjected to very low relative humidity (RH). Analytical models available for predicting the effect of moisture content (MC) on the properties of solid-sawn lumber imply significant strength loss at very low MC. However, these models are generally valid only for MC above about 10%. The objective of this study was to evaluate the flexural and tensile properties of standard 38-by 89-mm (nominal 2-by 4-in.) dimension lumber equilibrated at 15% RH compared with lumber at 65% RH. Testing was done on solid-sawn...

By pyrolyzing lignin model compounds 1-lV at 315°C, an investigation was carried out with some results. In the pyrolysis of lignin model compound I and 11, 0.47 mol of guaiacol, 0.57 mol of dimethoxyphenol (DMP), and 0.12 and 0.23 mol of dimethoxyaceton ophenone (DMAP) were produced respectively. In the pyrolysis of lignin model compound lll and lV, 0.26 mol of guaiacol, 0.30 mol of DMP, and 0.09 and 0.15 mol of trimethoxy acetonphenone (TMAP) were produced respectively. The results show that pyrolysis mechanism of lignin model compounds were dehydrated at first, and then guaiacol, DMP,...