Treesearch

Lignin’s role in litter and soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition remains contentious. Lignin decomposition was traditionally thought to increase during midstage litter decomposition, when cellulose occlusion by lignin began to limit mass loss. Alternatively, lignin decomposition could be greatest in fresh litter as a consequence of co-metabolism, and lignin might decompose faster than bulk SOC. To test these competing hypotheses, we incubated 10 forest soils with C4 grass litter (amended with 13C-labeled or unlabeled lignin) over 2 yr and measured soil respiration and its isotope...

This study describes a class of cellulosic nanomaterials, cellulosic nanowhiskers (CNWs), and demonstrates scaled-up production with acid recovery using less expensive equipment made of common stainless steel rather than glass-lined steel. CNWs produced using concentrated maleic acid (MA) hydrolysis followed by mechanical fibrillation have morphology similar to MA-produced cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and sulfuric-acid-produced CNCs (S-CNCs) but differ in crystallinity. Applications of CNWs as a substitute for CNCs for which morphology and surface charge, rather than crystallinity, are...

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is increasingly used in building construction worldwide. Durability of CLT against fungal attack has yet to be fully explored. Water intrusion in mass timber can yield dimensional changes and microbial growth. This study evaluated the performance of CLT coated with various water- and solvent-based stains commercially available in the United States. Twelve coatings were tested for moisture excluding effectiveness, water repellency effectiveness, volumetric swelling, and anti-swelling efficiency. Only five coatings repelled water, limiting dimensional changes. A...

Modern timber bridges have shown that timber is a durable option for primary structural members in highway bridges and can perform satisfactorily for 50 years or longer when properly designed, fabricated and maintained. However, various cost assumptions have indicated that timber bridges are more expensive than concrete bridges. This project was undertaken to better understand the benefits and costs of using timber bridges as a viable substitute for other bridge construction materials and designs. Two demonstration construction projects were completed to develop comparative information. A...

The aim of this study was to discern the film formation mechanism of cellulose nanoparticle suspensions (CNP suspensions) by transforming the film formation process to be a water evaporation process, investigating the fast freeze-drying morphology of CNPs, the resulting natural formation structure, and the relationship of CNPs and water molecules. It was found that an increasing aspect ratio transforms CNPs from the oriented arrangement to a distributed network. Hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces among CNPs led to a close and interactive film formation process, contributing to various...

This study has evaluated the comminution energy reduction efficiency of a multi-stage milling method and established a mathematical mode for estimating the specifc energy consumption as a function of moisture content and particle size change. A Bliss hammer mill was employed to grind the feedstock targeting at two fna screen sizes of 0.84 and 0.69 mm. For the target screen size of 0.84 mm, the single-stage, two-stage, and threestage milling process were employed. Whereas, the single-stage, two-stage, and four-stage milling process were employed for the 0.69-mm target screen size. Four...

Cellulose nanomaterials (CNMs) are a unique type of nanomaterial that are produced via several routes including chemical and mechanical, including the most researched cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). CNM films exhibit excellent oxygen barrier properties in medium to low relative humidity conditions. The oxygen barrier characteristics are desirable for CNM film proposed use in food packaging applications where both performance and biodegradability are of concern. However, the oxygen barrier property of CNM films is reduced if films are exposed to high relative...

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are a viable, energy-efficient, cost-effective option for commercial and residential buildings. But, acceptance of SIPs has been hindered by the lack of systematic evaluation of lateral load performance in wall applications. This study provides the data needed to characterize lateral load performance of several configurations of SIP walls: single-panel walls with and without hold-downs at various aspect ratios, multiple-panel walls without openings, and multiple-panel walls with various openings. This research involved lateral testing of 54 full-sized SIP...

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) is an important technique used to investigate complex mixtures with pharmaceutical potential. GC×GC expands the peak capacity of the separation, which increases the resolution for more targeted characterization of analytes of interest and trace chemicals. Traditional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry is used to investigate extracts; however, when the mixture is complex, there is a need for higher resolution power to identify the extracts profile completely and discover new extracts of interest. In this study, inkberry chemical...

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) is an important technique used to investigate potential medicinal mixtures. The pharmaceutical industry is a trillion-dollar industry, and 25% of this value comes from plant-derived chemicals. Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) berries are known for their medicinal properties. This medicinal alternative aids in treatment of health problems such as asthma, benign prostatic hypertrophy, colds, migraines, prostate cancer, and sore throats. Cancer is a disease where abnormal cells rapidly divide and destroy body tissue. In 2018, an estimated...