Influence of steaming on selected wood properties of four hardwood species

Influence of steaming on various mechanical and physical properties of two European (Robinia pseudoacacia L., Quercus robur L.) and two tropical (Intsia bijuga, Hymenolobium petraeum) hardwood species were investigated. Each of these wood species requires adequate adhesive systems for the use as dimension stock because of their highly reactive surface chemistry. In order to optimize the gluing behaviour of the timbers involved, steaming processes with five different sets of parameters (steaming time and temperature) were carried out. In addition to the adhesive test, bending strength, hardness, and colour of the modified timbers were examined. The result of steaming highly depends on the wood species. For black locust, steaming is a suitable method of colour homogenization and colourization. Short term, low temperature treatment improves the adhesion performance also, whereas the colour change value reaches its maximum in the case of long term, high temperature steaming. Hue shift of oak and sapupira was inconsiderable for any applied set of parameters, only a small L* decrease was observed at higher temperatures. The colour of merbau samples shifted slightly during the treatment. Bending strength and hardness of wood samples in all of the four wood species decreased during the treatment. However, steaming time is more important than temperature while aspect of colour change both time and temperature has the same significance. Adhesive properties of sapupira can be greatly improved by hydrothermal treatment.     

Edge glue clamp carrier glue line pressures based on pulling shims in the glue line

2 =0.90). As the maximum clamp spacing to ensure a particular glue line pressure depends on the distance to the first glue line, a look-up table, based on a minimum glue line pressure of 345 kPa (50 psi), was produced giving the maximum recommended clamp spacings for common clamp face to glue line widths.

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pinus radiata ), wurde ein deutlicher Zusammenhang zwischen dem Leimfugendruck und dem Abstand von Zwingenbacke zur Leimfuge und dem Zwingenabstand gefunden (r²=0.90).Da der maximale Zwingenabstand der ben?tigt wird, um einen bestimmten Leimfugendruck zu erzielen vom Abstand zur ersten Leimfuge abh?ngt, wurde eine Nachschlagetabelle entworfen, welche auf einem Leimfugendruckminimum von 345 kPa beruht, und welche die maximalen Zwingenabst?nde für übliche Abst?nde von Zwingenbacke zu Leimfuge empfiehlt.

     

Modelling the effects of (green) antifungals, droplet size distribution and temperature on mould outgrowth in water-in-oil emulsions

Prevention of fungal spoilage is a key microbiological issue for the shelf life of fat spreads. Our aim was to assess and model the scope of (natural) antimicrobials for extending shelf life of spreads (water-in-oil emulsions). Production conditions were established to make 60% model fat spreads with reproducible droplet size distributions. The mould vulnerabilities ranged from 1 to 20 weeks. The system allowed feasibility testing of lytic enzymes (Novozym 234) and LMW compounds against Penicillium roqueforti, a key-spoilage mould. The action of Novozym 234, carvacrol, undecanol and dihydrocarveol was benchmarked against sorbate and preservative-free controls under ambient and chilled conditions. Novozym 234 was ineffective to prevent outgrowth of P. roqueforti. Carvacrol, undecanol and dihydrocarveol had limited effects on shelf-life extension compared to sorbate. Fungal growth boundaries of (un-)preserved spreads were modelled. The emulsion droplet size distribution (DSD) was first captured in a mechanistic parameter DSD-I (I = Influence). DSD-I was a move away from the mean droplet diameter D3,3 as sole quantitative droplet-size distribution parameter for mould susceptibility of emulsions. DSD-I is a combination of available water droplets and surface area to initiate and sustain fungal outgrowth. Followup experiments showed that modelling D3,3 and distribution width (e(sigma)) instead of DSD-I gave better results for emulsions with high e(sigma). Empirical predictive models were subsequently developed for the effects of D3,3, e(sigma) and undissociated sorbic acid (HSO) on the shelf life of emulsions.     

Urine nitrification and sewer discharge to realize in-sewer denitrification to simplify sewage treatment in Hong Kong

The chemically enhanced primary treatment works in Hong Kong will be upgraded for biological nitrogen removal. This study proposed a novel approach to waive the upgrading by urine source-separation, onsite nitrification and discharge of nitrified urine into sewers to achieve in-sewer denitrification. Human urine was collected and a lab-scale experiment for full urine nitrification was conducted. The results showed that full nitrification was achieved with alkaline addition. Simulation of nitrified urine discharge into an 8-km pressure main in Hong Kong was conducted with a quasi-2D dynamic sewer model developed from a previously calibrated sewer biofilm model. It was assumed that 70% of the residents' urine was collected and fully nitrified on-site. The simulation results revealed that the proposed approach is effective in removal of nitrogen within the sewer, which decreases ammonia-N at the sewer outlet to a level required for secondary effluent discharge in Hong Kong.     

Imbalance of plankton community metabolism in eutrophic Lake Taihu, China

Studies suggest that oligotrophic lakes are net heterotrophic and act as net sources of CO₂, whereas eutrophic lakes are net autotrophic and act as net CO₂ sinks. Data on plankton community metabolism in Lake Taihu contradict this hypothesis. Here, the ratios of depth integrated gross primary production (GPP) to plankton community respiration (PCR) were less than one on 75% of the study sampling dates, indicating that this system was net heterotrophic. Partial pressure estimated for CO₂ also indicated that the lake was a net source of CO₂. Net heterotrophic conditions here may be related to limitation of phytoplankton photosynthesis by the poor underwater light climate (due to elevated suspended solids (SS) and nutrients originating in the catchment) and the preferential enhancement of respiration by high water temperatures. GPP and PCR were significantly correlated (PCR = 1.22GPP + 0.46, r² = 0.80) indicating a partial dependence of heterotrophs on algal derived carbon. The slope of the regression line relating PCR to GPP was more similar to slopes found in rivers than in lakes, likely due to the large nutrient and SS load to the lake.     

Bi-modal water transport behavior across a simple Nafion membrane

The development of predictive mathematical models for water management in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells requires detailed understanding of water distribution and water transport across the Nafion layer. The anisotropic microstructure of Nafion suggests the measurement of water content and mass transport should be along the fuel cell functional direction, i.e. across the membrane. Non-invasive, high resolution, microscopy measurements of this type are very challenging.We report here the calibration of a minimal mathematical model for diffusive water transport in Nafion against data from high-resolution water content maps determined with a new magnetic resonance imaging methodology developed for this purpose. A mock fuel cell was designed to permit well-controlled wetting and drying boundary conditions. With no chemical potential driving force involved, we assume the water transport behavior will be dominated by diffusion. Moreover we show that, in this context, our model is mathematically equivalent to the traditional permeation models based upon saturation dependent pressure gradients via a capillary pressure ansatz.The non-linear equilibrium water distribution across the Nafion membrane measured in this work suggests a bi-modal diffusivity. The model constructed associates distinct transport behaviors to water contents above and below a critical threshold, consistent with a rearrangement of a micro-structural pore network. The experimental observation and the model prediction agree with the primary features of Weber's model of Nafion, which predicts distinct modes of transport for hydration fronts traversing the through-plane direction of the membrane.     

Spatial scale and social impacts of biofuel production

The prospect of biofuels going ‘mainstream’ has drawn more attention to the social impacts of the production and use of transport biofuels. Since 2007, many media stories have appeared about alleged negative impacts of biofuels, notably the price of food going up or land-grab by plantation developers. These stories stand in stark contrast with the rosy picture painted by some academics involved in the technical development of bioethanol or biodiesel. This paper explores the questions when and why negative social impacts are likely to occur and under what circumstances more positive impacts might be expected. These impacts are discussed for three geographically defined biofuel supply chains; north-north, south-north and south-south. These three systems differ in the spatial scale of production and consumption and with that comes a different distribution of environmental, social and economic impacts. In the case of domestic production and consumption in developed countries, the social impacts are relatively minor and can be mitigated by social policies. Large scale, export-oriented production systems in developing countries could theoretically yield positive social impacts, but this would require on the one hand the tailored design of ‘pro-poor’ social innovations and interventions on the ground and on the other hand a certification of the supply chain feeding into consumer demand for ‘ethical’ fuel. The latent existence of this demand might be significant but recent NGO campaigns have severely undermined the ethical credentials of biofuels. It would require a persistent and collaborative effort to restore the brand value of ‘green’ fuel, an effort which will require better legislation and radically improved monitoring and enforcement practices in countries where the very absence of these has led to, and is still causing, the large scale destruction of habitats that are carbon sinks of global importance. The significant levels of government funding for biofuels stand in strong contrast with the problematic environmental and social governance of international biofuels supply chains. Notwithstanding the ‘must tackle climate change’ rhetoric by policy makers and in policy documents, this suggests that biofuels policy may be primarily driven by other concerns, especially regarding energy security. We argue that policies that are designed for a rather narrowly defined purpose of ‘security of supply’, cannot be realistically expected to yield high social or environmental benefits, and certainly not abroad.     

Identifying the regional straw potential for energetic use on the basis of statistical information

The amount of cereal straw that can be recovered from arable land and its potential usage for energy production in the state of Baden-Württemberg (Germany) was assessed using statistical data from the general agricultural surveys in 2003 and 2007. Based on these surveys, the occurrence of straw, the demand by animal husbandry and the restrictions regarding humus balances were evaluated. The results indicated that the resources of straw for energetic use are not equally distributed within the state, they are rather primarily concentrated in the eastern municipalities. Altogether, an amount of 2,022,995 Mg DM straw is produced in Baden-Württemberg annually. A proportion of nearly one third of the total straw occurrence in the state could theoretically be available without endangering the supply of litter for animal husbandry and the long-term humus soil contents. The amount of these 584,564 Mg DM straw could be used as a biomass feedstock with an energy content of 10113 TJ. After transportation and conversion, 3200.6 TJ of electric energy could be generated, representing the mean consumption of 230.551 persons. Three scenarios with a higher straw availability were evaluated. The effect of a higher share of intermediate crops on arable land, the effect of a higher share of cereal crops on arable land and the combination of both modifications was calculated. The evaluation of these potential scenarios showed that the augmentation of intercropping and cereal production on arable land leads to an increased straw availability within the state.     

The use of forest-derived specific gravity for the conversion of volume to biomass for open-grown trees on agricultural land

Accounting for agroforestry contributions to carbon sequestration and cellulosic feedstock production requires biomass equations that accurately estimate biomass in open-grown trees. Since equations for open-grown trees are rare and developing these is expensive, existing forest-based equations are an attractive alternative for open-grown trees in carbon accounting and biomass modeling. How accurate this alternative is depends on how similar the key attributes, such as specific gravity, trunk shape, and crown architecture, are between open- and forest-grown trees. We evaluated the use of forest-derived specific gravity for conversion of volume to biomass for morphologically distinct open-grown species: green ash, ponderosa pine, and eastern redcedar. Trunk biomass was consistently and significantly underestimated from 6.3% to 16.6% depending on species, indicating open-grown trees have greater trunk specific gravity than forest-grown counterparts within the same geographic region; however a conclusive difference in branch specific gravity was not found between open- and forest-grown trees. Open-grown trees have greater trunk specific gravity, sharper trunk taper, and larger crown. When forest-based equations are used for trunk biomass of open-grown trees, the greater trunk specific gravity results in underestimation; however, the sharper trunk taper results in overestimation. Studies are needed to examine whether the underestimation could be offset by the overestimation and how the larger crown affects biomass estimation when forest-based equations are used for open-grown trees. Our results provide an essential understanding to interpret the biometric relationship of open- to forest-grown trees and to develop an efficient means how forest-based equations might be best modified for open-grown trees.