Volume 75, Issue 11

The heartwood formation process is little known in fast growing plantation woods. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine how planting spacing and tree age affect the formation and proportion of heartwood and sapwood, as well as the density of eucalyptus wood. Trees from a eucalyptus clonal plantation ( Eucalyptus grandis  ×  E. urophylla hybrid) cultivated in three spacings (3 × 1, 3 × 2 and 3 × 3 m) were sampled at 14, 27, 32, 53, 64 and 76 months of age. Heartwood percentage was quantified with Dimethyl yellow indicator, while the wood density was determined by X-ray densitometry. The heartwood percentage, wood volume, heartwood density and wood density were correlated with the different growth rates. The heartwood formation process started between 32 and 53 months, regardless of spacing. The heartwood proportion doubled with increasing age in the widest spacing and increased about four times in 3 × 1 and 3 × 2 m spacing. The planting spacing influenced the growth rates of the trees, but did not affect the heartwood and sapwood percentage or density. The greatest increase in density values occurred between the first year of growth (14 months) and the beginning of heartwood formation (53 months).

Historically, on-line and real-time measurement of wood chip properties in the pulp and paper industry has been a challenge and has hampered the development of advanced process control strategies. In this study, visible and near-infrared (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy is investigated as a means to characterize wood chip brightness and chemical composition (i.e. extractives, lignin and holocellulose content) on-line. The estimated standard error on the holocellulose reference measurement was significantly reduced using data reconciliation. VIS-NIR calibration models were developed using partial least square regression. Derivative and baseline correction were found to be the most appropriate pre-processing methods. Model desensitization to the influence of moisture content and temperature by means of external parameter orthogonalization resulted in more robust models critical for on-line applications under harsh industrial conditions. Wavelength selection improved model accuracy for all properties. A comparison of two different spectrometer and probe combinations demonstrated that, after wavelengths selection, a non-contact measurement of wood chips performs as well as a contact measurement of wood powder for monitoring chemical composition. On-line prediction of wood chip brightness and chemical composition using the developed VIS-NIR models was demonstrated over 7 months in a kraft pulp mill processing both hardwood and softwood chips.

In Betula celtiberica (Iberian white birch) stemwood, the content and composition of lipophilic and hydrophilic extractives were determined; these have not been reported previously in this species. The total gravimetric amount of extractives was 2.2% of dry wood, of which lipophilic extractives accounted for 0.39% and hydrophilic extractives 1.84% (determined by gas chromatography–flame ionisation detection [GC–FID]). The lipophilic extract contained mainly triterpenoids and steroids. The hydrophilic extract (acetone–water 95:5 v v −1 ) contained mainly sugars, compounds not eluting on GC, and a large number of unidentified compounds, which accounted for 0.87% of dry wood and dominated the extract. The compounds were isolated from the extract by silica column chromatography and further purified. GC–electron impact (EI)-MS of the silylated compounds showed characteristic mass fragments that suggested them to be diarylheptanoids (DAHs). This is an interesting compound group, as many of them have shown a large variety of beneficial biological effects. Of over 80 detected DAHs, the exact mass of 17 compounds was determined by electrospray ionisation-quadrupole-time-of-flight (ESI-QTOF)-MS, and of these, the structure of 11 compounds was elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). One was a meta,para -bridged diphenylether and 10 were meta,meta -bridged biphenyls, of which one, 3,8,9,17-tetrahydroxy-[7,0]-metacyclophane, has not been described previously. Because of low concentrations, 21 DAHs were only tentatively identified, and of these, as many as 17 seem to be previously undescribed compounds.

Stilbenes are plant polyphenols that have shown beneficial pharmacological activities in a variety of diseases. The considerable amount of stilbene glucosides in spruce inner bark encouraged us to develop a straightforward and simple method of extraction with high recovery and yield. Stilbene glucosides from fresh inner bark of Norway spruce were extracted in one simple step with acetone at 20 °C. After three weeks of soaking in acetone, the extracts were dried and the composition was determined by GC-FID using a short and a long column (HP-5) and GC-MS (HP-1). The amount of the extracted compounds was also compared with a similar extract from air dried inner bark samples. The extracts from the fresh sample contained 30–50% of stilbene glucosides and the average yield [0.185 g extract/g bark] was as good as or slightly better than in previously reported works. However, no drying, milling, or sequential extractions with different solvents in elevated temperatures were needed. Moreover, this study revealed that the drying process can decrease the amount of extractable stilbenes significantly. Therefore, this method can be considered as an alternative for preparative isolation of stilbene glucosides, especially isorhapontin and astringin from inner bark of Norway spruce.

Natural cork (NC) and its agglomerates are renewable materials that could be effective substitutes for non-renewable foams, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), in the cores of sandwich materials. Although many existing studies have analysed the behaviour of different cork agglomerates under tensile, compression, or shear loads, no studies to date have simultaneously analysed the behaviour of multiple cork materials under all these loads. Therefore, in this study, the behaviour of NC and five cork agglomerates were analysed under tensile, compression and shear loads, and the mechanical and specific properties and the shape of the stress–strain curves were compared with those obtained for five EPS counterparts to analyse the relationship between the mechanical behaviour of the core and the main failure modes of the sandwich. Although EPS exhibited higher specific properties, NC exhibited higher mechanical properties under all the loads. The agglomerates all exhibited lower mechanical properties except for shear strain. Additionally, because no specific standards were available for testing cork products, slightly modified standards for testing other materials were adopted.

Wood-based composites (WBCs) are engineered wood products that are commonly used in the building and furniture industries. Most research on their durability has relied on internal bond testing, bending strength properties, or damage observations. An alternative property with potentially more information is fracture toughness. Here, fracture toughness was continuously measured during crack propagation for three different composites—oriented strand board (OSB), medium density fiberboard (MDF), and particleboard (PB). The resulting plots for fracture toughness as a function of crack growth are known as the material’s R curve. To assess the role of temperature on WBC durability, R curve experiments were repeated at 10 different temperatures from 20 to 200 °C. Trends in experimental results could be described by a trilinear model. OSB and MDF toughness initially increased with temperature and then decreased above 80 °C. The toughness of PB, which was made with a different resin, remained constant or decreased slightly until decreasing faster above 140 °C. Both the resin type and composite structure affected the results.

The objective of the present work was to evaluate the use of Raman microspectroscopy analysis to assess changes in cellulose micro/nanofibril structure from fibers subjected to different pre-treatments. Pulp fibers were pre-treated with 5 wt% NaOH for 2 h, 10 wt% NaOH for 1 h, and endoglucanase-type enzymes to improve nanofibrilation. After the pre-treatments, the fibers were mechanically fibrillated to produce cellulose micro/nanofibrils, which were made into films to be analyzed. Fibers pre-treated with 5 wt% NaOH produced 59% micro/nanofibrils with average diameter less than 30 nm, for Eucalyptus , and 46% of micro/nanofibrils, with the same diameter, for Pinus . However, the enzymatic pre-treatment was the most efficient, resulting in 83% of micro/nanofibrils for Eucalyptus and 78% for Pinus . This corroborates with the lowest values of the 1.096/2.896 ratio and degree of polymerization, indicating chain shortening in cellulose. X-ray diffraction and Raman microspectroscopy crystallinity results presented similar tendencies, with increased crystallinity caused by all pre-treatments, being 5 wt% NaOH for 2 h the highest, with 70%, for Eucalyptus and Pinus . Enzymatic pre-treatment has produced the best fibrillation and greater crystallinity. The present work has shown a reliable way of assessing cellulose structure using Raman microspectroscopy.

The changes in chemical composition and micro-mechanical properties of Moso Bamboo fiber cells were evaluated by applying saturated steam heat treatment at 160, 170, and 180 °C for periods of 4, 6, and 8 min, and subsequent analysis by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic, and nanoindentation methods. The hemicellulose and cellulose content decreased as expected, while the relative lignin content showed an upward trend. Significant changes in the bamboo micro-structure were detected by scanning electron microscope under the action of high-temperature and saturated steam. Both temperature and time were shown to affect micromechanical properties of the bamboo cell wall. In addition, higher cell wall elastic modulus and hardness were observed (a rise from 16.1 to 19.2 GPa and from 0.6 to 0.8 GPa, respectively), as compared with those of the untreated sample. Meanwhile, the creep ratio decreased after saturated steam heat treatment.

Chemical modification is increasing the durability of wood against biological deterioration. Usually, the effect of a new treatment on the durability of wood is screened in laboratory decay tests, where durability classes are assigned on the basis of the mass loss ( ML ) caused by degrading fungi. The aim of this study was to demonstrate how non-fixated chemicals in modified wood may affect fungal ML measurements and corresponding durability classification when wood samples are incubated under humid conditions for long periods. Wood blocks were treated with solutions of 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU), methylated DMDHEU (mDMDHEU) and 1,3-dimethyl-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMeDHEU) and subjected to consecutive cold-water leaching cycles. Significant amounts of non-fixated chemicals were removed from the wood by three leaching cycles and might lead to ML mistaken as response of fungal decay. Consequently, the treated material was assigned erroneously by up to four durability classes (DC) worse than material which did not include leachable, non-fixated chemicals. Thus, for a reliable durability classification of chemically modified wood, prolonged leaching procedures are recommended to assure that the measured ML is entirely attributed to fungal decay.