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To promote the development of the green and low-carbon wood industry and explore the current status and trend of China's used-furniture recycling, this paper summarizes the research status of used-furniture recycling and interprets governmental strategies, such as the development of used-furniture recycling system, the way of handling used-furniture by manufacturers, and the attitudes of customers towards used-furniture, through extensive literature reviews and market research. From such three respects as government, furniture manufacturers, and consumers, the problems of national used-furniture recycling are analyzed, for example, imperfect system, high cost, and weak awareness. Therefore, to solve the above issues, it is necessary to construct national used-furniture recycling system and methods. The government should pay attention to the construction of recycling network, the supervision and support of entrepreneurial responsibilities, and the formulation of recycling standards. For furniture manufacturers, the improvement of the durability and recyclability of furniture and the development of new models and new technologies for furniture recycling and transportation are their primary assignment. And for consumers, the improvements of their concepts of consuming and the environmental protection are in focus. In sum, it aims to provide both suggestions for the amelioration of the measures and methods, and support for the understanding of the change, of used-furniture recycling in China.

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of wood dust on the respiratory system and oxidative stress in furniture workers and to determine whether any associations exist between respiratory parameters and oxidative stress.This cross-sectional study was performed on 45 furniture workers and 45 office workers as a reference group in Iran. The NIOSH method 0600 was used to determine the concentration of particulates. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was estimated via the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) questionnaire. Oxidative stress biomarkers and respiratory parameters were also measured.The mean concentrations of respirable and non-respirable dust were found to be 1.51 mg/mThe present study results indicated that exposure to wood dust significantly increased respiratory disorders and confirmed the association between lung function parameters and oxidative stress.

This study explores the biotechnological potential of lignocellulolytic fungi collected in an oak forest. Fungal collections were obtained from natural reserves located in Boyacá-Colombia, ranging from 2700 to 3000 m.a.s.l. Twenty-three strains were isolated on malt agar, molecular characterization was performed, and ligninolytic and cellulolytic enzymatic activities were screened. Several white-rot fungi of biotechnological importance were identified as follows: Trametes sp., Trametes versicolor, Trametes villosa, Pycnoporus sanguineus, Bjerkandera adjusta, Lentinula boryana, Panus conchatus, Antrodia neotropica, Brunneoporus malicola, Laetiporus gilbertsonii, Stereum sp., Ganoderma sp., and Dichomitus sp. The strains T. versicolor 0554 and 0583, T. villosa 0562, and B. adusta 0556 showed the highest response in the qualitative enzymatic assays. These strains were used to determine their ability to decolorate the dyes aniline blue and Congo red, and it was found that T. villosa 0562 reached a level of decolorization close to 90% after 48 h of submerged culture. The fungal strains obtained here could offer alternatives to develop a process to accomplish sustainable development objectives.

Wooden remains of a training acrobatic aircraft, a glider, and a single-seat tailless glider were investigated using visual inspection, microscopic techniques, infrared spectroscopy, mechanical testing, and heat flow thermography. The causes of the three in-flight wing fractures include deviations in wood quality, craftsmanship, and maintenance. During the investigations, several aspects of wood failure analysis were addressed: compression failure, fiber deviations, fatigue of wood, wood-discoloring fungi and wood-destroying fungi, the influence of iron salts, and the failure of bond lines. The article presents a brief overview of some techniques and approaches, presents knowledge gaps in wood failure analysis, and discusses differences in wood failure analysis as compared to the failure analysis of metals and plastics.

The present study is based on the patent FR3052379A1, which consists of rolling and gluing green veneers to form structural size hollow tubes. The objective was to study the drying behavior of circular hollow tubes and investigate the method of crack detection using image correlation from green conditions to equilibrium moisture content. The manufactured tubes are composed of six plies. Three different configurations of global grain angle orientations with respect to the tube longitudinal axis are used: {0, 0, 0}°, {10, 0, 10}°, and {− 10, 0, 10}°. Each grain angle was made up of two plies. The tubes deformation and crack formation due to drying shrinkage were measured using a stereo digital image correlation system. The stereo correlation is suitable for measuring tangential shrinkage and studying the opening and/or closing of cracks on the surface of the tubes subjected to internal moisture variations and blocked deformations. The influence of grain angle was discussedin this paper; however, due to the very few numbers of samples, no conclusive findings can be made. The completion of this study was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Carnot Arts Institute. The authors also thank the Xylomat technical platform of the Xylomat scientific network financed by the ANR-10-EQPX-16 XYLOFOREST which was widely used to carry out this study.

Preservative treatments increase the durability of wood, and one of the alternative treatments involves the use of chromated copper arsenate (CCA). Due to the toxicity of CCA, the disposal of CCA-treated wood residues is problematic, and burning is considered to provide a solution. The ecotoxicological potential of ash can be high when these components are toxic and mutagenic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and genotoxicity of bottom ash leachates originating from CCA-treated wood burning. Physical-chemical analysis of the leachates revealed that in treated wood ashes leachate (CCA-TWBAL), the contents of arsenic and chromium were 59.45 mg.L

Slurry fuels based on wood and coal processing and petroleum refinery waste are an environmentally friendly and economically feasible alternative to the conventional solid fuel-coal. As part of this experimental research, we compared a set of fuels (coal and coal-water slurries with and without petrochemicals) by normalizing and calculating the specific concentrations of pollutants from their combustion. The pollutant concentrations were normalized with respect to the mass of burnt fuel, the thermal energy released by combustion, specific mass emissions per unit time, specific maximum mass emissions, and specific mass emissions per 1 kg of fuel equivalent or 1 MJ of thermal energy. The key objective of this research was to develop a method for comparing composite fuels in terms of their relative environmental friendliness. As part of the research, coal combustion was notable for the peak emissions of gaseous pollutants irrespective of the fuel mass and combustion chamber temperature. When slurries were burnt, CO

Occurrence Gram-negative bacteria occur commonly in the inner tissues of stored coniferous and deciduous timber, showing a marked variation in numbers. The greatest maximal numbers are found in the sapwood of coniferous timber. The common constituents of the Gram-negative biota are potentially pathogenic species of Enterobacteriaceae family of the genera Rahnella, Pantoea, Enterobacter, and Klebsiella. The air of wood-processing facilities is polluted with the wood-borne Gram-negative bacteria and produced by them endotoxin, as demonstrated worldwide by numerous studies. Effects There are three potential pathways of the pathogenic impact of wood-borne Gram-negative bacteria on exposed woodworkers: allergic, immunotoxic, and infectious. Allergic impact has been underestimated for a long time with relation to Gram-negative bacteria. Hopefully, the recent demonstration of the first documented case of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) in woodworkers caused by Pantoea agglomerans which developed in extremely large quantities in birch sapwood, would speed up finding of new wood-related cases of HP caused by Gram-negative bacteria. The second pathway is associated with endotoxin, exerting strong immunotoxic (excessively immunostimulative) action. It has been demonstrated that endotoxin is released into wood dust in the form of nano-sized microvesicles, by peeling off the outer membrane of bacteria. Endotoxin microvesicles are easily inhaled by humans together with dust because of small dimensions and aerodynamic shape. Afterwards, they cause a nonspecific activation of lung macrophages, which release numerous inflammatory mediators causing an inflammatory lung reaction, chest tightness, fever, gas exchange disorders, and bronchospasm, without radiographic changes. The resulting disease is known as “Organic Dust Toxic Syndrome” or “toxic pneumonitis.” The potential third pathway of pathogenic impact is infection. The suspected species is Klebsiella pneumoniae that may occur commonly in wood dust; however, until now this pathway has not been confirmed. Conclusion Summarizing, Gram-negative bacteria-inhabiting timber should be considered, besides filamentous fungi and actinobacteria, as important risk factors of occupational disease in woodworkers that could be either HP with allergenic background or toxic pneumonitis elicited by endotoxin.

Being one of the most common wood in furniture and decoration, Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr. (F. mandshurica) is a frequently used material for wood products. However, the resulting odor problem has not yet been solved so far. Thus, this study focused on exploring odor-active compounds and investigating the effect of environmental conditions on emission and odor attributes. F. mandshurica was studied via TD-GC-MS/O combined with microchamber. Totally, 15 kinds of key odor-active compounds were detected from F. mandshurica. The main odorous components were found to be aromatics, aldehydes and ketones, esters, alcohols and acids. Six kinds of attributes played a key role in the overall odor character of F. mandshurica. Fragrant was the predominant odor impressions, followed by vinegar and antiseptic solution. The proportion of the odor-active compounds concentration to total concentration decreased with an increase in the temperature and relative humidity, while the ratio of air exchange rate to the loading factor had little effect on this. The total concentration of F. mandshurica increased as the temperature and relative humidity increased, but these decreased as the ratio of air exchange rate to the loading factor increased, while the total odor intensity reduced with the rise in the ratio of air exchange rate to the loading factor. Time was found to be the most effective factor for eliminating emissions. Considering the environmental conditions in this study, 40 °C, 60% relative humidity and a 1.0 m

Developing strategies that counter the ongoing homogenization trends of home-garden agroforestry systems is required to maintain diversity and sustainability. This study aimed to map and characterize traditional enset-based home-garden agroforestry for managing sustainability in the Gurage socioecological landscape in Ethiopia. We generated plots and land use land cover (LULC) spatial data from orthophotomosaic and collected household survey data of the field. Five home-garden types were identified explicitly through integrating the home-garden composition, functional structure, and agroecological zones. Most home-garden types had similar horizontal functional structures in which perennial crops were planted close to homesteads, annual crops grew in outer fields, and woodlots were located at the end of the parcel. Diverse woody species, crop varieties, and plot sizes were identified in individual household parcels, and these varied across the home-garden types. Enset-based home-garden agroforestry production has been declining in the Ethiopian landscape because of socioeconomic changes and a lack of technological inputs. These challenges may compromise the community's food security with loss of the product diversity provided by the home-garden system. Thus, technological adoptions and scaling up of agroforestry practices according to the home-garden types are necessary for the continue provision of multiple contributions. This study demonstrated site-specific spatial characterization of the agroforestry systems by considering a holistic approach to reduce the local challenges and support the development of sustainable landscape management in an altering socioecological landscape.

The present study seeks to investigate the use of husbandry waste and sawdust in the construction of degradable pots as a suitable alternative to plastic pots. Six mixture ratios of cattle manure and sawdust (85:15, 80:20, 75:25, 70:30, 65:35, and 60:40) were used along with three types of natural binders (sheep's wool, cornstarch, and sheep's wool:cornstarch) in phase I of the project. Phase I was replicated in triplicate to identify the best composition for each binding agent. International standards dictate that evaluations of biological pots include investigations into thickness swelling, internal bonding, and water absorption. Mean comparison of the resultant factorial data using the Tukey and TOPSIS methods indicated that production of bio-pots with a mixture of 80% manure and 20% sawdust may provide the best results for all three pot types. Phase II of the project involved using field experiments and cultivation of tomato plants in direct comparison to a commercial sample pot. The optimal pots for each binding agent in phase I were used in the evaluation. Field tests showed pots produced with 80% manure and 20% sawdust using cornstarch for binding adhesion performed best in terms of degradability and physical and mechanical properties.

Abstract Water interactions and accessibility of the nanoscale components of plant cell walls influence their properties and processability in relation to many applications. We investigated the water-accessibility of nanoscale pores within the fibrillar structures of unmodified Norway spruce cell walls by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and Fourier-transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy. The different sensitivity of SANS to hydrogenated ($$\hbox {H}_2\hbox {O}$$ H 2 O ) and deuterated water ($$\hbox {D}_2\hbox {O}$$ D 2 O ) was utilized to follow the exchange kinetics of water among cellulose microfibrils. FTIR spectroscopy was used to study the time-dependent re-exchange of OD groups to OH in wood samples transferred from liquid $$\hbox {D}_2\hbox {O}$$ D 2 O to $$\hbox {H}_2\hbox {O}$$ H 2 O . In addition, the effects of drying on the nanoscale structure and its water-accessibility were addressed by comparing SANS results and the kinetics of water exchange between never-dried and dried/rewetted wood samples. The results of the kinetic analyses allowed to identify two processes with different timescales. The diffusion-driven exchange of water in the spaces between microfibrils, which was observed with both SANS and FTIR, takes place within minutes and rather homogeneously. The second, slower process appeared only in the OD/OH re-exchange followed by FTIR, and it still continued after several weeks of immersion in $$\hbox {H}_2\hbox {O}$$ H 2 O . SANS could not detect any significant difference between the never-dried and dried/rewetted samples, whereas FTIR revealed a small portion of OD groups that resisted the re-exchange and this portion became larger with drying. Graphic abstract

Wood is a remarkable material with great cultural, economic, and biogeochemical importance. However, our understanding of its formation is poor. Key properties that have not been explained include the anatomy of growth rings (with consistent transitions from low-density earlywood to high density latewood), strong temperature-dependence of latewood density (used for historical temperature reconstructions), the regulation of cell size, and overall growth-temperature relationships in conifer and ring-porous tree species. We have developed a theoretical framework based on observations on Pinus sylvestris L. in northern Sweden. The observed anatomical properties emerge from our framework as a consequence of interactions in time and space between the production of new cells, the dynamics of developmental zone widths, and the distribution of carbohydrates across the developing wood. Here we find that the diffusion of carbohydrates is critical to determining final ring anatomy, potentially overturning current understanding of how wood formation responds to environmental variability and transforming our interpretation of tree rings as proxies of past climates.

Background Somatic embryogenesis (SE) was recognized as an important tool for plants to propagate. However, our knowledge about the proteins involved in early SE including the callus dedifferentiation is still limited, especially in the economic woody tree – Eucalyptus. Results We used the data-independent acquisition mass-spectrometry to study the different proteome profiles of early SE of two Eucalyptus species—E. camaldulensis (high regeneratively potential) and E. grandis x urophylla (low regenerative potential). Initially, 35,207 peptides and 7,077 proteins were identified in the stem and tissue-culture induced callus of the two Eucalyptus species. MSstat identified 2,078 and 2,807 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in early SE of E. camaldulensis and E. grandis x urophylla, respectively. They shared 760 upregulated and 420 downregulated proteins, including 4 transcription factors, 31 ribosomal proteins, 1 histone, 3 zinc finger proteins (ZFPs), 16 glutathione transferases, 10 glucosyltransferases, ARF19, WOX8 and PIN1. These proteins might be involved in the early SE of Eucalyptus. By combining the miRNA and RNA-Seq results, some miRNA ~ gene/protein regulatory networks were identified in early SE of Eucalyptus, such as miR160 ~ TPP2, miR164 ~ UXS2, miR169 ~ COX11 and miR535 ~ Eucgr.E01067. Further, we found SERK, WRKY, ZFP and ABC transporter might be related with high SE potential. Conclusions Overall, our study identified proteins involved in the early SE and related to the high regeneration potential of Eucalyptus. It greatly enhanced our understanding of the early SE and the SE capacity of Eucalyptus.

Background The first metazoan genome sequenced, that of Caenorhabditis elegans, has motivated animal genome evolution studies. To date > 50 species from the genus Caenorhabditis have been sequenced, allowing research on genome variation. Results In the present study, we describe a new gonochoristic species, Caenorhabditis niphades n. sp., previously referred as C. sp. 36, isolated from adult weevils (Niphades variegatus), with whom they appear to be tightly associated during its life cycle. Along with a species description, we sequenced the genome of C. niphades n. sp. and produced a chromosome-level assembly. A genome comparison highlighted that C. niphades n. sp. has the smallest genome (59 Mbp) so far sequenced in the Elegans supergroup, despite being closely related to a species with an exceptionally large genome, C. japonica. Conclusions The compact genome of C. niphades n. sp. can serve as a key resource for comparative evolutionary studies of genome and gene number expansions in Caenorhabditis species.

Oxalate oxidase (EC 1.2.3.4) is an oxalate-decomposing enzyme predominantly found in plants but also described in basidiomycete fungi. In this study, we investigated 23 fungi to determine their capability of oxalic acid degradation. After analyzing their secretomes for the products of the oxalic acid-degrading enzyme activity, three groups were distinguished among the fungi studied. The first group comprised nine fungi classified as oxalate oxidase producers, as their secretome pattern revealed an increase in the hydrogen peroxide concentration, no formic acid, and a reduction in the oxalic acid content. The second group of fungi comprised eight fungi described as oxalate decarboxylase producers characterized by an increase in the formic acid level associated with a decrease in the oxalate content in their secretomes. In the secretomes of the third group of six fungi, no increase in formic acid or hydrogen peroxide contents was observed but a decline in the oxalate level was found. The intracellular activity of OXO in the mycelia of Schizophyllum commune, Trametes hirsuta, Gloeophyllum trabeum, Abortiporus biennis, Cerrena unicolor, Ceriosporopsis mediosetigera, Trametes sanguinea, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, and Laetiporus sulphureus was confirmed by a spectrophotometric assay.

We assessed the net impacts of a wood-dependent pellet industry of global importance on contemporaneous local forest carbon component pools (live trees, standing-dead trees, soils) and total stocks. We conducted post-matched difference-in-differences analyses of forest inventory data between 2000 and 2019 to infer industrial concurrent and lagged effects in the US coastal southeast. Results point to contemporaneous carbon neutrality. We found net incremental effects on carbon pools within live trees, and no net effects on standing-dead tree nor soil pools. However, we found concurrent lower carbon levels in soils, mixed effects associated with increased procurement pressures and large mill pelletization capacity, and possible spillover effects on standing-dead tree carbon pools beyond commercial procurement distances. There is robust evidence that although some trade-offs between carbon pools exist, the wood pellet industry in this particular context and period has met the overall condition of forest carbon neutrality.

Wood products function as carbon storage even after being harvested from forests. This has garnered attention in relevance to climate change countermeasures. In the progress of efforts toward climate change mitigation by private companies, the effective use of wood products has been an important measure. However, the methodology for accounting carbon stocks in wood products for private companies has not been established. Therefore, this study investigated methods for estimating carbon stocks in wood products used in wooden houses built by private enterprises, targeting a major company in the Japanese building industry. The results indicated that both the direct inventory method and flux data method (FDM) were applicable for estimating the carbon stocks. These two methods use data that can be obtained from many other building companies, thus, indicating high versatility. The log-normal, Weibull, normal, and logistic distributions, in descending order, proved to be suitable lifetime functions of wooden houses under the FDM, with a half-life of 66–101 years. It is important to continuously acquire time-series data on the floor areas of both newly built and existing houses and the amount of wood products used to improve the accuracy of estimates and explore future predictions.

The use of wood-derived cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) or galactoglucomannans (GGM) for emulsion stabilization may be a way to obtain new environmentally friendly emulsifiers. Both have previously been shown to act as emulsifiers, offering physical, and in the case of GGM, oxidative stability to the emulsions. Oil-in-water emulsions were prepared using highly charged (1352 ± 5 µmol/g) CNFs prepared by TEMPO-mediated oxidation, or a coarser commercial CNF, less charged (≈ 70 µmol/g) quality (Exilva forte), and the physical emulsion stability was evaluated by use of droplet size distributions, micrographs and visual appearance. The highly charged, finely fibrillated CNFs stabilized the emulsions more effectively than the coarser, lower charged CNFs, probably due to higher electrostatic repulsions between the fibrils, and a higher surface coverage of the oil droplets due to thinner fibrils. At a constant CNF/oil ratio, the lowest CNF and oil concentration of 0.01 wt % CNFs and 5 wt % oil gave the most stable emulsion, with good stability toward coalescence, but not towards creaming. GGM (0.5 or 1.0 wt %) stabilized emulsions (5 wt % oil) showed no creaming behavior, but a clear bimodal distribution with some destabilization over the storage time of 1 month. Combinations of CNFs and GGM for stabilization of emulsions with 5 wt % oil, provided good stability towards creaming and a slower emulsion destabilization than for GGM alone. GGM could also improve the stability towards oxidation by delaying the initiation of lipid oxidation. Use of CNFs and combinations of GGM and CNFs can thus be away to obtain stable emulsions, such as mayonnaise and beverage emulsions.

Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors are a practical nitrogen (N) mitigation technology but evaluating the potential for bioreactor phosphorus (P) removal is highly relevant given that (1) agricultural runoff often contains N and P, (2) very low P concentrations cause eutrophication, and (3) there are few options for removing dissolved P once it is in runoff. A series of batch tests evaluated P removal by woodchips that naturally contained a range of metals known to sorb P and then three design and environmental factors (water matrix, particle size, initial dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) concentration). Woodchips with the highest aluminum and iron content provided the most dissolved P removal (13±2.5 mg DRP removed/kg woodchip). However, poplar woodchips, which had low metals content, provided the second highest removal (12±0.4 mg/kg) when they were tested with P-dosed river water which had a relatively complex water matrix. Chemical P sorption due to woodchip elements may be possible, but it is likely one of a variety of P removal mechanisms in real-world bioreactor settings. Scaling the results indicated bioreactors could remove 0.40 to 13 g DRP/ha. Woodchip bioreactor dissolved P removal will likely be small in magnitude, but any such contribution is an added-value benefit of this denitrifying technology. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-021-15835-w.

This study investigated experimentally pyrolysis of rubberwood sawdust (RWS), sewage sludge (SS), and their blends (25:75, 50:50, and 75:25 by weight) in an agitated bed pyrolysis reactor. The yields and characteristics of liquid product and biochar were determined for pyrolysis at 450, 500, and 550 °C and were affected both by temperature and feedstock type. The liquid and biochar yields were in the ranges 27.30-52.42 and 21.43-49.66 (wt%). Pyrolysis of RWS at 550 °C provided the highest liquid yield, while SS gave a high biochar yield. Co-pyrolysis of SS with RWS improved yield and quality of liquid and biochar products. The liquid product had 57.54-70.70 wt% of water and a low hydrocarbon content. The higher heating value (HHV) of water-free liquid product was 14.73-22.45 MJ/kg. The major compounds of liquid product included acetic acid, 2-propanone, 1-hydroxy, and phenols according to GC-MS. The biochar from RWS had a high carbon content (83.37 wt%) and a high HHV (33.57 MJ/kg), while SS biochar was mainly ash (67.62 wt%) with low carbon content. The SS biochar also had high contents of Si, Ca, Fe, K, and Mg as determined by XRF. Co-pyrolysis of SS with RWS improved the biochar by increasing its carbon content and reducing ash and inorganic elements. The surface of RWS biochar was more porous, while SS biochar had the larger specific surface according to SEM and BET. Based on these results, co-pyrolysis of 75:25 feedstock mix is recommended for further studies on applications of liquid product and biochar.

Lignin-decomposing ability of several bacteria and the degradation mechanism have been revealed in vitro. However, the abundance of such bacteria in decayed wood in nature remains unknown at genus and species levels. This study was aimed at identifying bacterial communities in the decayed wood coexisting with white-rot fungi, which play a potential role in lignin degradation, and predicting the functional profile of bacterial lignin degradation in wood via bacterial community analyses. The bacterial flora of forest soil and four decayed wood samples showed marked differences; particularly, in addition to Methylobacterium and Acidibrevibacterium, sphingomonads, which degrade the major skeleton of lignin in vitro, were more abundant in the decayed wood than in forest soil, suggesting that multiple bacteria were involved in lignin degradation. The bacterial community in the decayed wood was more influenced by wood type and lignin structure than the fungal species observed in the decayed wood.

Background The role of wood smoke (WS) exposure in the etiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer (LC), and mortality remains elusive in adults from countries with low ambient levels of combustion-emitted particulate matter. This study aims to delineate the impact of WS exposure on lung health and mortality in adults age 40 and older who ever smoked. Methods We assessed health impact of self-reported “ever WS exposure for over a year” in the Lovelace Smokers Cohort using both objective measures (i.e., lung function decline, LC incidence, and deaths) and two health related quality-of-life questionnaires (i.e., lung disease-specific St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ] and the generic 36-item short-form health survey). Results Compared to subjects without WS exposure, subjects with WS exposure had a more rapid decline of FEV1 (− 4.3 ml/s, P = 0.025) and FEV1/FVC ratio (− 0.093%, P = 0.015), but not of FVC (− 2.4 ml, P = 0.30). Age modified the impacts of WS exposure on lung function decline. WS exposure impaired all health domains with the increase in SGRQ scores exceeding the minimal clinically important difference. WS exposure increased hazard for incidence of LC and death of all-cause, cardiopulmonary diseases, and cancers by > 50% and shortened the lifespan by 3.5 year. We found no evidence for differential misclassification or confounding from socioeconomic status for the health effects of WS exposure. Conclusions We identified epidemiological evidence supporting WS exposure as an independent etiological factor for the development of COPD through accelerating lung function decline in an obstructive pattern. Time-to-event analyses of LC incidence and cancer-specific mortality provide human evidence supporting the carcinogenicity of WS exposure.

Wood fiber/polypropylene (WF/PP) composites are environmentally friendly materials with high dimensional stability and mechanical properties. However, the applications of WF/PP composites are limited by an unattractive surface texture. In this study, the WF/PP composites were decorated with poplar wood veneer using chlorinated polypropylene (CPP) as a hot melt adhesive, the bonding strength is over 1.18 MPa. Surface bonding strength tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to analyze the quality of the CPP bonding layer. The physical and mechanical properties of the veneered WF/PP boards and unveneered controls were examined to determine the effects of reinforcement. The result shows that after veneered the tension strength and modulus of the whole composite board were increased over 30% and 10%; the flexural strength and modulus were increased over 10% and 20%. Low-velocity impact testing was performed to determine the impact resistance properties of the composites. Higher ratios of wood fiber in the WF/PP composite led to a higher surface bonding strength, which was evident in the SEM images. Wood veneer decoration increased the mechanical strength of the whole composite board. A tighter bond along the CPP layer would provide additional reinforcement of the veneered composite’s mechanical properties.

Acknowledgements: We are thankful to the late Fritz Hans Schweingruber and everyone else who contributed to the collection and preparation of plant stem samples. Holger Gärtner provided critical discussion during the project’s initial phase, Loïc Schneider and Patrick Züst contributed to the analysis of our wood anatomical thin sections, Francesco Muschitiello gave statistical advice, and Christian Körner, Andrew Liebhold, Jonathan Spencer and several anonymous referees commented on earlier versions of the manuscript. A.C. received funding from the Fritz and Elisabeth Schweingruber Foundation, U.B. received funding from the SustES project—Adaptation strategies for sustainable ecosystem services and food security under adverse environmental conditions (CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000797), and the ERC Advanced project MonoStar (AdG 882727). J.D. was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GACR 21-26883 S) and the MSMT INTER-EXCELLENCE project (LTAUSA18007)., More than 200 years after von Humboldt's pioneering work on the treeline, our understanding of the cold distribution limit of upright plant growth is still incomplete. Here, we use wood anatomical techniques to estimate the degree of stem cell wall lignification in 1770 plant species from six continents. Contrary to the frequent belief that small plants are less lignified, we show that cell wall lignification in 'woody' herbs varies considerably. Although trees and shrubs always exhibit lignified cell walls in their upright stems, small plants above the treeline may contain less lignin. Our findings suggest that extremely cold growing season temperatures can reduce the ability of plants to lignify their secondary cell walls. Corroborating experimental and observational evidence, this study proposes to revisit existing theories about the thermal distribution limit of upright plant growth and to consider biochemical and biomechanical factors for explaining the global treeline position.

Marine wood-boring invertebrates rapidly fragment coarse woody debris in the sea. These wood borers have the ability to digest wood cellulose, but other potential food sources have been less investigated. To assess the contribution of each potential food source to the diet of wood borers, we traced seasonal and environmental changes in δ13C of shipworms cultured under the same experimental conditions and related these changes to variations in δ13C of potential food sources, i.e., wood log and particulate organic matter (POM) by using multiple linear regression models rather than the Bayesian mixing model. Based on the standardized partial regression coefficients in the model, it became clear that wood-derived organic carbon was the main carbon source for the teredinids, and POM also accounted for 37.9% of the teredinids' carbon source. Furthermore, we clarified variations in supplemental nitrogen sources for the teredinids: one species depended on both POM and wood log, whereas the other three species depended on either POM or wood log for their nitrogen source. δ13C values of another wood-boring bivalve of Martesia (Pholadidae) increase as it grows, which suggests that the bivalve switches its feeding strategy from xylophagous to filter feeding as it grows. Wood borers are known to accelerate the transfer of organic materials derived from wood logs to marine ecosystems. However, this study suggests that autochthonous production strongly contribute to the diet of marine wood borers, helping them to decompose wood logs in temperate shallow water.

In this study, the effect of the deep eutectic solvent (DES) based on triethylmethylammonium chloride and imidazole on the mechanochemical succinylation of sawdust was investigated. The sawdust was ball milled in the presence of succinic anhydride and the effects of different amounts of the DES on the carboxylic acid content and particle size were studied with and without post-heating. The carboxylic acid content significantly increased with the addition of the DES and by using 1.5 mass excess of the DES compared to sawdust; milled sawdust with 3.5 mmol/g of carboxylic acid groups was obtained using 60 min post-heating at 100 °C. The particle size was found to depend strongly on DES-to-wood ratio and a change in size-reduction characteristics was observed related to fiber saturation point. After mechanochemical milling, three succinylated sawdust samples with different carboxylic acid contents were disintegrated into wood nanofibers and self-standing films were produced. Although the mechanical properties of the films were lower than the cellulose nanofibers, they were higher or in line with oil- and biobased polymers such as polypropene and polylactic acid, respectively. Because of their amphiphilic nature, wood nanofibers were found to be effective stabilizers of water–oil emulsions.

There is an abundance of woody biomass in Japan. However, its economic feasibility is limited. There have been several discussions on whether generation of heat or electrical power is more suitable for woody biomass. In this study, we clarified the feasibility of generating heat and electricity from the viewpoint of biomass unit price and biomass productivity based on actual operation data for the first time. It was determined that heat production is feasible for a small-scale biomass energy use of 2,660 t/year or more. Electrical power generation is feasible only for a large-scale biomass energy use of 13,100 t/year or more, but it allows use of woody biomass with a higher unit price.

250 µm particle size of wood and polyethylene (PE) materials were compounded at mixing proportions of 60/40, 70/30, and 80/20 (with an increase in polymer to decrease in wood content) and extruded using a single screw extruder at a temperature range of 110–135 °C. The particles of Gmelina Arborea, Tectona grandis, Cordiamilleni, and Nauclea diderichii with recycled Polyethylene were compounded and compressed at 175 N/mm to produce biopolymer composites. The biopolymer composites were subjected to dimensional stability test at 24 h of the water soak method and the ability to withstand load-bearing capacity was investigated. The outcome of the results shows that extruded-compressive biopolymer composites had values ranging from 0.06–1.43 g/cm3, 0.38–3.41%, and 0.82–6.85% for observed density, water absorption, and thickness swelling at 24 h of a water soak test. The mechanical properties values ranged from 0.28 Nmm−2–21.35 Nmm−2 and 0.44–550.06 Nmm−2 for flexural modulus and strength; and 191.43 Nmm−2–1857.24 Nmm−2 and 0.35 Nmm−2–243.75 Nmm−2 for tensile modulus and strength respectively. It was observed that moisture uptake and strength displayed by the composites vary accordingly in values obtained for wood species at different mixing proportions. As observed that the more polyethylene content is compounded to wood, the better its dimensional stability, and flexural and tensile properties. The wood particles of Cordiamilleni compounded at a proportion of 60 to 40 (polyethylene/wood) performed best in dimensional stability and load-bearing capacity. This study confirmed the effect of methods on wood species and recycled PE for manufacturing wood polymer-based composite for both indoor and outdoor applications.

Elaborate task allocation is key to the ecological success of eusocial insects. Termite colonies are known for exhibiting age polyethism, with older instars more likely to depart the reproductive center to access food. However, it remains unknown how termites retain this spatial structure against external disturbances. Here we show that a subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki combines age polyethism and behavioral flexibility to maintain a constant worker proportion at the food area. Since this termite inhabits multiple wood pieces by connecting them through underground tunnels, disastrous colony splitting events can result in the loss of colony members. We simulated this via weekly removal of all individuals at the food area. Our results showed that termites maintained a worker proportion of ~ 20% at the food area regardless of changes in total colony size and demographic composition, where younger workers replaced food acquisition functions to maintain a constant worker proportion at the food area. Food consumption analysis revealed that the per-capita food consumption rate decreased with younger workers, but the colony did not compensate for the deficiency by increasing the proportion of workers at the feeding site. These results suggest that termite colonies prioritize risk management of colony fragmentation while maintaining suitable food acquisition efficiency with the next available workers in the colony, highlighting the importance of task allocation for colony resiliency under fluctuating environments.

The ethanol extract from the wood ofTaxus Yunnanensis(TY) induced apoptosis in all cancer cell lines tested, which was mainly due to activation of an extrinsic pathway in human colon cancer DLD-1 cells. The extrinsic pathway was activated by the upregulation of the expression levels of Fas and TRAIL/DR5, which led to the activation of caspase-8. Of note, the machinery of this increase in expression was promoted by the upregulation of MIR32a expression, which silenced MIR34a-targeting E2F3 transcription factor. Furthermore, ectopic expression of MIR32a or siR-E2F3 silencingE2F3increased Fas and TRAIL/DR5 expression. Thus, the extract activated the extrinsic pathway through the MIR34a/E2F3 axis, resulting in the autocrine and paracrine release of TRAIL, and upregulated expression of death receptors Fas and DR5 in the treated DLD-1 cells, which were functionally validated by Fas immunocytochemistry, and using anti-Fas and anti-TRAIL antibodies, respectively. In vivo, TY showed significant anti-tumor effects on xenografted and syngeneic model mice. The extract may also aid in chemoprevention by selectively making marked tumor cells susceptible to the tumor immunosurveillance system.

The development of building materials using new types of raw materials is currently on demand by society and the industry. It is intended to reduce production costs, improve properties and obtain ever-increasingly sustainable processes and products. In this respect, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of new types of reinforcement material on the physical-mechanical and thermal properties of cement-based panels. Cement-based panels reinforced with pine wood, coffee husk waste, rice husk and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were evaluated. The panels were produced with 1.30 g.cm-3nominal density; 1:2.5 reinforcement material: cement ratio; 1:1.5 water:cement ratio; 0.25 cement hydration rate using Portland ARI V cement and 3% calcium chloride (CaCl2) as additive. The panels' physical, mechanical and thermal properties were evaluated before and after accelerated aging. PET bottle wastes showed great potential for use in cement-based panel production, obtaining the best physical and mechanical results, and showing superior performance to pine wood panels. Cement-based panels reinforced with coffee husk and rice husk waste obtained lower physical-mechanical performance, presenting usage limitations, however, with the lowest values of thermal conductivity.

In the paper, results of drying biofuels from sewage sludge using solar energy are presented. Drying rates of biofuels made from sewage sludge and coal slime (PBS), sewage sludge and meat and bone meal (PBM), and sewage sludge and sawdust (PBT) with 15-mm and 35-mm granule particle size were studied. Tests were performed in a solar greenhouse dryer equipped with a specially designed mixing system. Experiments were aimed at determining the drying time of biofuels under various weather conditions in the southwestern part of Poland. In summer, in order to determine the best conditions for drying, tests were performed using various parameters, i.e., layers of various thickness, such as 5, 10, and 20 cm, and various mixing intensity (no mixing, mixing 3 and 5 times/day). In spring and the fall, 10-cm thick layers combined with 5 times mixing of fuels per day were used. The performed tests demonstrated that it is beneficial to dry fuels in 10-cm thick layer. In spring and the fall, PBS and PBM biofuels laid out in layers with just such thickness showed moisture content reduced to less than 10% after 8 days, while the PBT biofuel reached the same level after 14 days. In summer, the same result may be obtained for all the biofuels after 4 days on average. The presented original method of solar drying of biofuels obtained from sewage sludge and other waste may be used in wastewater treatment plants which process sewage sludge into fuels without incurring any additional costs for supplying heat.

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T10:20:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-03-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Abstract: Vegetal fibers are prominent reinforcements for polymer composite materials, considering their properties and application possibilities. In particular, thermal degradation behavior is crucial for determining an application subjected to a temperature range. Methods to predict properties are a trend in materials science and have the main advantage of saving cost and time. For this reason, in the present study, an artificial neural network (ANN) approach was used to predict the thermal degradation curves. The heating rate of 10 °C·min− 1 was carried out to train the network with 12 hidden layers and optimal training dataset of 60. Other heating rates were simulated and showed an excellent agreement with the experimental data. The coefficient of determination was R2 > 0.99 for all sources of biomass, exhibiting appropriate predictive fit with error following the sequence: ramie (1.15 %) < kenaf (1.33 %) < curaua (1.83 %) < jute (1.97 %). In conclusion, ANNs can learn from their data and optimize processing, formulations, predict properties, and other input data combinations. The predictive curves present high reliability with the experimental fit allowing the prediction of the mass loss for different temperatures versus the heating rate set. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. Department of Materials and Technology School of Engineering São Paulo State University (Unesp) Graduate Program in Mining Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) Federal University for Latim American Integration (UNILA) Department of Materials and Technology School of Engineering São Paulo State University (Unesp)

The thermal conversion of woody biomass is increasingly critical for the development of the energy processing technologies and fire safety engineering. The combustion characteristics, kinetics, and thermodynamics of pine wood were characterized through a thermogravimetric analyzer in the air atmosphere. There were two apparent peaks in the derivative TG curves for pine wood. The combustion process of pine wood was divided into two stages. Therein, the first stage occurring in the conversion degree range of 0-0.6 may be considered a one-step reaction. It was easier for pine wood to decompose under air than under nitrogen. Moreover, the first stage of pine wood combustion may be characterized by the diffusion model g(α) = [1 - (1 - α)1/3]2. The kinetic modeling showed a good agreement between the predicted and experimental conversion degree curves. In addition, the high comprehensive combustion index of pine wood at 10 K min-1 (6.73 × 10-7 %2 min-2 K-3) showed its great potential for bioenergy generation. Besides, both the value of ΔH and ΔS exhibited similar patterns with the activation energy value versus conversion degree, while the ΔG value almost remained at a positive constant with conversion degree. The average ΔH, ΔG, and ΔS value was nearly equal under different heating rates.

Bottom–up selection has an important role in microbial community assembly but is unable to account for all observed variance. Other processes like top–down selection (e.g., predation) may be partially responsible for the unexplained variance. However, top–down processes and their interaction with bottom–up selective pressures often remain unexplored. We utilised an in situ marine biofilm model system to test the effects of bottom–up (i.e., substrate properties) and top–down (i.e., large predator exclusion via 100 µm mesh) selective pressures on community assembly over time (56 days). Prokaryotic and eukaryotic community compositions were monitored using 16 S and 18 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Higher compositional variance was explained by growth substrate in early successional stages, but as biofilms mature, top–down predation becomes progressively more important. Wooden substrates promoted heterotrophic growth, whereas inert substrates’ (i.e., plastic, glass, tile) lack of degradable material selected for autotrophs. Early wood communities contained more mixotrophs and heterotrophs (e.g., the total abundance of Proteobacteria and Euglenozoa was 34% and 41% greater within wood compared to inert substrates). Inert substrates instead showed twice the autotrophic abundance (e.g., cyanobacteria and ochrophyta made up 37% and 10% more of the total abundance within inert substrates than in wood). Late native (non-enclosed) communities were mostly dominated by autotrophs across all substrates, whereas high heterotrophic abundance characterised enclosed communities. Late communities were primarily under top–down control, where large predators successively pruned heterotrophs. Integrating a top–down control increased explainable variance by 7–52%, leading to increased understanding of the underlying ecological processes guiding multitrophic community assembly and successional dynamics.

Abstract This study aimed at a better understanding of the wood-water interaction, in particular the role of the hydroxyl accessibility during the humidity-dependent change in moisture content. Thin sections (80 µm) of never-dried Norway spruce sapwood that contained early- and latewood were used for the experiments. Sorption isotherm measurements confirmed the humidity-dependent moisture content changes and the effect of the first drying of the wood sections. Changes in hydroxyl accessibility were then determined by deuteration of the sections using deuterium oxide, followed by their re-protonation in water (H2O) vapor at different relative humidity: 15, 55 or 95%. The deuteration and re-protonation of the wood sections were quantified by dry mass changes as well as by changes in the OH and OD stretching vibrations in the Fourier transform infrared spectra. The results showed that the deuterated sections could be almost completely re-protonated in H2O vapor, nearly irrespective of the applied relative humidity. Therefore, changes in hydroxyl accessibility were not the driving force for the humidity-dependent changes in moisture content. However, a slow re-protonation rate at low relative humidity had to be considered. Nonetheless, a small quantity of OD groups persisted the re-protonation in H2O vapor and liquid H2O, which was not related to the drying of the wood. Graphic abstract

In this work, for the first time, Cordia trichotoma sawdust, a residue derived from noble wood processing, was applied as an alternative biosorbent for the removal of crystal violet by discontinuous and continuous biosorption processes. The optimum conditions for biosorption of crystal violet were 7.5 pH and a biosorbent dosage of 0.8 g L−1. The biosorption kinetics showed that the equilibrium was reached at 120 min, achieving a maximum biosorption capacity of 107 mg g−1 for initial dye concentration of 200 mg L−1. The Elovich model was the proper model for representing the biosorption kinetics. The isotherm assays showed that the rise of temperature causes an increase in the biosorption capacity of the crystal violet, with a maximum biosorption capacity of 129.77 mg g−1 at 328 K. The Langmuir model was the most proper model for describing the behavior. The sign of ΔG0 indicates that the process was spontaneous and favorable, whereas the ΔH0 indicates an endothermic process. The treatment of the colored simulated effluent composed by dyes and salts resulted in 80% of color removal. The application of biosorbent in the fixed-bed system achieved a breakthrough time of 505 min, resulting in 83.35% of color removal. The Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models were able to describe the fixed-bed biosorption behavior. This collection of experimental evidence shows that the Cordia trichotoma sawdust can be applied for the removal of crystal violet and a mixture of other dyes that contain them.

In this study, we estimated the technoeconomic availability of three types of dead trees, namely commercially fallen, normally fallen, and standing, in Mongolian subgroups. For dead trees of three major Mongolian tree species (Siberian larch, Scotch pine, and Asian white birch), lumber, firewood, and unused material as sources of energy were quantified and operational costs (marking, felling, skidding, transporting, loading/unloading, processing, and stumpage prices) were estimated. As a result, most Mongolian subgroups were profitable and suitable for the harvest of unused materials. Moreover, unused materials of dead trees can substitute nearly 5.45 million tons of coal, although it is not sufficient to meet the 0.6 years of coal demand across Mongolia. However, in some places, unused dead wood materials can completely substitute coal for decades. Therefore, although the heat utilization of woody biomass is not suitable for Mongolia as a whole, it is feasible in specific regions where forest resources are abundant, such as some Mongolian sub-provinces. Promoting the use of dead trees can reduce the risk of damage caused by wildfires and pests, which are serious problems in Mongolia, and keep the forests healthy. Furthermore, unused materials can generate new income opportunities, and the forest land can be well prepared by removing dead trees to promote planting for sustainable forest management. Finally, dead trees can be used as a resource until transition to sustainable forests with living trees.

To strengthen the embedment properties of wood, this study applied the resin impregnation technique, which fills the resin into wood cells. The urethane prepolymer and acrylic monomer were selected in this study. A mechanical test by a round steel bar loaded to the wood specimen was conducted. The characteristics showed higher values in the resin-impregnated groups than in the control specimen group, especially in the stiffness. The urethane- and acryl-impregnated group showed 3.78 and 2.27 times the stiffness values of the control groups in the parallel-loaded condition, and 1.94 and 1.24 times those of the control group in the perpendicularly loaded condition, respectively. Although the stiffness was significantly increased, there was a lack of ductility, which seems to be a serious problem for construction application.

Main conclusion Lignan impregnation of the reaction zone wood protects against oxidative degradation by fungi. Traumatic resin canals may play roles in the underlying signal transduction, synthesis, and translocation of defense compounds. Abstract Tree defense against xylem pathogens involves both constitutive and induced phenylpropanoids and terpenoids. The induced defenses include compartmentalization of compromised wood with a reaction zone (RZ) characterized by polyphenol deposition, whereas the role of terpenoids has remained poorly understood. To further elucidate the tree–pathogen interaction, we profiled spatial patterns in lignan (low-molecular-weight polyphenols) and terpenoid content in Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees showing heartwood colonization by the pathogenic white-rot fungus Heterobasidion parviporum. There was pronounced variation in the amount and composition of lignans between different xylem tissue zones of diseased and healthy trees. Intact RZ at basal stem regions, where colonization is the oldest, showed the highest level and diversity of these compounds. The antioxidant properties of lignans obviously hinder oxidative degradation of wood: RZ with lignans removed by extraction showed significantly higher mass loss than unextracted RZ when subjected to Fenton degradation. The reduced diversity and amount of lignans in pathogen-compromised RZ and decaying heartwood in comparison to intact RZ and healthy heartwood suggest that α-conindendrin isomer is an intermediate metabolite in lignan decomposition by H. parviporum. Diterpenes and diterpene alcohols constituted above 90% of the terpenes detected in sapwood of healthy and diseased trees. A significant finding was that traumatic resin canals, predominated by monoterpenes, were commonly associated with RZ. The findings clarify the roles and fate of lignan during wood decay and raise questions about the potential roles of terpenoids in signal transduction, synthesis, and translocation of defense compounds upon wood compartmentalization against decay fungi.

Increasing resistance to the currently available antimalarial drugs is a leading cause of failure to control malaria. Plant-based medicines are commonly used to manage numerous infections, making medicinal plants the best possible source of alternative antimalarial drugs. The objective of this study is therefore to identify antimalarial potential of Prunus cerasoides. Here, anti-plasmodial activity of crude methanolic and aqueous extracts of Prunus cerasoides and fractions obtained by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RPHPLC) were tested for in vitro activity against chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 and chloroquine resistant INDO & Dd2 strains using SYBR Green I assay. The cytotoxic activity of active extracts/fractions was evaluated against mammalian cell lines-HeLa using MTT assay. Aqueous extracts of leaves, wood, bark and fruit of P. cerasoides showed poor to no activity up to 100 µg/ml, however methanolic extract showed moderate (IC50: 21–60 µg/ml) to poor (IC50: 61–100 µg/ml) anti-plasmodial activity. Fractionation of wood methanolic extract led to enrichment in antimalarial activity in some of its fractions as out of 17 fractions collected, good anti-plasmodial activity (IC50: 1–20 µg/ml) was shown by three fractions and nine fractions showed moderate anti-plasmodial activity. However, five fractions showed poor to no activity against Plasmodium falciparum (IC50:61–100 and >100 µg/ml respectively). Furthermore, these active fractions showed no cytotoxic effects on mammalian cell lines. Findings of this study elucidate the anti-plasmodial potential of P. cerasoides and validate its traditional usage suggesting that it could be a possible source of a drug candidate in combating this disease.

The Oseberg ship is one of the most important archaeological testimonies of the Vikings. After excavation in 1904, the wooden gravegoods were conserved using alum salts. This resulted in extreme degradation of a number of the objects a hundred years later through acid depolymerisation of cellulose and lignin. The fragile condition of the artefacts requires a reconsolidation which has to be done avoiding water as solvent. We synthesized tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS) chitosan which is soluble in a 50:50 solution of ethyl acetate and toluene. Measurement of its molecular weight, to anticipate its penetration, provided a challenge as the density difference of the polymer and solvent was too small to provide adequate solute redistribution under a centrifugal field, so a two-stage process was implemented (i) determination of the weight-average molar mass of the aqueous soluble activated precursor, chitosan mesylate, Mw,mc using sedimentation equilibrium with the SEDFIT-MSTAR algorithm, and determination of the degree of polymerisation DP; (ii) measurement of the average degree of substitution DSTBDMS of the TBDMS group on each chitosan monosaccharide monomer unit using NMR, to augment the Mw,mc value to give the molar mass of the TBDMS-chitosan. For the preparation, we find Mw = 9.8 kg·mol−1, which is within the acceptable limit for penetration and consolidation of degraded wood. Future work will test this on archaeological wood from different sources.

Forests are among the most species rich habitats and the way they are managed influences their capacity to protect biodiversity. To fulfill increasing wood demands in the future, planted and non-planted wood production will need to expand. While biodiversity assessments usually focus on the impacts of deforestation, the effects of wood harvest are mostly not considered, especially not in a spatially explicit manner. We present here a global approach to refine the representation of forest management through allocating future wood production to planted and non-planted forests. Wood production, following wood consumption projections of three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, was allocated using likelihood maps for planted and production forests. On a global scale, plantations for wood production were projected to increase by 45–65% and harvested area in non-planted forests by 1–17%. The biodiversity impacts of changes in wood production patterns were estimated by applying two commonly used indicators: (1) changes in species richness and (2) changes in habitat-suitable ranges of single species. The impact was analyzed using forest cover changes as reference. Our results show that, although forest cover changes have the largest impact on biodiversity, changes in wood production also have a significant effect. The magnitude of impacts caused by changes of wood production substantially differs by region and taxa. Given the importance of forest production changes in net negative emission pathways, more focus should be put on assessing the effects of future changes in wood production patterns as part of overall land use change impacts.

Camphor wood is welcomed by museums due to its insect-repelling effect but the smell indicates a potential risk to the collections. In order to judge the suitability of camphor wood as a museum storage material, typical camphor wood (Cinnamomum camphora) samples aged for different years were evaluated by conducting the Oddy test. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and time of flight–secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) were applied to identifying the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the materials and the corrosion products, respectively. The results showed that the camphor wood samples led to visible corrosion on copper and lead coupons. GC-MS indicated that the major VOCs emitted were terpenes and their derivatives, while XRD, EDS, and ToF-SIMS provided various clues to the corrosion mechanisms. Pb10(CO3)6(OH)6O and CuO were regarded as the major corrosion products of lead and copper coupons, respectively. The study provides the museum curators and the conservators with abundant information to reassess the application of camphor wood to museums as well as a different way to understand the mechanism of metallic corrosion caused by camphor wood.

The influence of drying on the microstructure, physical and chemical properties of some tropical wood species has been investigated using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) analysis. Eleven tropical species were used in this study. Results showed that the common Cameroonian wood species can be grouped into three classes: Ga (lightwood) with cross-linking fibers having high volume of macropores, density in the range 0.2–0.4 g cm−3 and high lignin content; Gb (medium dense) with unidirectional fibers packing, density around 0.6 g cm−3 and Gc group showing high densification of unidirectional fibers and low porosity justifying the density > 0.8 g cm−3. Both the Gb an Gc groups have less significant lignin content. A relatively high rate of drying for Ga with respect to low drying rate for Gc was observed in direct relation with their porosity of ~ 72 Vol% and ~ 36 Vol%, respectively. LTF and WG showed similar cumulative pore volume (0.44 mL g−1) with different pore size distribution: 28% and 22% of macropores, 39% and 60% of mesopores and 33% and 18% micropores, respectively. Thermal analysis revealed that lightwoods have the highest amounts of residues and lower thermal stability of chemical components than dense woods. It has been found that the degradation process of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin occurs mainly at about 200–300 °C, 300–350 °C and 350–500 °C, respectively. The group Ga with low drying rate, a low cycle of reproduction, a high volume of porosity together with large pore sizes appeared promising candidates for the design of ecological, environmental and sustainable management policy of wood transformation in developing countries and even worldwide.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:44:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-09-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Styrax camporum Pohl. (Styracaceae) is a woody species that grows on acidic soils from the Brazilian savanna with high aluminum (Al) saturation (m% > 50%), where it accumulates ~ 1500 mg Al per kg dry leaves. Using nutrient solution, a previous study showed that 1480 μM Al causes toxicity symptoms, which raises the question whether less than 1480 μM Al could cause beneficial effects on this species. Here, we checked possible altered gas exchange rates, damage to organelles in root tips and the association between Al exposure and mitochondria occurrence in cells of root tips, once organic acids from Krebs cycle exuded by the roots of this species when exposed to Al have been recently evidenced. Five-month-old plants were grown in nutrient solution with 0, 740 and 1480 μM Al for 90 days. Plants exposed to 1480 μM Al showed less developed root system, reduced plant height and low gas exchange rates in relation to those exposed to 0 and 740 μM Al, confirming that 1480 μM Al is toxic to S. camporum. However, plants exposed to 0 and 740 μM Al had similar number of leaves, plant height, root biomass, root length, total plant biomass and gas exchange rates, indicating that no beneficial effects from 740 μM Al could be noted on this species. In plants exposed to 0 and 740 μM Al, mitochondria were noted at the root tip, while at 1480 μM Al these organelles were not evident due to the conspicuous vacuolation of root cells. S. camporum shows limited tolerance to Al in nutrient solution. In addition, this species is not dependent on Al to grow and develop because the plants grew well under 0 and 740 μM Al. Departamento de Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas (Biologia Vegetal) Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP, Av. 24-A, 1515 Departamento de Fitopatologia e Nematologia Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiróz”-Universidade de São Paulo ESALQ-USP, Av. Pádua Dias, 11 Departamento de Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP, Av. 24-A, 1515 Departamento de Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas (Biologia Vegetal) Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP, Av. 24-A, 1515 Departamento de Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP, Av. 24-A, 1515 FAPESP: 2014/14386-0 FAPESP: 2018/25658-2 CNPq: 309149/2017-7

To evaluate a strain of Fusarium verticillioides ITV03 isolated from wood residues in the Veracruz region of Mexico. Endoglucanase and β-glucosidase production by submerged fermentation was optimized using a Box–Behnken design, where the independent variables were urea, ammonium sulfate and yeast extract. After optimization, an endoglucanase activity of 0.27 U/mL was achieved; subsequently, three carbon sources were evaluated (carboxymethyl cellulose, sweet sorghum bagasse cellulose and delignified sweet sorghum bagasse (DSSB). The results showed that DSSB yielded the greatest endoglucanase (0.28 U/mL) and β-glucosidase (0.12 U/mL) activities. Both enzymatic activities were characterized for the effect of pH, temperature and thermostability. The optimal parameters of β-glucosidase and endoglucanase activity were pH 5 and 4 respectively, the optimum temperature 60 °C. These enzymes were stable at 50 °C for 150.68 h and 8.54 h, with an activation energy (Ea(day)) of 265.55 kJ/mol and 44.40 kJ/mol respectively, for β-glucosidase and endoglucanase. The present work shows that a native strain like F. verticillioides ITV03 using DSSB supplemented with nitrogen has a great potential as a producer of cellulase for lignocellulosic residue hydrolysis.

Organosolv pretreatment with two ethanol concentrations (25% and 50%, v/v) was performed to improve enzymatic saccharification of poplar sawdust. It was found that lower ethanol concentration (25%, v/v) pretreatment resulted in a higher enzymatic digestibility of poplar (38.1%) due to its higher xylan removal and similar lignin removal ratios, compared to that pretreated with 50% (v/v) ethanol pretreatment (27.5%). However, the residual lignin still exhibited a strong inhibition on enzymatic hydrolysis of organosolv-pretreated poplar (OP). Bio-surfactant preparations including tea saponin (TS), TS crude extract, and tea seed waste were applied in enzymatic hydrolysis of OP, due to their potential ability of reducing enzyme non-productive binding on lignin. Their optimal loadings in enzymatic hydrolysis of OP were optimized, which indicated that adding 0.075 g/g glucan of TS improved the 72-h glucose yield of OP by 48.3%. Moreover, adding TS crude extract and tea seed waste exhibited the better performance than TS for improving enzymatic hydrolysis of OP. It was verified that the presence of protein in TS crude extract and tea seed waste accounted for the higher improvement. More importantly, the directly application of tea seed waste in enzymatic hydrolysis could achieve the similar improvement on enzymatic hydrolysis of OP, where chemosynthetic surfactant (PEG6000) was added. The residual enzyme activities in supernatant of enzymatic hydrolysis were also determined to reveal the changes on enzyme adsorption after adding surfactants. Generally, tea seed waste could be directly applied as an alternative to chemosynthetic surfactants to promote enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocelluloses.

Combinations of wood and metal are interesting hybrid composite materials, joining together the low density of wood with the stiffness and strength of metals. Different types of adhesives are used to connect wood and metal elements, but the compatibility between adhesives used and load-bearing materials must be sufficient, which often is challenging. In adhesive bonding technology, surface treatments are a crucial step in the process. In this study, an atmospheric plasma discharge was employed to enhance the adhesion strength of joints between common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) wood, metals (steel and aluminum alloy), and four different types of adhesives. The optical properties of plasma discharges and its influence on treated substrates’ surface morphology depended on the inherent properties of the treated materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the surface oxidation of all the materials after plasma treatment. Consequently, the surface free energy of all materials increased as well. The positive effect of the plasma treatment on the tensile shear strength of single-lap joints shows a high potential of atmospheric plasma treatment technology for enhancement of adhesives strength of joints combining wooden elements, wood and steel, or wood and aluminum alloys. In addition to that, expensive epoxy and polyurethane adhesives could be replaced by more affordable polyvinyl acetate and melamine-urea-formaldehyde adhesives, and still perform at equal levels if the plasma was applied prior to bonding.