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The effect of fiber characteristics from old corrugated container (OCC) paper on the strength properties of OCC/polypropylene composites was evaluated. Fibers with different contents of lignin (2.8%, 3.8%, 5.3%, and 7%) were produced using soda pulping. Wettability, tear, and tensile strength of the fibers were measured as the indication factors to assess the strength of reinforcing component in the composites. The weight portions of the OCC fibers, polypropylene, and maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP) were selected at 20%, 77%, and 3% of the total weight of the composite, respectively. The composite compounds were formed using a counter-rotating twin screw extruder, and the specimens were made in an injection molding machine. The interaction of fiber characteristics and fiber lignin content on the mechanical properties of composite was investigated. The results revealed that with lower fiber lignin content, both flexural and tensile properties were increased. Consequently, by forming better fiber dispersion and by reducing stress regions in the composite, impact strength was also improved. Lower lignin content resulted in better mechanical properties than fiber characteristics.

Factors of manufacturing sustainability in the papermaking industry were identified and ranked using qualitative analysis and nonparametric tests. Based on a review of the literature on sustainable development and production, seven main factors of economic, environmental, technological, social, human, material and product, and regulations were identified to underpin the manufacturing sustainability in the papermaking industry, as well as some sub-factors. Then, a self-designed questionnaire was developed to take a poll among papermaking managers and experts regarding the effectiveness of the factors and sub-factors in manufacturing sustainability and their status. The factors affecting manufacturing sustainability in the papermaking industry were confirmed by the standard and significance coefficients in the structural equations and the predictive criterion. The cross-validated redundancy index showed that the data were valid enough for prediction. The research factors were ranked by the ordinal average affecting sustainability, current status, and distance to sustainability. The materials and product, environmental, technological, and economic factors had the greatest influence on manufacturing sustainability, and the regulation and human factors had the highest distance to sustainability. To achieve manufacturing sustainability in the papermaking industry, regulations and human factors need to be further studied. Their improvement has potential to achieve manufacturing sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addressed the urgent need for biofuels even in countries such as Iran, which has fairly good fossil fuel resources. The problems, necessities of the present, and future demand for biofuels are discussed. As the transportation sector is one of the largest sources of air pollution, this study has focused on this sector. This issue was examined from a global perspective, and then within the context of domestic bioethanol production using agricultural residues and proposing different scenarios. The first step in implementing this policy is the accurate forecast of the demand for second-generation bioethanol in the coming years. A nonlinear auto regressive neural network was applied to predict gasoline demand based on Mackey-Glass chaotic time series. Gasoline demand is forecasted by 2030, based on projected volumes of gasoline in different bioethanol mixture scenarios. Results revealed that using scenarios E10, E15, E25, the volume of bioethanol needed by 2030 will amount to 10.12, 15.16 and 25.31 million L per day which can be produced using agricultural products wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of acid copper chromate (ACC) and hydrothermal treatments were determined relative to the hardness, decay resistance, and dimensional stability of poplar wood. Test specimens, prepared from poplar wood (Populus nigra L.), were first heat-treated under saturated steam in a digester and then impregnated with ACC solution and by a long-term (21 days) dipping technique to reach complete saturation. Impregnated specimens were exposed to white-rot fungus (Trametes versicolor) for 14 weeks, using the Kolle flask method. The weight loss and Brinell hardness were determined after impregnation, thermal treatment, and exposure to T. versicolor. The combination of thermal treatment and ACC preservative on the poplar wood showed improved hardness and decay resistance properties of wood, depending on the treatment time and temperature. The highest weight loss (37.78%) was observed for control specimens, and the lowest (3.03%) occurred in 1% ACC-treated specimens. The highest Brinell hardness on a tangential surface was observed in 1% ACC-treated specimens (6.45 kN), and the lowest was noted in the specimens heat-treated at 130 °C and 180 min (0.52 kN). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of thermal-treatment severity of wood on the mechanical and morphological properties of wood plastic composites (WPCs) was investigated. Wood chips were first heat treated at 120, 150, or 180 ºC for 30 or 120 min under saturated steam in a digester. The composites were composed of thermally treated and untreated wood flour, polypropylene, and a coupling agent, produced by melt compounding and then injection molding. The thermal-treatment of the beech wood improved some mechanical properties of the WPCs, depending on the treatment-time and temperature. The SEM micrographs of the composites showed that the outer surface of the wood fiber was coated by a section of amorphous lignin. The SEM images showed that the WPCs produced from the wood treated at 150 ºC for 30 min had considerably fewer holes and many broken fiber ends embedded in the polymer matrix, indicating better compatibility between the wood flour and the polymer matrix. Based on the results of the mechanical testing of the WPCs, the optimum thermal-treatment for WPC production was 150 °C for 30 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canola straw can be used as a raw material for the production of chemimechanical pulp (CMP). In this work, chemimechanical pulp was first produced from canola straw, and then the bleaching performance of the produced chemimechanical pulp was investigated under different conditions (dosages of NaOH and Na2SO3, time, and temperature). The results showed that the yield of chemical pretreatment in the CMP process varied between 57.6% and 64.9%, while the total yield of the process was between 54.1% and 61.9%. Subsequently, the CMP pulp produced via applying 4% NaOH and 8% Na2SO3 at 145 °C for 15 min was bleached with H2O2. The results showed that pulps bleached via applying one stage of 3% H2O2, 3% NaOH, 6% sodium silicate, 0.5% MgSO4, and 0.3% DTPA for 150 min possessed the highest brightness of 60.8% ISO, which is suitable for container board production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper industry has taken various steps to address environmental concerns and raw material limitations. Among them, paper recycling has been shown to be a viable option. In this study, the alkaline sulfite pulping of old corrugated containers (OCC) to produce bleachable pulp was investigated. A combination of one of the three active alkali levels (14, 16, and 18%; Na2O, and oven-dry weight of OCC); one of two pulping temperatures (145 and 175°C), and one of two pulping times (60 and 120 minutes) and sodium sulfite to sodium hydroxide ratio of 30/70 (mol/mol) were examined. After preliminary pulping and evaluation, pulp with a kappa number of 18.3 and brightness of 50.2%, which was produced applying 18% active alkali, sodium sulfite to sodium hydroxide ratio of 30:70, and pulping time and temperature of 120 minutes and 175°C, respectively, having the yield of 64.0% (based on oven dry weight of washed OCC) and 72.7% (based on original weight of the OCC as received), respectively, was selected for totally chlorine free (TCF) bleaching trials. Brightness, opacity, tensile, and tear strength indices of this pulp were measured as 50.2%, 81.4%, 27.7 N.m/g, and 12.35 mN.m²/g, respectively. Bleaching of this pulp applying 3% H2O2 and 2.25% NaOH at 90 minutes generated bleached pulp with brightness and opacity as 57.1% and 78.2%, respectively. The bleaching yield was measured as 92%. Tensile and tear strength indices of this pulp were measured as 25.1 Nm/g and 12.4 mN.m²/g, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic supply and demand equations for particleboard using a three-stage squares simulation (3SLS) were estimated. Empirical data included annual observations over the period of 1976 to 2006. The stationary character of the data was checked by applying the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) Test. The results revealed that in the demand function, variables such as particleboard price, the gross national product (GNP) in the previous year (lagged quantity), and the MDF price were significant at 0.05%. In the supply function, variables such as the price of medium density fiberboard (MDF), demand for particleboard in the previous year, the product/raw material price ratio in the previous year, and particleboard imports in the previous year were shown to be significant at 0.05%. Also price, income, and cross elasticities of demand for particleboard were calculated as -0.65, 0.32, and 1.63, respectively, indicating that this commodity is a necessary and normal good and MDF is a substitute for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever increasing volume of waste newspaper indicates the importance and availability of this paper for recycling. However, aging of the print, especially offset print, plays an important role in recycling, which requires additional consideration. The effects of aging and sodium hydroxide on de-inking of old newspaper is investigated. In all, 4 natural aging periods (0, 4, 8, and 12 months) and 5 concentrations of sodium hydroxide (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% on bone-dry (BD) weight of the paper) were employed to study the de-inking of offset printed newspaper. Optical properties of recycled paper, including brightness, yellowness, and absorption coefficient, were measured. The results indicate that the treatment of non-aged newspaper with 1.5% sodium hydroxide produced the best de-inking. Aging newspaper for 4 months and longer decreased the brightness of de-inked pulp and increased the absorption coefficient, whereas higher doses of sodium hydroxide increased brightness and decreased the absorption coefficient. No significant difference was observed between 1.5% and 2% sodium hydroxide. Aging decreased yellowness and sodium hydroxide increased it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A mild acidic dioxane extraction method was employed to isolate lignin from hardwood bleached chemimechanical pulp (BCMP). The isolated lignin was then purified and undergone elemental analysis. To study the photodegradation behavior, the lignin samples were impregnated onto the Whatman filter papers and irradiated with UV light for various periods. The photolyzed lignin was then recovered and analyzed by (1)H-NMR spectroscopy. Phenylpropane-based formula (C(9)) of CMP pulp lignin and the photolyzed samples were then established with elemental analysis and (1)H-NMR spectroscopy data. The results indicated that the benzaldehyde and benzoic acid type compounds were the main photodegradation products of BCMP lignin. The lignin photodegradation probably involved the degradation of phenylcoumaran units. Irradiation also increased the phenolic hydroxyl group content and decreased that of methoxyl groups, due to demethoxylation. The degrees of aromatic ring condensation were increased upon continuing the irradiation time, which imples the formation of condensed structures in photolyzed lignin.