Development and testing of a surface roughness measurement device based on aerial ultrasonic reflections

Paddy and Water Environment - Repairs of concrete irrigation channels in Japan are guided to a large extent by the degree to which their walls have degraded over decades of use. Current methods of...     

Stereochemistry of matairesinol formation by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Daphne</Emphasis> secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase

Secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase activity was detected for the first time from Daphne odora and Daphne genkwa (Thymelaeaceae), which are known to produce optically pure (+)-matairesinol. In sharp contrast, (–)-matairesinol was formed selectively over the (+)-antipode by the secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase preparation from both D. odora callus and D. genkwa shoots.     

New lignan, isoactifolin, fromChamaecyparis obtusa cv. Breviramea

A new lignan isoactifolin was isolated from young shoots (with leaves) ofChamaecyparis obtusa cv. Breviramea. The structure of the compound was determined based on spectroscopic evidence.Parts of this report were presented at the 44th lignin symposium, Gifu, October 1999     

Heat budget and statistical analysis of the relationship between stream temperature and riparian forest in the Toikanbetsu River basin, northern Japan

Riparian forests greatly influence aquatic ecosystems by providing shade cover, which controls water temperature and limits primary production. We examined the relationship between forest cover and summer stream temperature in northernmost Japan. Heat budget and statistical analyses were employed and the results were compared. Heat budget analysis revealed that the water temperature would decrease almost linearly from 29°C to 25°C with an increase in forested reaches along a 3.2 km stretch of the river. Multiple regression analysis by the stepwise method chose only open channel length as a variable to explain the variation in maximum stream temperature. A sharp increase in stream temperature was noted when riparian forest cover was removed in short lengths, of up to 1.0km; this increasing trend gradually flattened as the length of open stretch increased. Thus, even small openings in the riparian canopy resulted in drastic rises in summer stream temperature. The maximum summer temperatures estimated by the two methods were coincided, and can therefore be accurately estimated by regression analysis. Retrospective analysis based on the regression equation showed that the maximum summer temperature in 1947 was 6°C lower than at present, and that a sharp increase occurred from 1947 to 1960, a period of rapid expansion of agricultural land development in the watershed.     

Lignan production inDaphne odora cell cultures

Lignan production in callus and cell suspension cultures ofDaphne odora is reported for the first time. The cell suspension culture produced pinoresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, and wikstromol. The production of matairesinol in the cell suspension culture was much higher than that inDaphne odora stem tissues.Part of this report was presented at the 51th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Tokyo, April 2001     

GC-MS and IR spectroscopic analyses of the lignin-derived products from softwood and hardwood treated in supercritical water

Softwood (Cryptomeria japonica) and hardwood (Fagus crenata) were treated in supercritical water (380°C, 100 MPa) for 8 s. The treated woods were fractionated to the water-soluble portion, methanol-soluble portion, and methanol-insoluble residues. For the methanol-soluble portion, which mainly consisted of lignin-derived products, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analyses were conducted to clarify the molecular weight distribution and to identify the monomeric products, respectively. GPC analysis revealed that the methanol-soluble portion contains monomeric and some oligomeric products. GC-MS analysis identified 19 guaiacyl compounds in the methanol-soluble portion from softwood, and 15 syringyl monomeric compounds in the methanol-soluble portion from hardwood. The structures of identified products included not only phenyl propane (C₆—C₃) units but also C₆—C₂ and C₆—C₁ units. In addition, the infrared spectra suggested that the methanol-soluble portion maintains the typical structure of lignin, although it is rich in condensed-type linkages with some changes in the propyl side chain. These results indicate that the supercritical water treatment cleaves not only ether linkages but also part of the propyl chains in lignin to give various aromatic compounds.     

Decomposition behavior of woody biomass in water-added supercritical methanol

The chemical conversion of Japanese beech (Fagus crenata Blume) in water-added supercritical methanol was studied for a wide range of water content using a batch-type reaction vessel to obtain chemicals from lignocellulosics. It was consequently found that addition of water enhanced the decomposition of wood cell wall components; cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. In cases of high water content, however, it resulted in low solubility of lignin-derived products causing an increase in the mass of the residue. The water content was thus optimized to be around 10% (v/v) for the decomposition of wood. Concomitantly, the yields and selectivity of the chemicals from wood could be regulated by the addition of water, especially for the lignin-derived products. As a result, the monomeric compounds of lignin, coniferyl alcohol and sinapyl alcohol, were recovered as their γ-methyl ethers in the presence of water in higher yields than those obtained without addition of water.