Characterization of Brauns’ lignin from fresh and vacuum-dried birch (Betula pendula) wood

Brauns’ lignins present in the methanol extracts of fresh birch (Betula pendula) xylem and of sawn birch board subjected to vacuum drying were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy (1D and 2D), IR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and colour measurements (CIELab) in order to find out whether Brauns’ lignin could contribute to the colour change of sawn timber that occurred during vacuum drying. The two Brauns’ lignin samples contained about equal amounts of syringylpropane and guaiacylpropane units linked with β-O-4 and β–β side-chain structures. Molecular weight of the Brauns’ lignin of vacuum-dried birch board (acetylated: 5,200 g mol⁻¹) was higher than that of the Brauns’ lignin of fresh birch wood (acetylated: 4,400 g mol⁻¹). The Brauns’ lignin of vacuum-dried wood was also clearly darker and more prominently yellow and red; between the Brauns’ lignin samples was 23.59. The differences in the molecular weights and colours suggest that the Brauns’ lignin underwent a chemical change during vacuum drying of the wood and that this change may have affected the colour of the wood.     

Nondestructive testing method of wood moisture content based on a planar capacitance sensor model

For our research, a new hybrid experimental-computational method is presented. We applied a least squares fitting     

Dose–response relationships between wood moisture content,wood temperature and fungal decay determined for 23 European field test sites

Scots pine sapwood (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Douglas fir heartwood (Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco) specimens were exposed in double layer field trials at 23 different European test sites under different exposure conditions (in total 27 test sets). The material climate in terms of wood moisture content (MC) and wood temperature was automatically monitored over a period of up to 7 years and compared with the progress of decay. The overall aim of this study was to establish dose–response relationships between climate factors and decay as a basis for the service life prediction of wood. The “Scheffer Climate Index” based on weather data collected at official meteorological stations at the different test sites poorly correlated with the corresponding decay progress and was therefore not a suitable tool for estimating site-specific decay potential. In contrast, the use of the combined material climatic parameters MC and wood temperature led to a feasible dose–response function and turned out to be a useful basis for service life prediction of wood.     

Effects of wood species,particle sizes and dimensions of residue obtained from trimming of wood–cement composites on physical and mechanical properties of cement-bonded particleboard

Abstract

The present work was conducted to study the effects of wood species, particle size and residue particle size obtained from trimming of wood–cement composites on physical and mechanical properties of cement-bonded particleboard (CBPB). Particleboard was manufactured with a wood/cement ratio of 1:3 and specific gravity 1200 kg m^?3. After manufacturing, the boards were tested. The second order plan was used to test the significant difference between factors and levels. It was shown that slenderness and compaction ratio increased and bulk density and specific surface decreased with the increase of particle size. With the increase in slenderness ratio and compaction ratio and decrease in bulk density and specific surface, thickness swelling and mechanical properties improved, but water absorption by the board increased. The addition of 6% of 5/3 fraction size of particle obtained from trimming of boards improved significantly the properties of the boards. The optimized panel properties, obtained using poplar particles with a fraction size of 7pass/on5, exceeded the BISON type HZ and EN Standard for Wood Particleboard. CBPB made of alder or poplar particles with 5/3 fraction size of residue exceeded the BISON type HZ. All CBPB with 5/3 fraction size of residue showed lower mean values of thickness swelling, well below the maximum requirements of both standards. In addition, wood species, fraction size of particles and residue size are believed to have been the main cause of change in the properties of the boards.     

Biosorption of methylene blue from aqueous solutions on β-cyclodextrin grafting wood flour copolymer: kinetic and equilibrium studies

The preparation, characterization, and environmental application of β-cyclodextrin/citric acid/wood flour (β-CD/CA/WF) graft copolymer wood-based biosorbent for methylene blue (MB) biosorption were investigated in this paper. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the technique of phenolphthalein probe were used to characterize the grafting β-CD. Furthermore, the biosorption behavior of MB on β-CD/CA/WF graft copolymer was studied under various conditions of pH, contact time, and initial MB concentration. The results indicated that the biosorption of MB was dependent on both the initial MB concentration and the initial pH. Langmuir isotherm model fitted the isotherm data better than the Freundlich model. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and intraparticle diffusion was one of the effective rate-controlling steps for the entire biosorption period. Equilibrium and kinetic results have implied that β-CD/CA/WF graft copolymer could be considered as a promising material for the adsorption of dye from aqueous solutions.     

The influence of silane coupling agent and poplar particles on the wet-tability,surface roughness,and hardness of UF-bonded wheat straw （Triticum aestivum L.）/poplar wood particleboard

We used silane coupling agents to improve the bonding ability between wheat straw particles and UF resin, and investigated surface properties （wettability and surface roughness） and hardness of parti-cleboard made from UF-bonded wheat straw （Triticum aestivum L.） combined with poplar wood as affected by silane coupling agent content and straw/poplar wood particle ratios. We manufactured one-layered particleboard panels at four different ratios of straw to poplar wood par-ticles （0%, 15%, 30% and 45% wheat straw） and silane coupling agent content at three levels of 0, 5% and 10%. Roughness measurements, average roughness （Ra）, mean peak-to-valley height （Rz）, and root mean square roughness （Rq） were measured on unsanded samples by using a fine stylus tracing technique. We obtained contact angle measurements by using a goniometer connected to a digital camera and computer sys-tem. Boards containing greater amounts of poplar particles had superior hardness compared to control samples and had lower wettability. Panels made with higher amounts of silane had lower Rq values.     

Effect of organoclay platelets on the mechanical properties of wood–plastic composites formulated with virgin and recycled polypropylene

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of organoclay platelet contents (0, 3 and 5 wt%) and polypropylene type (virgin and recycled) on the mechanical properties of polypropylene/wood flour composites. Composite samples were made by melt compounding and consequent injection moulding. The tensile, flexural and impact properties of resultant composites were determined. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of composites with 3 and 5% nanoclay content was also conducted. The results indicated that tensile and flexural properties of the composites increased with the addition of nanoclay particles up to 3 wt% and decreased thereafter. The impact strength of the composites, however, decreased with the incorporation of nanoclay. The mechanical properties of the recycled polypropylene-based nanocomposites were statistically comparable with those based on virgin polypropylene. XRD analysis revealed that the degree of intercalation in the nanocomposites containing 3% nanoclay was higher than in those containing 5%. Based on these results, it can be concluded that recycled polypropylene could be used instead of virgin polypropylene in the production of value-added products with no significant adverse effects on the mechanical properties.     

The chemical characteristics of squeezable sap from silver birch (Betula pendula) logs hydrothermally treated at 70 °C: the effect of treatment time on the concentration of water extracts

Wood Science and Technology - In order to study the detailed water extract of wood components in birch under hydrothermal treatment, xylem sap obtained by mechanical...     

Excerpts from: Physiological and Medical Aspects of the Himalayan Scientific and Mountaineering Expedition, 1960–61

Please refer to Br Med J, September 8, 1962, pp 621–627 for a copy of this article.     

Impact of time lags on diurnal estimates of canopy transpiration and canopy conductance from sap-flow measurements of Populus cathayana in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Recently, canopy transpiration(Ec) has been often estimated by xylem sap-flow measurements. However, there is a significant time lag between sap flow measured at the base of the stem and canopy transpiration due to the capacitive exchange between the transpiration stream and stem water storage. Significant errors will be introduced in canopy conductance(gc) and canopy transpiration estimation if the time lag is neglected. In this study, a cross-correlation analysis was used to quantify the time lag, and the sap flowbased transpiration was measured to parameterize Jarvistype models of gcand thus to simulate Ecof Populus cathayana using the Penman–Monteith equation. The results indicate that solar radiation(Rs) and vapor pressure deficit(VPD) are not fully coincident with sap flow and have an obvious lag effect; the sap flow lags behind Rsand precedes VPD, and there is a 1-h time shift between Ecand sap flow in the 30-min interval data set. A parameterized Jarvis-type gc model is suitable to predict P. cathayana transpiration and explains more than 80% of the variation observed in gc, and the relative error was less than 25%, which shows a preferable simulation effect. The root mean square error(RMSEs)between the predicted and measured Ecwere 1.91 9 10-3(with the time lag) and 3.12 9 10-3cm h-1(without the time lag). More importantly, Ecsimulation precision that incorporates time lag is improved by 6% compared to the results without the time lag, with the mean relative error(MRE) of only 8.32% and the mean absolute error(MAE) of1.48 9 10-3cm h-1.     

Effective rainfall seasons for interannual variation in δ13C and tree-ring width in early and late wood of Chinese pine and black locust on the Loess Plateau, China

We studied the importance of effective rainfall for interannual variation in water use efficiency (WUE) and tree-ring growth of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) by examining correlations of seasonal precipitation with annual values of stable carbon isotope ratio (δ¹³C) and tree-ring width in early and late wood. The correlations with precipitation were examined for each month and for periods of all possible lengths from 2 to 22 months starting from January of the previous year to October of the current year. The period with the highest correlation was adopted as the most effective rainfall season for interannual variations in WUE and tree-ring width. In early wood, precipitation during the dry season (October to May) before the growing season was negatively correlated with δ¹³C in pine trees and positively correlated with ring width in pine and locust trees. In late wood, rainfall during the growing season in the current year was negatively correlated with δ¹³C in pine and locust trees, and positively correlated with ring width in locust trees. Our results demonstrated the differences in the water use strategies of pine and locust trees. The δ¹³C in pines indicated higher WUE and more conservative water use than in locust trees. Precipitation during the dry season affected the interannual variation in WUE and tree-ring growth in pine and locust trees, indicating that rainfall during the dry season is important for carbon gain and tree-ring growth during the following growing season.     

Assessing the effect of late-season fertilization on Holm oak plant quality: insights from morpho–nutritional characterizations and water relations parameters

Forest restoration projects with Holm oak (Quercus ilex) have had limited success, mostly due to water stress after planting and poor plant quality. Recent studies indicated that large and nutrient rich plants perform better in Mediterranean areas, suggesting that late-season fertilization may improve plant quality and field performance. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of late-season fertilization on the quality of Holm oak seedlings, as determined by morphological, nutritional, and water relations analyses. We grew Holm oak nursery seedlings under 5 different late-season fertilization regimes and then analyzed morphological characteristics, nutritional status, and water relations parameters of the fertilization groups at the end of the nursery period. We also analyzed the effect of fertilization on nutritional status by use of vector nomograms. Our results indicated that late-season NPK fertilization improved shoot and root growth, and the overall nutritional status of seedlings. The lack of late-season fertilization leads to nutrient deficiency in plants, whilst the application of imbalanced fertilization treatments may trigger nutrient luxury consumption and nutrient dilution, pointing out the importance of NPK proportions in the fertilizer. Moreover, late-season fertilization with nitrogen might improve the drought resistance of seedling by enhancing their osmotic adjustment.     

Estimation of biomass,net primary production and net ecosystem production of China's forests based on the 1999–2003 National Forest Inventory

Abstract

The National Forest Inventory (NFI) is an important resource for estimating the national carbon (C) balance. Based on the volume, biomass, annual biomass increment and litterfall of different forest types and the 6th NFI in China, the hyperbolic relationships between them were established and net primary production (NPP) and net ecosystem production (NEP) were estimated accordingly. The results showed that the total biomass, NPP and NEP of China's forests were 5.06 Pg C, 0.68 Pg C year^?1 and 0.21 Pg C year^?1, respectively. The area-weighted mean biomass, NPP and NEP were 35.43 Mg C ha^?1, 4.76 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1 and 1.47 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1 and varied from 13.36 to 79.89 Mg C ha^?1, from 2.13 to 9.15 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1 and from ?0.16 to 5.80 Mg C ha^?1 year^?1, respectively. The carbon sequestration was composed mainly of Betula and Populus forest, subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest and subtropical mixed evergreen–deciduous broadleaved forest, whereas Pinus massoniana forest and P. tabulaeformis forest were carbon sources. This study provides a method to calculate the biomass, NPP and NEP of forest ecosystems using the NFI, and may be useful for evaluating terrestrial carbon balance at regional and global levels.     

Coreosides A–D,C14-polyacetylene glycosides from the capitula of Coreopsis tinctoria and its anti-inflammatory activity against COX-2

Four new C₁₄-polyacetylene glycosides, namely coreosides A–D (1–4), were isolated from the capitula of Coreopsis tinctoria, a Snow chrysanthemum or Snow tea that is used as a folk tea for prevention of cardiovascular disease in southern Xinjiang, China. Coreosides A–D feature a long chain structure as its aglycon with two acetylenes on C-8 and C-10 and two olefinics on C-6 and C-12 sites, which construct a large conjugate system. The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidences and hydrolysis. Compounds 1–4 exhibited significant inhibition against cyclooxygenase-2 at the concentration of 1 × 10^− 6 mol/L, with its IC₅₀ values of 0.22–8.8 × 10^− 2 μmol/L.     

Causal effects of shelter forests and water factors on desertification control during 2000–2010 at the Horqin Sandy Land region,China

The Horqin Sandy Land(HSL), the largest sandy land in the semi-arid agro-pastoral ecotone of Northeast China, has been subject to desertification during the past century. In response, and to control the desertification,government implemented the Three-North Shelter/Protective Forest Program, world’s largest ecological reforestation/afforestation restoration program. The program began in1978 and will continue for 75 years until 2050. Understanding the dynamics of desertification and its driving forces is a precondition for controlling desertification.However, there is little evidence to directly link causal effects with desertification process(i.e., on the changing area of sandy land) because desertification is a complex process,that can be affected by vegetation(including vegetation cover and extent of shelter forests) and water factors such as precipitation, surface soil moisture, and evapotranspiration.The objectives of this study were to identify how influencing factors, especially shelter forests, affected desertification in HSL over a recent decade. We used Landsat TM imagery analysis and path analysis to identify the effects of spatiotemporal changes in water and vegetation parameters during2000–2010. Desertification was controlled during the study period, as indicated by a decrease in desert area at a rate of163.3 km2year-1and an increase in the area with reduced intensity or extent of desertification. Total vegetation cover in HSL increased by 10.6 % during the study period and this factor exerted the greatest direct and indirect effects on slowing desertification. The contribution of total vegetation cover to controlling desertification increased with the intensity of desertification. On slightly and extremely severe desertified areas, vegetation cover contributed 5 and 42 % of the desertification reduction, respectively. There were significant correlations between total vegetation cover and water conditions(i.e., evapotranspiration and precipitation)and the area of shelter forests(P 0.0001), in which water conditions and the existence of shelter forests contributed49.7 and 12.8 % to total vegetation cover, respectively. The area of shelter forests increased sharply due to program efforts, but only shrub forests had significant direct effects on reducing the area of desertification categorized as slightly desertified. The reason for the lack of direct effect of increased arbor forests(accounting for 95.3 % of the total increase in shelter forests) on reducing desertification might be that the selected arbor species were not suited to water conditions(low precipitation, high evapotranspiration) prevailing at HSL. The establishment of shelter forests aided control of desertification in the HSL region, but the effect was less than expected. Effective control of desertification in the HSL region or other similar sandy areas will require greater improvements in vegetation cover. In particular,shrub species should be selected for plantation with reference to their potential to survive and reproduce in the harsh climatic and weather conditions typical of desertified areas.     

Lessons from long-term studies of harvest methods in southwestern ponderosa pine–Gambel oak forests on the Fort Valley Experimental Forest,Arizona, U.S.A.

The Fort Valley Experiment Station (now Fort Valley Experimental Forest) has contributed many long-term studies to forest research. This paper focuses on a “Methods of Cutting” study initiated in 1913 on the Coulter Ranch Unit of Fort Valley and how that long-term study yielded important ecological and management lessons. We quantified the historical and contemporary forest patterns at this ponderosa pine–Gambel oak site, which was harvested using three different harvesting systems in 1913 (seed tree, group selection, and light selection) and was partially excluded from livestock browsing in 1919. Using nine historically stem-mapped permanent plots for the following three stand structural scenarios: 1913 pre-harvest (modeled), post-harvest (actual), and 2003–2006 (actual) conditions, we examined the short- and long-term consequences of harvest and livestock grazing land-use and stand dynamics. We assessed changes in spatial pattern under each harvesting system and in each structural scenario, and lastly, we examined spatial and temporal tree recruitment patterns as observed in the contemporary (2003–2006) conditions. The seed tree harvests effectively converted the spatial patterns from aggregated to random and left few trees, while the group selection and light selection had varying effects, but consistently exaggerated the spatial patchiness of the stand. By 2003–2006, all plots were aggregated at all scales and were one large patch of predominately small trees. Sites that were harvested, but excluded from livestock browsing had 40% more trees in 2003–2006. Contemporary recruitment patterns were significantly aggregated under all harvesting systems, but were most strongly aggregated if the site received a group selection or light selection cut. For group and light selection, pine seedlings initially established in stump patches created by harvesting and then proceeded to fill-in the remaining area, with recruitment rarely found under the residual pine or oak trees. Long-term data sets, such as these established by the Fort Valley Experimental Forest in 1913, are essential for quantifying the impact of historical land-use practices on contemporary forest composition and structure. Ignoring land-use legacies may lead to the misinterpretation of stand dynamics and development, and therefore should be explicitly quantified and incorporated into future management and restoration activities.