Camphor Wood Research Articles

Effect of box beam wall thickness on the stiffness of the camphor wood timber bridge truss

Bridges are vital for community development, and wood is a primary material due to its environmental benefits. However, wood’s moisture absorption can cause swelling and shrinkage, and low-density wood tends to have lower strength. The moment of inertia of a box beam is related to wall thickness and stiffness. Insufficient wall thickness can lead to plastic retention before peak load, reducing structural integrity. Thin walls can cause buckling under compressive loads, leading to failure. Truss bridge failures can also result from design errors. This study aims to analyze the effect of box beam wall thickness on the stiffness of camphor wood timber bridge trusses. Camphor wood with a cross-sectional area of 1,600 mm2 was used, with box beams of dimensions 45×45 mm (12 mm wall), 50×50 mm (10 mm wall), 58×58 mm (8 mm wall), and a solid beam of 40×40 mm (20 mm wall). Physical tests showed the wood’s specific gravity at 0.506 g/cm3 and moisture content at 12.47 %. The highest peak load was 19.613 kN for the BB.58.58.8 variation, which also had the greatest stiffness at 3.502 kN/mm. The BB.58.58.5 variation had the largest moment of inertia at 683,733 mm4 compared to the solid beam SB.40.40.20 at 213,333 mm4. The BB.45.45.12 sample had a t/D ratio 1.93 times larger than BB.58.58.8, indicating a more flexible structure with lower stiffness. This is confirmed by experimental results, showing that BB.45.45.12 had a stiffness 1.73 times lower than BB.58.58.8. Theoretical calculations also showed that BB.45.45.12 had a stiffness 2.03 times smaller than BB.58.58.8. Thus, the t/D ratio is inversely proportional to stiffness. This research contributes valuable insights for developing engineered wood products in construction and bridge design, particularly for village bridges in Indonesia

The Influence of Physical Evidence, Price and Word Of Mouth on the Decision to Purchase Camphor Wood at UD. Source: Rizki

The Influence of Physical Evidence, Price and Word Of Mouth on the Decision to Purchase Camphor Wood at UD. Source: Rizki

The Characterization of the Sandwich Composite Consisted of Coconut Fibre-Polyester Resin and its Variations of Wood Core

The traditional fishing vessels in Indonesia are usually made of wood material. The weakness of this vessel material is that it is easily weathered when exposed to seawater. For this reason, it is necessary to have vessel material engineering from composite sandwiches. This study aimed to prepare and investigate the flexural test, impact test, optical microscopy (OM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of sandwich composites based on coconut fibre-polyester resin and wood core. The fabrication uses a hand lay-up method with a constant volume fraction (20% coconut coir fibre) and wood core variations type. The primary wood variations used are albizia chinensis, mahogany, shorea, and camphor. The Surface modification of fibre and wood core was conditioned without treatment and with treatment with about 5% NaOH solution for 2 hours. The study showed that the highest bending and impact strength was sandwich composite with camphor wood cores with alkali treatment for 39.75 MPa and 37.22 J/cm2, respectively. The OM observations showed that the core and skin interface area failed to delaminate after flexural and impact tests. SEM observations also showed thatthe bond alkalization treatment between the matrix and the fibres was quite good. In the composite skin fracture area, there is a lot of fibre brake, and a little thread pulls out. The skin matrix also shows the presence of voids. Generally, this sandwich composite is feasible for application as a material for traditional fishing vessels.

Characteristics of Traditional Balinese Buildings in Banjar Cekeng, Sulahan Village, Bali

Traditional Balinese buildings, especially in Cekeng Village, have changed and gotten worse as tourism has grown. Nevertheless, nothing has been said about the layout, building materials, shape, or size of traditional Balinese houses in Banjar Cekeng. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of the traditional Balinese house building in Banjar Cekeng, Sulahan Susut Village, Bangli. Qualitative, descriptive research design, where data is gathered through interviews and written accounts of what happened. Data analysis is carried out descriptively. The results showed that the characteristics of traditional Balinese house buildings in Banjar Cekeng, Sulahan Village, Susut District, Bangli Regency, in terms of the shape of the building, have changed, especially regarding the height of the building. In general, the layout of the buildings is not that different from the traditional architecture of mainland Bali. There are paon (bale daja), pelinggih penunggu karang, and tebe surrounded by bamboo forests. In terms of building materials, it is dominant to use natural materials such as wood (Merbau and camphor wood) and bamboo. However, the lack of bamboo, which is quite a lot, has resulted in people choosing to use other materials. Hence, the uniqueness of the traditional buildings of Cekeng village, in terms of roof building materials, namely, bamboo, has changed to a tile roof, both for sakanem and paon buildings.

Deterioration of metal and paper caused by camphor wood: a noticeable phenomenon in conservation

Although welcomed and used as storage materials by many museums, camphor wood shows a potential risk to museum collections due to its strong smell. Camphor wood was proved harmful to metals in the author’s previous studies, but since the last study about camphor wood reported by the author, the camphor wood samples have not experienced the Oddy test again for two years, so their harm to metals is unknown at the current stage. Meanwhile, there is no standard or specific method for learning the materials’ effect on organics. The present work focuses on the above situation. Camphor wood samples of different species and aged for different years were tested in this study. Their effect on metals was assessed by performing the Oddy test. On the other hand, a series of mechanical tests were conducted to learn the camphor wood samples’ effect on paper samples commonly used in Chinese calligraphy and painting and the corresponding restoration. The results show that the camphor wood samples are still significantly volatile and harmful to both metal and paper. This work would be meaningful to museum curators and conservators as a reference for making correct judgments when camphor wood is included in the potential material list.

Effects of the Surface Roughness of Six Wood Species for Furniture Production on the Wettability and Bonding Quality of Coating

Wood surface roughness, surface free energy (SFE), wettability, and bonding quality for water-based acrylic coatings were investigated. The samples tested in this study included Pinus radiata, Pinus sylvestris, Larch, Hemp oak, Catalpa tree, and Camphor. Sandpaper with grits of 180, 240, 320, 400, and 500 was utilized to sand wood surfaces. The van OSS-Chaudhury-Good equation (vOCG) was used to calculate the SFE values. The modified model (M-D) was used to calculate the wettability based on the contact angle change rate (K value). The higher the K value, the faster the contact angle approaches equilibrium. A cross-cut test was used to evaluate the coating’s bonding quality. The anatomical structure of wood has an impact on the roughness of hardwood. The equilibrium contact angle is influenced by the wood species and sandpaper grit size. Sanding can make the surface of wood more wettable. Radiata pine that had been sanded to 180 grit had the highest SFE value. After finishing with waterborne acrylic, hardwood had a slightly better coating adhesion than softwood. Hemp oak wood had the lowest coating adhesion (0.6) and the highest K value (0.82). The best bonding quality (0.4) was supplied by the camphor wood with the lowest K value (0.13). Wettability in terms of K values was a good indication of determining the bonding quality of the water-based acrylic coatings.

Study on the application of a new surface burr treatment process

During the wood milling process, the milling cutter will jeopardize the continuity and integrity of wood fibres, resulting in the surface roughness not meeting the requirements. Surface roughness is an important indicator to assess the surface quality of wood products, which has a great impact on its subsequent sealing performance, painting and decorative quality. Therefore, the surface roughness requirements should be factored in when designing the machining process and determining the machining allowance. This paper uses a computer numerical control (CNC) woodworking milling machine to process camphor wood products. During this processing experiment, the paper analyses the impact of changes in major processing parameters on the surface roughness of wood products, such as spindle speed, feed rate, movement trajectory, milling depth, along and against the grain. When it comes to the state of the wood product surface not meeting the subsequent process requirements after milling, further measures are proposed for ablative finishing treatment. In order to find the best way to remove the surface burr without damaging the base surface, the surface burr of milling wood was studied and analyzed from the micro-angle. Using scanning electron microscopy along with microscopic imaging technology to observe and analyse, the paper establishes an ablation model of processing surface burrs and conducts simulation analysis of the influence of parameter changes, to provide some theoretical basis for practical production and related research.

The flame spread performance over discrete wooden chips varying wood species

Wood is believed to be a good material used for the thermal insulation of building. However, the wood species vary greatly from region to region in China. With an aim to have a deep understanding of the influence of wood species on upward flame spread performance, a series of tests were conducted to obtain the profile of mass loss rate (MLR), flame spread rate (FSR), total burning duration (TBD), and the maximum flame characteristic length (MFL) by using a traditional flame spreading measurement facility. During the tests, beech wood, fir wood, pine wood, camphor wood and elm wood were selected as typical samples. The results and discussion indicate that wood species imposed a strong effect on the flame spread performance. The total burning duration (TBD) of wood with high moisture content and high solidity is significantly higher than that of other types of wood. Softwoods with higher lignin content and lower hemicellulose can increase the FSR to a certain extent. Moreover, the moisture content of wood is found to have a big impact on the MLR. Based on the discussion of different parameters, it can be judged that the fire safety of the historic wooden buildings made of Fir wood is more excellent than others.

Effect of double and triple-doping of sulfur, nitrogen and phosphorus on the initial coulombic efficiency and rate performance of the biomass derived hard carbon as anode for sodium-ion batteries

Hard Carbons (HCs) are widely investigated as anode materials for Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), for the abundance of the precursors and their easy synthesis. However, the intercalation of Na+ in the HCs is a big challenge for the design of high-performance SIBs. Heteroatom-doping can effectively facilitate the intercalation of Na+ in the anode material. Herein, a series of double and triple-atom phosphorus-nitrogen, phosphorus-sulfur, nitrogen-sulfur and phosphorus-nitrogen-sulfur in the camphor wood (Cmph) derived-HCs are fabricated, and their electrochemical performances as anodes for SIBs are investigated. The P–N–S-Cmph delivers high initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) of 70.74%%, an outstanding rate performance and good cycling stability, maintaining a specific capacity of 280 mAh g−1 at 2000 mA g−1 after 500 cycles. The excellent performances of the anode materials are assigned to the synergetic effect of the heteroatom-doping of S, N and P enlarging the interlayer spacing of the doped-Cmph-HCs, increasing the intercalation/deintercalation rate of Na+ in the HCs; disposing more active sites for the Na+ storage. In addition, sulfur can reversibly react with Na+, reducing the irreversible consumption of Na+ by the surface functional groups. This work presents a simple and effective method of designing high performance anode materials for SIBs.

Non-isothermal kinetics of biomass waste pyrolysis by TG-MS/DSC

The non-isothermal kinetics and pyrolysis characteristics of biomass waste including camphor wood (CW), pure glycerol (PG) and a blend (1:1 mass ratio) (PG-CW) were studied by coupling TG-MS/DSC techniques. The samples were heated from ambient temperature to 700 °C at different heating rates (10, 15, 20 and 25 °C/min) in a nitrogen atmosphere. The mass loss during pyrolysis and the evolution of gas products were studied. The improved Coats-Redfern method was used to obtain non-isothermal kinetic parameters for samples pyrolysis, and the activation energies and the pre-exponential factors were estimated iteratively by regression to improve their accuracy. PG had only one main pyrolysis phase, while CW had two main pyrolysis phases. The results showed that adding PG into CW reduced the residue and increased the amount of gas released after co-pyrolysis. The non-isothermal kinetic model based on the improved iterative Coats-Redfern method entirely fitted the pyrolysis phases of CW, PG, and PG-CW. The suitable models for the second, third, and fourth phases of blend were nucleation, nucleation, and one-dimensional diffusion, respectively. Activation energy values for the three phases were 67.47–82.48, 81.13–104.43 and 145.45–204.86 kJ/mol, respectively. The addition of PG promoted the pyrolysis process of CW.

Voyage of Ben Cao, Part II: Development of Chinese Medicinal Specimens in the British Museum

Voyage of Ben Cao, Part II: Development of Chinese Medicinal Specimens in the British Museum

Effect of Ammonia Fiber Expansion Combined with NaOH Pretreatment on the Resource Efficiency of Herbaceous and Woody Lignocellulosic Biomass.

The most essential issue facing the world today is the provision of energy and sustainable consumption of natural resources. Pretreatment is an essential step to produce biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) combined with NaOH (A-NaOH) pretreatment effects on the characteristics of Pennisetum sinese (herbaceous), oak (hardwood), and camphor wood (softwood) were assessed using enzymatic efficiency analysis, thereby identifying the composition properties of subsequent bio-H2 production. The results show that the lignin removal (84.2%, 59.7%, and 36.7%, respectively) at 5%A-NaOH conditions and enzymatic efficiency (36.2%, 9.7%, and 6.5%, respectively) of Pennisetum sinese (P. sinese), oak, and camphor wood were significantly increased under 4% A-NaOH conditions. Further A-NaOH pretreatment significantly promoted dark fermentation bio-H2 production (152.3, 99.1, and 76.9 mL/g TS, respectively) and volatile acid production (4660.2, 3720.2, and 3496.2 mg/L, respectively) of P. sinese, oak, and camphor wood. These findings show that A-NaOH pretreatment is an effective means of utilization of lignocellulose resources.

Biomass hard carbon of high initial coulombic efficiency for sodium-ion batteries: Preparation and application

Biomass hard carbon anodes have attracted wide attention due to the advantage of low cost and renewability, but the low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) limits their practical application in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this work, a carbonization method with low heating rate was conducted to prepare biomass hard carbon materials from camphor wood residues and explore the key factors that influence the ICE. As the heating rate decreases, the as-prepared biomass hard carbon with a relatively low amount of defects displays a high ICE of 82.8% by decreasing the initial irreversible capacity loss. Specifically, when the heating rate decreases to 0.25 ℃ min−1, the obtained hard carbon exhibits the optimal electrochemical performance with the initial charge capacity of 324.6 mAh g−1 and excellent cycle stability (90.0% capacity retention after 200 cycles at 50 mA g−1). Besides, matched with Na3V2(PO4)/C cathode, the full cell exhibits a high energy density of 245.3 Wh kg−1 and stable cycling performance. This comprehensive study provides a feasible method and opens new opportunities for biomass hard carbon, and extends the strategy to design the high-performance anode materials for SIBs.

Experimental Study on Pyrolysis of Rice Straw Catalyzed by CaO/Al2O3-Phosphate Mixture

CaO and phosphates showed synergistic effects in the regulation of pyrolysis products in the pyrolysis of when they were directly mixed with camphor wood. The alkyl phenol yield increased during the pyrolysis process of corn straw fermentation residue directly mixed with KH2PO4 supported by γ-Al2O3. Rice stalks from agricultural crops are often disposed as waste. However, the potassium phosphate impregnated raw straw pyrolysis with CaO and Al2O3 has not been reported. This paper studied the synergistic effects of CaO or Al2O3 and three potassium phosphates (i.e., KH2PO4, K2HPO4·3H2O, and K3PO4·3H2O) in the rice straw pyrolysis through pyrolysis–gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (Py-GC/MS) experiments. The results showed that CaO/Al2O3 and potassium phosphates showed synergistic effects in the regulation of the types or contents of phenols, ketones, aldehydes, etc. and increased the contents of phenols, aldehydes, acids, and levoglucosan (LG) from most samples and increased those of ketones compared with those catalyzed by potassium phosphates alone. They were suitable for the production of ketone-rich and acid-low bio-oil, which is an important precursor for the preparation of power or jet fuel. The highest contents of ketones (HCK) reached 56.65% and 56.02% in the pyrolysis of K3PO4·3H2O impregnated rice straw with CaO or Al2O3, respectively. The lowest contents of acids and acetic acid (LCA) were nearly or equal to 0, respectively. HCK and LCA were respectively significantly higher and lower than the values reported in the literatures for biomass catalytic pyrolysis using CaO/Al2O3 and potassium phosphates alone or in combination. Dehydration reactions, etc. were further promoted under the co-catalysis of the two catalysts, and some phenols could be converted to benzene products, etc. For 50% K3PO4·3H2O impregnated sample, the yields of furans reduced sharply after CaO addition. For most impregnated samples except 50% K2HPO4·3H2O and 30% and 50% K3PO4·3H2O samples, the contents of total furans and furfural increased after Al2O3 addition.

Co-combustion of wheat straw and camphor wood with coal slime: Thermal behaviour, kinetics, and gaseous pollutant emission characteristics

The disposal of coal slime has attracted increasing attention due to its increasing production and consequent environmental pollution. The co-combustion with biomass is a promising method for the treatment of coal slime. However, there are only a few studies on coal slime and biomass co-combustion. This study investigated the co-combustion characteristics and gaseous pollutant emissions of coal slime with camphor wood and wheat straw. The results showed that there are significant interactions between biomass and coal slime during the co-combustion process. The addition of biomass reduced the ignition and burnout temperature and enhanced the combustion stability of the blends. Meanwhile, the addition of biomass inhibited the emission of NO and SO2 from the blends. Moreover, the kinetic analysis showed that the activation energies of biomass char and coal slime combustion stage decreased with increasing biomass content, indicating that biomass's addition improved the combustion reactivity of the blended fuel. The results provide basic knowledge regarding the thermal behaviour and emission characteristics of coal slime and biomass co-combustion. It was established that co-firing is beneficial for the clean and efficient utilisation of coal slime.

Experimental study on pyrolysis of camphor wood catalyzed by CaO-calcined phosphate mixture

Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (Py-GC/MS) was used to investigate the catalytic pyrolysis of camphor wood with the mixture of CaO and four types of calcined phosphates (K3PO4·3H2O, K2HPO4·3H2O, KH2PO4, and Zn3(PO4)2·4H2O). The results show that after CaO and calcined K3PO4·3H2O addition, the relative yields of 3-methoxy-1,2-benzenediol, 3-methoxy-2,5,6-trimethylphenol decrease significantly, while those of isoeugenol, trans-isoeugenol, and furfural are obviously enhanced. CaO and calcined K3PO4·3H2O exhibit strong synergistic effects and can regulate the composition distributions of products such as phenols. The relative yields of cyclopentanones and phenols are enhanced after the mixture of CaO and calcined K2HPO4·3H2O addition compared with those with single CaO or calcined K2HPO4·3H2O addition. The relative yields of acetic acid fluctuate in the range of 8.90–9.56% after calcined KH2PO4 addition. After adding the mixture of CaO and calcined KH2PO4, the relative yields of acetic acid decrease from 9.11% to 4.65% and those of propionaldehyde and 2, 6-dimethoxy-phenylpropionic acid compounds are improved compared with those after single catalyst addition. CaO and calcined Zn3(PO4)2·4H2O have strong synergistic effects on the formation of chain alkanes. They also enhance the relative contents of phenol and further decrease those of resorcinol, 3-methoxy-1,2-benzenediol, 4-methyl-1,2-benzenediol, indicating they exhibit strong synergistic effects and can further catalyze the cleavage of hydroxyl, methyl and methoxy groups.

A thermogravimetric assessment of the tri-combustion process for coal, biomass and polyethylene

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was applied to evaluate the combustion behaviour of combining three feedstocks coal, biomass and polyethylene as a tri-fuel for various blend ratios. The feed materials assessed were bituminous coal (BC), anthracite coal (AC), camphor wood (CW), wheat straw (WS) and polyethylene-terephthalate (PET). The kinetic parameters of the tri-fuel blends were assessed using a Coats-Redfern integral method. The kinetic analysis indicates that the tri-fuel combustion mechanisms follow the diffusion model (D1 & D4) and can be separated in to three distinct stages. TGA analysis demonstrated that an increase in the blend ratio of biomass (CW/WS) and plastic (PET) enhances the combustion properties with respect to lowering the ignition (Ti) and burnout (Th) temperatures, along with an increase in the combustion stability indices (Cs/Csi). This enhancement of the combustion behaviour is more evident for the lower volatile anthracite coal tri-fuel blends. As the blend ratio of the anthracite coal is lowered the overall hydrocarbon-volatile content is increased as a function of increasing the biomass and plastic blend ratios. Laboratory scale analytical analysis of blending biomass, plastic with either bituminous coal or anthracite coal demonstrates a synergistic influence which is observed to benefit the overall combustion behaviour (enhanced mass loss rate and burnout). However, further investigation of tri-fuel blending streams assessing the combustion performance (Ti, Th, Ci, Csi, Ea, flue gas emissions and ash chemistry) is required at pilot and plant scale.

Camphor wood, a potentially harmful museum storage material: an analytical study using instrumental methods

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.

Effects of ZnCl2 on the distribution of aldehydes and ketones in bio-oils from catalytic pyrolysis of different biomass

Bio-oil can serve as an alternative fuel source or resource to extract high value-added chemicals. This paper focuses on the effect of six types of biomass (rape straw, corn straw, walnut shell, chestnut shell, camphor wood, and pine wood) and ZnCl2 catalyst on the bio-oil yield and chemicals in the bio-oil, including aldehydes, ketones, and four high-value chemicals (1-hydroxy-2-butanone, propionaldehyde, 5-HMF, 2(5H)-furanon). The results showed that the yields of bio-oil decreased when the ZnCl2 was the catalyst. The ZnCl2 promoted the production of aldehydes and ketones. The higher contents of aldehydes and ketones were obtained from camphor and pine wood, at 58.9 wt% and 42.0 wt%, respectively. The ZnCl2 catalyst exhibited an active influence on the production of 1-hydroxy-2-butanone, propionaldehyde, 5-HMF, and 2(5H)-furanon. Compared with the non-catalytic pyrolysis, the content of 1-hydroxy-2-butanone and 2(5H)-furanone in bio-oil increased by 936% and 612%, respectively. The contents of propionaldehyde and 5-HMF in catalytic bio-oil were the highest from rape straw and increased by 193% and 86%, respectively.

A preliminary study on the relation between camphor wood volatile matters and corrosion of museum metallic objects

Camphor wood is a traditional storage material used in Chinese museums for repelling insects and inhibiting moulds. Since camphor wood continuously emits volatile matters, it leads to potential risks to museum collections on the other hand. Oddy test was conducted in this study to evaluate the reliability level of four different camphor wood samples for museum use. The samples were put into water and the pH values were measured in order to learn the acidity of each sample preliminarily. Modern instrumental methods including gas chromatography – mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, were employed to identify the volatile matters emitted by each sample and the corresponding corrosion products, respectively. The identification results were discussed together to infer possible corrosion mechanisms and evaluate the effects of aging time and species. The results showed that compared with the Cinnamomum camphora samples, the Cinnamomum glanduliferum sample led to higher risk to the metallic objects, while the reserve of acetic acid tended to decrease along with continuous aging of the Cinnamomum camphora sample but the risk did not decline significantly.