Cane Wood Research Articles

Production and thermo-structural analysis of a hybridized natural fibre-based ceiling board for building applications

Canewood and palm kernel fibre (PKF) have successfully been used as filler material for producing ceiling boards, with recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) as the binder. This work covered three aspects which are the optimization of process and production parameters, chemical, and thermal analysis of the utilized filler material. The production parameters considered are the percentage composition of both the binder and filler material while the process parameters studied are the press temperature, pressure and time. These parameters were optimized over both physical and thermal properties of the developed ceiling board which are thermal resistivity, water absorption and thickness swell. Thermal results for both the cane wood and PKF proved to be thermally stable up to temperatures as high as 325 and 310°C, respectively. The optimized ceiling board showed a thermal resistivity, water absorption and thickness swell of 16.192 W/M.K, 4.669 and 6.594% respectively, for a production and process parameters of 15% cane wood, 10% PKF, 75% LDPE, 6 min press time, 7 bar pressure and 198°C press temperature. The produced ceiling board showed a specific heat capacity, thermal energy and heat flux of 769.23 Jkg−1K−1, 60 W and 23.07 kWm−1 respectively. The findings imply that the LDPE filler materials are appropriate for use in ceiling board applications.

Prediction of starch reserves in intact and ground grapevine cane wood tissues using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) technology can be a powerful analytical technique for the assessment of plant starch, but generally samples need to be freeze-dried and ground. This study investigated the feasibility of using NIRS technology to quantify starch concentration in ground and intact grapevine cane wood samples (with or without the bark layer). A partial least squares regression was used on the sample spectral data and was compared against starch analysis using a conventional wet chemistry method. Accurate calibration models were obtained for the ground cane wood samples (n = 220), one based on 17 factors (R2 = 0.88, root mean square error of validation (RMSEV) of 0.73 mg g-1 ) and the other based on 10 factors (R2 = 0.85, RMSEV of 0.80 mg g-1 ). In contrast, the prediction of starch within intact cane wood samples was very low (R2 = 0.19). Removal of the cane bark tissues did not substantially improve the accuracy of the model (R2 = 0.34). Despite these poor correlations and low ratio of prediction to deviation values of 1.08-1.24, the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) values were 0.75-0.86 mg g-1 , indicating good predictability of the model. As indicated by low RMSECV values, NIRS technology has the potential to monitor grapevine starch reserves in intact cane wood samples. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Optimisation of hybridised cane wood–palm fruit fibre frictional material

A brake pad has been developed employing a hybrid of cane wood and palm fruit fibre as filler material. The filler materials were extracted and processed; however, the palm fruit fibre was further treated with NaOH to remove oil remnants. After proper drying, the filler materials were ground and sieved into 150 µm particle size. The experimental design was set up using Central Composite Design in Design Expert software. The design varied the percentage composition of the filler materials and the binder. At constant press time of 8 min, press temperature of 160 ℃ and curing time of 2 h, 20 test samples were produced and tested for mechanical and physical properties. These include hardness, wear rate and water absorption. The Fourier transform infrared analyses showed that both cane wood and palm fruit fibres have active alcohol (O–H) and amine (C–N) functional groups. The experimental results were analysed and optimised using response surface methodology and validated using the analysis of variance tool of the Design Expert software. An optimal 30% resin, 3.48% palm fruit fibre and 6.52% cane wood composition by mass was developed, which gave a product with 98.25 MPa hardness, 4.13 mg/m wear rate and 0.494% water absorption. This result indicated that hybridised cane wood–palm fruit fibre is a good filler material for brake pad production.

Effects of Natural Hail on the Growth, Physiological Characteristics, Yield, and Quality of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Thompson Seedless under Mediterranean Growing Conditions

Hailstorms are typically localized events, and very little is known about their effect on crops. The objective of this study was to examine the physiological and vine performance responses to natural hail, registered four weeks after full bloom, of field-grown Thompson seedless (Vitis vinifera L.) grapevines, one of the most important table grape varieties cultivated in Greece and especially in the Corinthian region in northeastern Peloponnese. Leaf gas exchange, vegetative growth, vine balance indices, cane wood reserves, yield components, and fruit chemical composition were recorded from hail-damaged vines and compared with control vines. Visibly, the extent of the hailstorm damage was great enough to injure or remove leaves as well as cause partial stem bruising and partial injury or total cracking of berries. Our results indicated that natural hail did not affect leaf photosynthesis, berry weight, total acidity, and cane wood reserves but significantly reduced the total leaf area, yield, and the total phenolics of berries at harvest. At the same time, hail-damaged vines increased the leaf area of lateral canes and presented a higher total soluble solid (TSS) accumulation, while no effect on the next year’s fertility was registered. The present work is the first attempt to enhance our understanding of the vegetative yield, berry quality, and physiological responses of grapevines to natural hail, which is an extreme and complex natural phenomenon that is likely to increase due to climate change.

Effect of cane wood and palm kernel fibre filler on the compressive strength and density of automobile brake pad

The study on the effect of cane wood and palm kernel as filler materials on the compressive strength and density of an automobile brake pad has been done. The Central Composite Design tool of the Design Expert 8 software was used to design percentage composition of the test samples for 20 experimental runs. To ascertain how well the factors fit in the design, the lack of fit test was performed. The analysis of variance shows that the developed models are significant and quadratic, showing that both materials affect the responses. On optimization, optimal compressive strength and density of 107.3 MPa and 1.73 g/cm3 were obtained for the composition of 30% resin content, 21.329% palm kernel fibre content and 40% cane wood content. Thus, the combination of cane wood and palm kernel fibre as filler material for brake pad production will give an automobile brake pad with good compressive strength and density.

Exposure to elevated carbon dioxide concentration in the dark lowers the respiration quotient of Vitis cane wood.

Cane cuttings of the grapevine rootstock Vitis rupestris Scheele x V. riparia Michx. cv. 3309 Couderc were brought out of endodormancy by warming at 30 degrees C. Cane pieces (12 to 13 cm long) with nodes containing a primary bud were placed in a gas exchange system and monitored for net respiratory fluxes of CO2 and O2. Grapevine respiration rates expressed on a wood volume basis were 1.4 to 3.4 mmol CO2 or O2 m-3s-1, which is higher than stem respiration rates reported for many other woody taxa but similar to rates measured for ecodormant buds of other Vitis species. Passive water loss from canes was 0.7 to 1.2 mmol H2O m-3s-1. During a 7-day period, nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations in cane wood declined only slightly, whereas sucrose was nearly completely consumed. When ambient CO2 concentration ([CO2]) was raised from 300 to 750 micro molmol-1 and then 2000 micromol mol-1, net CO2 exchange rates declined by 5.9 +/- 0.6 and then 11.0 +/- 0.6%, whereas net O2 consumption rates remained about constant. The mean respiration quotient (net CO2/O2 flux) for canes with intact ecodormant buds was 0.99 +/- 0.03 when the [CO2] was 300 micromol mol-1, and decreased to 0.87 +/- 0.03 and 0.088 +/- 0.02 when the [CO2] was increased to 750 and 2000 micromol mol-1, respectively. The results support the hypothesis that, in Vitis canes, inhibition of respiratory CO2 efflux in response to high [CO2] is an indirect consequence of non-photosynthetic carboxylation reactions, and not a result of inhibition of respiratory metabolism.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography Analysis of Sugar Cane Bagasse Hydrogenation Products. I. Group-Type Separation

Abstract An HPLC Group-Type Separation was developed for the analysis of the liquefaction product of sugar cane wood fibers (bagasse). First, a liquid-liquid extraction technique was applied to separate the highly polar and polymerized aqueous fraction from the less polar organic fraction. This last fraction was then separated by HPLC into four classification groups: three hydrocarbons (saturates, olefins and aromatics) and a combination of polar compounds. The application of these extraction and separation methods to the analysis of Brazilian sugar cane residue liquefaction products was very promising since the major group present in the extract is the aromatic hydrocarbons, suggesting its potential use as chemical feedstock, as well as a possible renewable source of energy. In addition, the method generates discrete and “clean” fractions for further detailed characterization when desired.

Vine Performance and Wine Quality for Four Red Wine Grape Cultivars Grown for Three Growing Seasons in Erie County, Pennsylvania

Replicated field trials for four red wine grape cultivars (cvs) were initiated in the spring of 1967 at The Pennsylvania State University Field Research Laboratory located in North East, Pennsylvania. The principal objectives were to determine whether cvs other than Catawba and Delaware could be grown commercially in Pennsylvania and produce table wines of acceptable quality exhibiting a "vinifera-like" character. Consistent wine evaluations were made from 1971 through 1973 for these four cvs: Chancellor (Seibel 7053), Chelois (Seibel 10878), DeChaunac (Seibel 9549), and Landot 4511. These trials revealed that at least four cvs can be grown commercially along the southern shore of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and produce high-quality table wines with a "vinifera-like" character. The cv Chancellor consistently produced a wine of excellent quality. Wines of DeChaunac and Chelois were of high quality, and musts of Landot 4511 fermented into wines of acceptable quality. Average yield of fruit from vines of these four cvs ranged 19.0 metric tons per hectare (t/ha), for Chelois, to 15.3 t/ha, for Landot 4511. Soluble solids of the musts were lowest for DeChaunac (18.5%) and highest for Landot 4511 (19.4%). Total acidity values, expressed as tartaric acid, were lowest for Landot 4511 (0.90 g/100 g of must) and highest for Chancellor (1.13 g/100 g). Average vine vigor for these cvs ranged from 0.6 kg of cane wood per vine (kg/v), for Chancellor, to 1.7 kg/v, for Landot 4511.