Japanese Cedar Wood Research Articles

Effects of heat treatment on the chemical compositions and thermal decomposition kinetics of Japanese cedar and beech wood

This study investigated variations in the chemical compositions and thermal decomposition kinetics of Japanese cedar and beech wood during heat treatment. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra revealed that various reactions, such as hemicellulose deacetylation, condensation reactions causing lignin cross-linking, and reductions in cellulose amorphous regions, were carried out during the heat treatment process. In addition, combinations of FTIR spectra and principal component analysis (PCA) succeeded in discriminating the major changes in functional groups of wood at various heat treatment temperatures. On the other hand, the decrease in the storage modulus of wood was more rapid in the presence of oxygen than in an oxygen-free atmosphere during heat treatment. Accordingly, the activation energies of thermal decomposition using Arrhenius model for Japanese cedar and beech were 120.6 and 141.3 kJ/mol under air, respectively, while these values were 124.8 and 150.0 kJ/mol under nitrogen, respectively.

Inhalation of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) wood odor causes psychological relaxation after monotonous work among female participants.

Essential oils have potential to mitigate stress symptoms and treat symptoms related to mental health. Few studies have investigated the effects of wood-derived aromatics on endocrinological and psychological responses in an actual space. In this study, we evaluated the effects of essential oil derived from Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) wood on the recovery state of female participants after they performed monotonous work. We determined the levels of salivary stress markers to describe the endocrinological responses. And we also used questionnaires to assess the perception of the odor of experimental rooms and psychological states. We found that olfactory stimulation with the volatile compounds of essential oil derived from Japanese cedar wood modulates mood states, and may transiently decrease sympathetic nervous activity. We suggest that olfactory stimulation with the volatile compounds of essential oil derived from Japanese cedar wood could be useful for maintaining mental health among women.

Tribological properties of oxidized wood-derived nanocarbons with same surface chemical composition as graphene oxide for additives in water-based lubricants

The tribological properties of oxidized wood-derived nanocarbons (oWNCs), which have the same surface chemical composition as graphene oxide (GO), were investigated as additives in water-based lubricants using a sintered tungsten carbide ball and a stainless steel flat plate with a reciprocating sliding configuration. WNCs were synthesized from four kinds of Japanese wood powder by metal-catalyzed carbonization, and were strongly oxidized by a modified Hummer's method. The four oWNCs have aggregated chain-like nanostructures and maintain graphitic layers. In addition, the four oWNCs were well-dispersed in water due to their high level of oxidation. The four oWNC aqueous dispersions improved lubrication. In particular, the aqueous dispersion of the oWNC derived from Japanese cedar (J. Cedar) wood powder showed a very low friction coefficient and formed a thick tribofilm on the plate surface. The most distinctive properties of the J. Cedar oWNC, compared to the other oWNCs, were the small primary and secondary particle sizes, which were much smaller than those of the other oWNCs. The small-sized J. Cedar oWNC may possibly enter the frictional interface, preventing direct contact between the ball and plate surfaces and forming a tribofilm.

Shape fixation of compressed wood by steaming: a mechanism of shape fixation by rearrangement of crystalline cellulose

Japanese cedar wood specimens were compressed radially using saturated water vapor at 160 °C. Their shape recovery in hot water, cellulose crystallinity, and dynamic viscoelastic properties were measured. The compressed shape of the wood was fixed completely with 120 min of steam compression. In addition, the tensile strain of the elongated steam-compressed wood specimens was recovered almost completely upon immersion in hot water. The crystallinity and crystal width of cellulose in the compressed wood increased with increasing steaming duration, corresponding to the fixation of the compressed shape and the recovery of tensile strain. These results suggested that the recrystallization or co-crystallization of cellulose, i.e., the reformation of elastic members in the wood cell walls, caused shape fixation by steam compression. When a wood specimen was compressed at 25 °C, its dynamic Young’s modulus in the radial (R) direction (ER) decreased, while its mechanical loss tangent (tan δR) increased remarkably. However, upon subsequent steaming, the reduced ER began increasing and the enhanced tan δR began decreasing. These changes were explained by a hypothetical slip–cure model in which microfractures and slippage between or within microfibrils were cured by the rearrangement of cellulose under steaming.

Shape recovery and anomalous swelling of steam-compressed wood by swimming ring-like expansion of cell lumina

To investigate the mechanism of shape fixation of steam-compressed wood, Japanese cedar wood specimens were compressed radially by 50% using saturated water vapor at 160 °C and observed during shape recovery in different liquids, including water and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Shape recovery was evaluated based on the dimensional changes in wet conditions (SRw) and those in dry conditions (SRd). SRw in DMSO was significantly greater than that in water, but this recovery observed in DMSO was not recognized in SRd. The contradiction arose from significant reversible cellular deformation: the compressed cells were reversibly expanded with the swelling of the cell wall, and this swimming ring-like cellular deformation increased SRw in DMSO. At room temperature, the SRd values in various liquids were closely connected to the swelling of the wood cell walls, rather than to the degree of softening. This suggested that the plastic expansion of cells, as well as the softening of the wood cell walls, caused the shape recovery of compressed wood. This mechanism was qualitatively expressed by an elasto-plastic model equipped with an inflator representing the swimming ring-like expansion of the cell lumina.

Evaluation of NO2 sorption of cedar wood (Cryptomeria Japonica) with difference of the specimen size and contact condition between NO2 gas and specimen using new test system

We developed a new system for measuring the NO2 sorption ability of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) wood by referring to Japanese Industrial Standard for JIS R 1701-1 (Test method for air purification performance of photocatalytic materials, Japanese Standard Association, Tokyo, 2004). Aeration experiments were conducted using plated specimen, particle specimen, discoid specimen and wood powder with consideration of aeration condition and surface area which can contact with NO2 gas. In the plated specimen, the NO2 sorption ability was greatly affected by the thickness of longitudinal direction, and high NO2 sorption ability of the transverse section was observed within a thickness range from the surface to ca. 3 mm. The average NO2 sorption volume for discoid specimen for 5 h was approx. five times larger than that those for the plated and particle specimens, which the thickness of longitudinal direction was 1.5 mm. This means that the NO2 sorption effect was especially high under the condition where the NO2 gas passed through tracheid. Also, it was suggested that the interface area between NO2 gas and specimen influenced to the NO2 sorption ability. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the NO2 sorption volume in discoid specimen and the grain size below 0.25–0.50 mm of wood powder reached the greatest.

Tetrabutylammonium Hydroxide 30-Hydrate as Novel Reaction Medium for Lignin Conversion

The efficient conversion of lignin, a major component of lignocellulosics, to monomeric aromatics is a hot topic in biorefining. In this study, we developed a method for selective degradation of several types of lignin [milled wood lignin, sodium lignosulfonate, soda lignin, and Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) wood flour] in Bu4NOH·30H2O (mp 27–30 °C). Degradation at 120 °C for 43–70 h gave low-molecular-weight (MW) compounds such as vanillin, vanillic acid, acetoguiacone, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde in considerable yields. The total yields were 16.3, 6.5, 6.7, and 22.5 wt % from milled wood lignin, sodium lignosulfonate, soda lignin, and wood flour, respectively. Similar degradation in aqueous NaOH solution with the same OH– concentration (1.25 mol/L) as that in molten Bu4NOH·30H2O gave much lower yields of these products. This suggests that in addition to the effect of Bu4NOH·30H2O as a strong alkali, the Bu4N+ cation increased the selectivity of lignin degradation for low-MW products. Degradation u...

Adsorption for Dyes on Activation Carbons from Japanese Cedar Wood Prepared by Precarbonization and Two-stage Composite Activations with Wood Ash and Steam

Adsorption for Dyes on Activation Carbons from Japanese Cedar Wood Prepared by Precarbonization and Two-stage Composite Activations with Wood Ash and Steam

Effect of ozonation on composting Japanese cedar wood meal

Abstract Ozonized Japanese cedar wood meal was evaluated as a feedstock for compost. The composting experiment performed in a 1.8 m3 tank during a 4-week period showed that the decomposition of organics was accelerated by the ozonation of wood meal during thermophilic phase. The same is true for decay test of white-rot (WR) fungus. The tested brown-rot (BR) fungus did not show any effect. Accordingly, the lignin degradation by ozone is advantageous for composting. In addition, liberation of ammonia, one source of odor development, was suppressed during the thermophilic phase of composting of ozonized wood meal.

O-501 スギ木部/樹皮の中低温での熱分解における水蒸気の影響の検討(セッション5:技術4:ガス化,研究発表,(口頭発表))

O-501 スギ木部/樹皮の中低温での熱分解における水蒸気の影響の検討(セッション5:技術4:ガス化,研究発表,(口頭発表))

3-13-1 湿式粉砕実証プラントにおけるスギ材の糖化前処理研究(3-13 エタノール,Session 3 バイオマス等,研究発表)

3-13-1 湿式粉砕実証プラントにおけるスギ材の糖化前処理研究(3-13 エタノール,Session 3 バイオマス等,研究発表)

P-03 TG/MS によるスギ木部からの熱分解生成物の温度依存性測定

P-03 TG/MS によるスギ木部からの熱分解生成物の温度依存性測定

Effect of Lignin Components on Gasification of Japanese Cedar (Cryptopmeria japonica) Wood and Bark Using an Entrained-Flow-Type Gasification Reactor

Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) wood and bark were gasified using an entrained-flow-type gasification reactor at 900 °C in the presence of H2O or H2O + O2. With H2O alone, the cedar wood was gasified well: carbon conversion into gas [CC(g)] = 94.3%; however, cedar bark was not gasified so well: CC(g) = 73.4%, and relatively large amounts of solid residues were produced: carbon conversion into solid residues [CC(sr)] = 14.0%. Gas produced from both cedar wood and cedar bark were suitable compositions for catalytic liquid fuel synthesis: [H2]/[CO] ≅ 2–3. Tar yields were low: that from the cedar wood was <0.1 wt %, and that from the cedar bark was 0.3 wt %. The tar from the cedar bark contained much more various kinds of compounds. With H2O + O2, CC(g) was improved (cedar wood, 96.5%; cedar bark, 87.5%) and CC(sr) of the cedar bark decreased (2.6%). A high lignin content in the cedar bark was one of main differences from the cedar wood and was a possible reason for its low CC(g). To examine the effect ...

Simultaneous production of aromatic chemicals and ammonia adsorbent by pulse-current pyrolysis of woody biomass

BACKGROUND The production of chemicals and functional materials from renewable biomass resources has received considerable interest. In this study, rapid pyrolysis was conducted using pulse-current heating for simultaneous production of aromatic chemicals and functional char. Japanese cedar wood was pyrolyzed at various temperatures by pulse-current heating, and compositional and structural changes in the degraded products were characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, and carbon/hydrogen/nitrogen analysis. RESULTS It was found that ammonia was adsorbed on the char obtained from pyrolysis at 500 °C and observed a sharp dependence of the adsorptivity on the pyrolysis temperature. Under these conditions, phenolic compounds such as guaiacol, catechol, 4-vinyl guaiacol, and vanillin were produced as the major components of the pyrolysis oil. Deoxygenation proceeded linearly as a function of pyrolysis temperature, and pyrolysis at 800 °C produced aromatic hydrocarbons such as naphthalene, acenaphthylene, anthracene, pyrene, and platform chemicals such as benzene, toluene, and styrene. CONCLUSION The functionality of residual char as an ammonia adsorbent and the coproduction of aromatic chemicals is reported as a new process designed for efficient use of woody biomass. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry

Potential of moderately compressed wood as an elastic component of wooden composites

Japanese cedar wood was moderately compressed by 50 % in the radial (R) direction. The compressed wooden blocks were glued into the form of a beam with R directions aligned in the longitudinal direction of the beam. The compressed wooden beam (CR) showed excellent ductility and elasticity comparable to synthetic rubbers. The elastic deflection of the CR was further increased when the tensile side was reinforced by a thin compressed wooden plate (CL), because this ensured that the CR was always in a compressed state while tensile stress was supported by the CL. The CR + CL composite exhibited large deflections ten times greater than that of the original cedar lumber, a Charpy value corresponding to the high amount of energy absorbed in impact bending comparable to that of densified wood, and a large critical bending work exceeding that of uncompressed wood in the direction of the fiber. The soft and durable nature of the composite beam was attributed to the softness and elasticity of the moderately compressed wood, in which the folded cell walls behaved as flat springs.

Effects of Temperature and Duration of Heat Treatment on the Physical, Surface, and Mechanical Properties of Japanese Cedar Wood

This study investigated the application of heat to wood samples from Japanese cedar trees (Cryptomeria japonica) of small and medium diameters to evaluate the effects of both the temperature and duration of treatment on its surface, physical, and mechanical properties. The results indicate that the density, moisture content, and hygroscopicity of the wood samples decreased as the treatment temperature and duration increased, and the mass loss increased under the same conditions. Additionally, the dimensional stability of the wood improved in response to increased temperatures and prolonged durations. These results suggest that heat treatment can be used to improve the dimensional stability of wood. The surface color of the wood darkened progressively with increasing treatment temperature and duration, and the hydrophobicity of the wood sample improved as a result of the heat treatment. In contrast to the untreated wood, the heat-treated wood exhibited decreased mechanical properties with an increase in the treatment temperature and duration.

Mechanical Properties and Dimensional Stabilities of Wood-Polypropylene Composites Prepared using Mechanochemically Acetylated Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) Wood Meal

The scale-up of a mechanochemical acetylation operation using 100-L ball mills was performed to produce acetylated Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) wood meal for wood-polypropylene composite (WPC) production. Finely and coarsely acetylated wood meals (AWMs) were successfully produced with approximately 21% and 19% weight percent gains (WPG), respectively, which was close to the theoretical value. The mechanical properties of WPCs showed similar, rather weak strength compared with the AWM-filled WPCs without maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP) as a compatibilizing agent; however, coarse AWM-filled WPCs showed similar or higher mechanical properties than untreated wood meal (UWM)-filled WPCs when MAPP was added. Clear enhancements in the dimensional stability of AWM-filled WPCs were observed, but no significant differences in dimensional stability were observed between WPCs filled with fine and coarse AWMs, even when MAPP was added. Morphological analyses of the fracture surface showed the retention of some wood cell wall structures in coarse AWM, and fine loadings of the thermoplastic into the lumen were clearly observed. These properties were not found on the fracture surface of fine AWM-filled WPCs; therefore, high polymer loadings into the retained wood structure with high interfacial adhesion by MAPP could be suggested for improving the mechanical properties of coarse AWM-filled WPCs.

Molecular breeding of lignin-degrading brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum by homologous expression of laccase gene.

The basidiomycete Gloeophyllum trabeum KU-41 can degrade Japanese cedar wood efficiently. To construct a strain better suited for biofuel production from Japanese cedar wood, we developed a gene transformation system for G. trabeum KU-41 using the hygromycin phosphotransferase-encoding gene (hpt) as a marker. The endogenous laccase candidate gene (Gtlcc3) was fused with the promoter of the G. trabeum glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase-encoding gene and co-transformed with the hpt-bearing pAH marker plasmid. We obtained 44 co-transformants, and identified co-transformant L#61, which showed the highest laccase activity among all the transformants. Moreover, strain L#61 was able to degrade lignin in Japanese cedar wood-containing medium, in contrast to wild-type G. trabeum KU-41 and to a typical white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium. By using strain L#61, direct ethanol production from Japanese cedar wood was improved compared to wild type. To our knowledge, this study is the first report of the molecular breeding of lignin-degrading brown-rot fungus and direct ethanol production from softwoods by co-transformation with laccase overproduction constructs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13568-015-0173-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Improvement of (R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid secretion during Halomonas sp. KM-1 cultivation with saccharified Japanese cedar by the addition of urea.

Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) is a major species in artificial Japanese forests. The Halomonas sp. KM-1 was recently isolated and found to grow effectively on saccharified Japanese cedar wood, resulting in the intracellular storage of poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) under aerobic conditions. Under microaerobic conditions, the extracellular secretion of (R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid ((R)-3-HB) led to the degradation of intracellular PHB. In this study, the production of PHB and the secretion of (R)-3-HB using saccharified Japanese cedar were much improved in cultures that were grown in the presence of urea. The level of intracellular PHB production after 36h under aerobic cultivation was 23·6gl(-1) ; after shifting to microaerobic conditions for 24h, the (R)-3-HB concentration in the medium reached 21·1gl(-1) . Thus, KM-1 efficiently utilizes saccharified Japanese cedar to produce PHB and secretes (R)-3-HB, making it a practical candidate for use in the industrial production of (R)-3-HB. Japanese cedar is a major species grown in artificial Japanese forests, and its thinning is crucial for the health of artificial forests and the Japanese economy. Halomonas sp. KM-1 grew effectively on saccharified Japanese cedar wood, resulting in intracellular storage of poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) under aerobic conditions. Under microaerobic conditions, extracellular secretion of (R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid ((R)-3-HB) caused intracellular PHB degradation. (R)-3-HB is a chiral compound that is useful in the chemical, health food and pharmaceutical industries. The production of PHB and secretion of (R)-3-HB using saccharified wood was dramatically improved, which may positively affect its future industrial production.

Enhancement of bio-oil production via pyrolysis of wood biomass by pretreatment with H2SO4

In this work, a Japanese cedar wood sample was treated during the first step at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure using several concentrations of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in a stirred flask. During this pretreatment C–O bonds of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin were cleaved. The second step involved the pyrolysis of the pretreated wood sample at 550°C in a quartz glass tube reactor. A maximum oil yield of 46.8wt% with the minimum char yield of 10.1wt% was obtained by the treatment with 3M H2SO4, whereas untreated wood samples resulted in a 30.1wt% yield of oil. The main components in the oils were levoglucosan and tar. These results suggest that moderate acid pretreatment produced shorter chain units of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, thereby facilitating the conversion into oil by pyrolysis. The results of thermogravimetry–mass spectroscopy supported the presence of shorter chain units in the pretreated wood samples.