Rapeseed Stalks Research Articles

Factors influencing synergistic pyrolysis of biomass and polypropylene for alcohols and hydrocarbon production

Results are presented on the co-pyrolysis of different blends of rapeseed stalk and plastic polypropylene (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100) using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and pyrolyzer-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), independently. The effect of temperature (450, 550 and 650 °C) on the synergistic effect between rapeseed stalk and polypropylene at different blend ratios as well as on the yield and amounts of alcohols and hydrocarbons produced are presented. The thermogravimetric analysis results showed that at the same temperature, increase of polypropylene in the mixture, gradually increased the intensity and rate of pyrolysis reaction. The weight loss data revealed improved pyrolysis during the process. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed that the transmittance of ketones, esters and acids increased while the content of ketones, esters and acids decreased with increased polypropylene in the mixture. The pyrolyzer-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry results showed that temperature and feedstock mixture ratio had an impact on the yield and amounts of alcohols and hydrocarbons. The pyrolysis effect was most favorable at 550 °C temperature and rapeseed stalk/polypropylene mixture ratio of 1:3. These results provide some practical insights on clean energy recovery from mixtures of agricultural residues and waste plastics using thermochemical conversion.

Synergistic effects and products distribution during Co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastics

Co-pyrolysis of agricultural biomass and plastic wastes is examined here from the perspective of enhanced value products, energy production, and pollution reduction. The effect of different species of plastic on the products distribution during co-pyrolysis with biomass, or rapeseed stalk (RS) with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was performed using a pyrolyzer coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The results showed co-pyrolysis of rapeseed stalk with different plastics had little effect on the evolved product species. However, significant differences were observed on the content and yield of products. The co-pyrolysis of rapeseed stalk and polyethylene terephthalate provided primarily the monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (MAH). The co-pyrolysis of rapeseed stalk and polypropylene provided aliphatic hydrocarbons (mainly olefins) and promoted the generation of aliphatic hydrocarbons and alcohols due to the synergistic effect. The co-pyrolysis of rapeseed stalk and polyvinyl chloride could promote the production of phenols but inhibited the production of liquid products. The results also showed relatively high product quality from the co-pyrolysis of rapeseed stalk and polypropylene. The results provided plausible pathways for effective utilization of residual agricultural wastes and selected waste plastics for enhanced product quality and content.

Harvesting value from agricultural waste: Dimensionally stable fiberboards and particleboards with enhanced mechanical performance and fire retardancy through the use of lignocellulosic nanofibers

The present work provides a comprehensive study on the utilization of rapeseed stalks, an agricultural waste, as a raw material for the production of resin-free fiberboards and particleboards, using LCNFs as binder. The rapeseed stalks underwent appropriate crushing and fibrillation and were combined with a novel class of lignocellulosic nanofibers (LCNFs) derived from date palm waste, another agricultural residue. The incorporation of LCNFs in both fiberboards and particleboards resulted in increased density and enhanced mechanical properties, dimensional stability, and fire resistance. These positive effects can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the incorporation of LCNFs led to a reduction in porosity, positively impacting the modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, and internal bonding of the produced fiberboards and particleboards. Notably, fiberboards containing 15 wt% LCNF exhibited superior specific properties compared to our commercial reference. Additionally, this densification effect mitigated moisture absorption and thickness swelling, as even a 2 wt% incorporation of LCNF in fiberboards showed reduced values for both properties. Secondly, the high lignin content of the LCNFs contributed to decreased hydrophilicity in the fiberboards and particleboards, leading to significant improvements in water contact angle, water absorption, and thickness swelling. Lastly, the increased density of the fiberboards and particleboards resulted in improved fire resistance, with flame propagation time being higher for all boards containing LCNFs, even at low content (2 wt%), compared to the commercial fiberboard. Notably, fiberboards demonstrated superior performance compared to particleboards, attributed to factors such as low cohesion, particle heterogeneity, and excessive porosity. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing agricultural waste as a raw material for board production, eliminating the need for urea-formaldehyde resins and paraffin waxes commonly found in commercial fiberboards.

InceptionV3-LSTM: A Deep Learning Net for the Intelligent Prediction of Rapeseed Harvest Time

Timely harvest can effectively guarantee the yield and quality of rapeseed. In order to change the artificial experience model in the monitoring of rapeseed harvest period, an intelligent prediction method of harvest period based on deep learning network was proposed. Three varieties of field rapeseed in the harvest period were divided into 15 plots, and mobile phones were used to capture images of silique and stalk and manually measure the yield. The daily yield was divided into three grades of more than 90%, 70–90%, and less than 70%, according to the proportion of the maximum yield of varieties. The high-dimensional features of rapeseed canopy images were extracted using CNN networks in the HSV space that were significantly related to the maturity of the rapeseed, and the seven color features of rapeseed stalks were screened using random forests in the three color-spaces of RGB/HSV/YCbCr to form a canopy-stalk joint feature as input to the subsequent classifier. Considering that the rapeseed ripening process is a continuous time series, the LSTM network was used to establish the rapeseed yield classification prediction model. The experimental results showed that Inception v3 of the five CNN networks has the highest prediction accuracy. The recognition rate was 91% when only canopy image features were used, and the recognition rate using canopy-stalk combined features reached 96%. This method can accurately predict the yield level of rapeseed in the mature stage by only using a mobile phone to take a color image, and it is expected to become an intelligent tool for rapeseed production.

Analysis of the properties of alkaline-treated rape straw and stalk polyvinyl chloride composites

Wood-plastic composites are being widely used more and more, and the bonding strength between fillers and matrix is an important factor affecting the properties of wood-plastic composites. In this study, rapeseed straw and rapeseed stalk were pretreated with sodium hydroxide and then filled with polyvinyl chloride matrix to prepare composites. The chemical composition, thermal stability, microstructure, physical properties, mechanical properties, and abrasive wear resistance of the composites were characterized, and the effects of different concentrations of alkaline treatment on rapeseed straw composite and rapeseed stalk composite were revealed. The results show that alkaline treatment has no significant effect on the chemical composition of the composites but has an obvious effect on other properties. Among them, after 1% alkaline treatment, rapeseed straw composite has the highest hardness, thermal stability, and impact strength, rapeseed stalk composite has the highest impact strength and bending strength. After 3% alkaline treatment, rapeseed straw composite has more wear resistance, rapeseed stalk composite has the highest density, the highest tensile strength, and more wear resistance. The rapeseed straw composite with 5% alkaline treatment has the highest density, and the rapeseed stalk composite with 7% alkaline treatment has the highest thermal stability. The hardness of rapeseed stalk composite and the tensile strength and bending strength of rapeseed straw composite decreased with the increase of alkaline treatment concentration.

The Acoustic Performance of Expanded Perlite Composites Reinforced with Rapeseed Waste and Natural Polymers

Lignocelluloses residues from the post-harvest crop are receiving great scientific attention nowadays. Generally, the composite materials based on lignocelluloses waste present low density and weight, and better insulation properties compared with those petroleum-based. This study presents the results of experimental investigations regarding soundproofing capabilities for a composite material based on expanded perlite (EP) and natural polymers matrix (starch) reinforced with rapeseed stalks waste. The preparation of light-weight samples of composites was performed at room temperature through a mechanical mixing process of EP with starch polymers and rapeseed residues until optimum moisture content composition was obtained. Rapeseed stalks long fibers were avoided through the preliminary dry grinding procedure, and the composite was air-dried at room temperature for 48 h. Four samples of composites with different ratio of EP and rapeseed waste were considered. The evaluation of sample sound insulation characteristics was performed using the transfer-matrix method based on a four-microphone acoustic impedance tube. The paper concludes that the proposed composite provides comparative sound insulation capabilities to actual materials, with few particular aspects presented within the paper. Thus, these new materials are promising as a viable alternative to the actual large-scale utilization solutions in soundproofing applications.

РЕСУРСОЗБЕРІГАЮЧА ТЕХНОЛОГІЯ ОДЕРЖАННЯ КАРТОННО-ПАПЕРОВОЇ ПРОДУКЦІЇ

Nowadays, the products of domestic enterprises of the pulp and paper industry are 80% made from secondary raw materials – recycling paper, which negatively affects its quality, narrows the range and limits the scope of use. This state of the industry connected with the lack of domestic production of cellulose fibrous products. The raw material problem of the pulp and paper industry of Ukraine can be solved by using annual plants and wastes of crop processing for the production of fibrous materials for various purposes. Rapeseed stalks can be considered as a promising raw material to meet the needs of the pulp and paper industry. The aim of the work is to study the physical and mechanical properties of writing paper and cardboard for flat layers of corrugated cardboard, which contain cellulose fibers of rapeseed stalks. This paper presents the results of research of sizes of elementary cellulose fibers from rapeseed stalks. Studies of the fractional composition showed that 70% of cellulose fibers from rapeseed have a length in the range of 0.02 to 0.81 mm and only 30% have a length exceeding 1 mm. To study the effect of cellulose content from rapeseed stalks in the composition of writing paper, paper samples of 80 g/m2 were prepared at different ratios of cellulose from non-wood raw materials to coniferous cellulose. Studies have shown that the surface of paper made of non-wood pulp has a high smoothness and uniform lumen and is more elastic compared to paper made of bleached coniferous sulfate pulp. According to the results of physical and mechanical tests, it can be concluded that the increase in the content of non-wood pulp from rapeseed stalks in the composition of writing paper leads to a decrease in all physical and mechanical properties of the paper. To study the effect of non-wood pulp from rapeseed stalks in a cardboard composition for flat layers of corrugated cardboard, cardboard samples of 175 g/m2 were made. Recycling paper of MS-6B was used as a bottom layer, and non-wood pulp as a surface layer of cardboard. The ratio of recycling paper to non-wood pulp in laboratory samples of cardboard was 80:20 mass %. According to the results, it can be concluded that the use for the surface layer of non-wood pulp from rapeseed stalks allows to obtain cardboard with strength values that fully meet the requirements for cardboard of K-1 type. In general, it was shown that non-wood rapeseed pulp can be used to replace more expensive sulfate bleached coniferous pulp in the production of writing paper and cardboard for flat layers of corrugated cardboard as a surface layer.

НАПІВФАБРИКАТИ ІЗ НЕДЕРЕВНОЇ СИРОВИНИ ДЛЯ ВИГОТОВЛЕННЯ ПАПЕРУ

The main objectives of scientific work is to study the technological parameters of the sodium hydroxide method of delignification of non-wood raw materials and production of fibrous first stuff for the manufacturing of packaging types of paper. Methodology. For the research, rapeseed stalks, sodium hydroxide cooking, anthraquinone catalyst were used. The brews were cooked in steel autoclaves, which were lowered into a glycerin bath. Standard methods for the determination of the quality indicators (yield and residual lignin content) of non-wood fiber first stuff were used. As a mathematical data processing method, the generalized reduced gradient method was used. Laboratory samples of castings of fibrous first stuff and paper were made on a LA-2 sheet-making apparatus, the mechanical parameters of the outturn sheet were determined according to the standard methods using appropriate instruments. Results. The expediency of using rapeseed stalks for processing of fibrous first stuff under alkaline conditions has been proven. It was found that the greatest influence on the delignification of raw materials has the raise of cooking temperature from 80 to 120 ° C and the use of the anthraquinone catalyst. It has been shown that the obtained rapeseed first stuff have sufficient paper-forming properties and are suitable for use in the production of MS 5B brand paper for the use in the production of fluting paper or board of B-3 grade. The scientific novelty of the work is due to the environmental friendliness of the agrowaste processing as an alternative raw material for the production of fibrous first stuff at low cooking temperatures. Using rapeseed stalks as an example, the influence of technological parameters on the quality indicators of first stuff was studied. Using the mathematical methods of the processing of experiment data, the optimal ratio of fibrous first stuff /waste paper at which the strength indicators of fluting paper or board will meet the standards was determined. Practical significance. Research results has shown the expediency of using oilseed wastes for processing of fibrous first stuff , with the aim of expanding the raw material base of cardboard and paper production.

Selectively Desirable Rapeseed and Corn Stalks Distinctive for Low-Cost Bioethanol Production and High-Active Biosorbents

Crop straws provide large amounts of biomass resource for biofuels, but it remains to explore cost-effective lignocellulose process technology with additional valuable bioproducts. Using total eight rapeseed and corn stalks with distinct lignocellulose composition, this study initially performed mild alkali pretreatment (1% NaOH, 50 °C) for enzymatic hydrolysis and yeast fermentation to release bioethanol yields varied from 5 to 12% (% dry matter). By comparison, four corn stalks consistently showed more ethanol yields than those of the rapeseeds, but relatively higher sugar-ethanol conversion rates were examined in the rapeseed samples. Of all stalk samples, both genetic corn mutant (CY04) and classic rapeseed cultivar (Bn18) were respectively assessed as the desired lignocellulose residues for relatively high bioethanol production. Then, all remained solid residues of yeast fermentation were employed as biosorbents for Cd adsorption under various incubation conditions (pH, temperature, time, Cd concentration, biosorbent dose). In general, the solid residues exhibited much higher Cd adsorption capacities and removal rates than those of the raw stalks. In particular, two desirable rapeseed residues were of the highest Cd adsorption capacities, compared to the corn residues examined in this study or other major agricultural crop straws as previously reported. Furthermore, the solid residues were characterized as typical biosorbents via a classic chemical binding manner with much large surface areas accountable for their high Cd adsorption capacity. Therefore, this study has demonstrated a green-like strategy for low-cost cellulosic ethanol production and high-active biosorbents by selecting desired corn and rapeseed stalks.

Preparation and Properties of Five Biomass-based Melamine Modified Urea Formaldehyde Resins

In this paper, shell (PS), rice husk (RH), rapeseed stalk (RS), toonaciliata wood (TW) and Sinocalamus affinis (SA) were served as the modifier to modify the melamine modified urea-formaldehyde resin (MUF). The PS, RH, RS, TW, SA were ultra-fine crushed to be the powder with less than 48 um. The reactivity of PS, RH, RS, TW, SA and formaldehyde solution was measured, and PS, RH, RS, TW, SA were added in the third stage of synthesis process of the MUF resin. The basic properties of the resin and plywood were tested. The results showed that, with addition of the PS, RH, RS, TW, SA, the reactivity with formaldehyde solution became better, while the gel time became longer, the resin viscosity and the solid content increased, and the free formaldehyde content of the resin decreased. The formaldehyde emission of the plywood decreased by 60.53%, 48.25%, 41.23%, 44.74%, 56.14%, respectively, and the wet ply strength of the plywood increased by 40.00%, 56.19%, 16.19%, 24.76%, 54.29%, respectively. The use of the ultra-fined PS, RH, RS, TW, and SA showed good effects on the formaldehyde elimination of the MUF resin.

Mechanism of lignocellulose modification and enzyme disadsorption for complete biomass saccharification to maximize bioethanol yield in rapeseed stalks

An integrated strategy for complete lignocellulose saccharification to maximize bioethanol yield under a cost-effective and green-like biomass process in rapeseed stalk.

A mechanism for efficient cadmium phytoremediation and high bioethanol production by combined mild chemical pretreatments with desirable rapeseed stalks

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most hazardous trace metals, and rapeseed is a major oil crop over the world with considerable lignocellulose residues applicable for trace metal phytoremediation and cellulosic ethanol co-production. In this study, we examined that two distinct rapeseed cultivars could accumulate Cd at 72.48 and 43.70 ug/g dry stalk, being the highest Cd accumulation among all major agricultural food crops as previously reported. The Cd accumulation significantly increased pectin deposition as a major factor for trace metal association with lignocellulose. Meanwhile, the Cd-accumulated rapeseed stalks contained much reduced wall polymers (hemicellulose, lignin) and cellulose degree of polymerization, leading to improved lignocellulose enzymatic hydrolysis. Notably, three optimal chemical pretreatments were performed for enhanced biomass enzymatic saccharification and bioethanol production by significantly increasing cellulose accessibility and lignocellulose porosity, along with a complete Cd release for collection and recycling. Hence, this study proposed a mechanism model interpreting why rapeseed stalks are able to accumulate much Cd and how the Cd-accumulated stalks are of enhanced biomass saccharification. It has also provided a powerful technology for both cost-effective Cd phytoremediation and value-added bioethanol co-production with minimum waste release.

Prediction Model of the Key Components for Lodging Resistance in Rapeseed Stalk Using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS)

The chemical composition of rape stalk is the physiological basis for its lodging resistance. By taking the advantage of NIRS, we developed a rapid method to determine the content of six key composition without crushing the stalk. Rapeseed stalks in the mature stage of growth were collected from three cultivation modes over the course of 2 years. First, we used the near-infrared spectroscope to scan seven positions on the stalk samples and took their average to form the spectral data. The stalks were then crushed and sieved; then the ratio of carbon and nitrogen, ratio of acid-insoluble lignin and lignin, and the content of soluble sugar and cellulose were determined using the combustion method, weighing method, and colorimetric method, respectively. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) method was used to establish a prediction model between the spectral data and the chemical measurements, and all models were evaluated by an internal interaction verification and an external independent test set sample. To improve the accuracy of the model and reduce the computing time, some optimization methods have been applied. Some outliers were removed, and then the data were preprocessed to determine the best spectral information band and the optimal principal component number. The results showed that elimination of outliers effectively improved the precision of the prediction model and that no spectral pretreatment method exhibited the highest prediction accuracy. In summary, the NIRS-based prediction model could facilitate the rapid nondestructive detection in the key components of rapeseed stalk.

Fire-Resistant Sandwich-Structured Composite Material Based on Alternative Materials and Its Physical and Mechanical Properties.

The development of composite materials from alternative raw materials, and the design of their properties for the intended purpose is an integral part of the rational management of raw materials and waste recycling. The submitted paper comprehensively assesses the physical and mechanical properties of sandwich composite material made from particles of winter rapeseed stalks, geopolymer and reinforcing basalt lattices. The developed composite panel is designed for use as a filler in constructions (building or building joinery). The observed properties were: bending characteristics, internal bonding, thermal conductivity coefficient and combustion characteristics. The results showed that the density of the particleboard has a significant effect on the resulting mechanical properties of the entire sandwich panel. On the contrary, the density of the second layer of the sandwich panel, geopolymer, did not have the same influence on its mechanical properties as the density of the particleboard. The basalt fibre reinforcement lattice positively affected the mechanical properties of sandwich composites only if it was sufficiently embedded in the structure of the particle board. All of the manufactured sandwich composites resisted flame for more than 13 min and the fire resistance was positively affected by the density of the geopolymer layer.

Optimization and design of alkaline pulping of rapeseed (Brassica napus) stalks

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) stalks are agricultural wastes generated in important quantities as a result of rapeseed cultivation valued for edible vegetable oil or biodiesel production. This study examines the potential of using rapeseed stalks as raw material in pulp production. The obtained results pointed out to the suitability of these agricultural wastes for pulping to papermaking pulp. Chemical alkaline pulping methods such as kraft and sulphur-free soda-anthraquinone and their optimization were taken into consideration for the laboratory trials. Response surface modeling was employed for the study of process parameters impact on obtained pulps. As a result, optimal process conditions may be selected depending on the desired pulp characteristics.

Newly developed boards made from crushed rapeseed stalk and their bendability properties

The bendability of a material can be classified as both a positive and negative characteristic. The classification depends on the intended use of the given material. In the case of materials intended for bending (solid wood), this property is positive; whereas in the case of building materials this property may have a negative effect on the stability and durability of the finished structure. Depending on the use of the material, different characteristics of bendability can be used to describe it. The important characteristics include the force and deflection at the limit of proportionality and at the modulus of rupture. Because the bendability also depends on the material thickness, this characteristic is most often expressed as the ratio of the material thickness to the smallest achievable bent radius. Therefore, an analysis of the minimum curve radius and coefficient of bendability was performed. The bending characteristics were measured for composite materials, which were made of crushed rapeseed stalk and bonded with powder polyester adhesive. The stalks were subjected to different modifications (R, H2O, and NaOH). The results of this work indicated that rapeseed is a prospective raw material for the production of composite materials with specific properties.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PREHYDROLYSIS METHODS FOR VEGETAL MATERIALS

This paper presents the results obtained using the prehydrolysis treatments of rapeseed stalks depending on regime and the catalyst. The vegetal materials were subjected under different temperature conditions and then characterized for the yield reducing substances. The differences between samples have been established by using FTIR and depend on the successive hydrolytic treatments of dynamic and static regime in the presence of various catalysts. The experimental data show that the hydrolysis reaction induces the modification of cellolignin functionality.

Agriculture crop residues as a source for the production of nanofibrillated cellulose with low energy demand

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) from three agricultural crop (rice straw, corn and rapeseed stalk) residues was isolated with high-yield production using either high pressure homogenisation or a high speed blender. The fibres were extracted from the neat biomass via an NaClO2/acetic acid and alkali pulping process. TEMPO-mediated oxidation pretreatment at pH 7 and 10 was accomplished to facilitate the release of the cellulose microfibrils. The fibrillation yield, transparency degree and morphological characteristics of the ensuing NFC were analysed using the centrifugation method, transmittance measurement and SEM observation. The energy consumption during the disintegration process was also accessed. It was shown that the mode of lignin removal and the fibre pretreatment notably affected the nanofibrillation efficiency and energy demand. A successful production of NFC with yield exceeding 90 %, using a simple Waring blender, was achieved when the NaClO2/acetic acid delignification followed by a TEMPO-NaBr–NaClO oxidation at pH 10 was adopted.

The Hydrolysis of Cellulosic Materials in Ionic Liquids

This study’s main objective was the dissolution of cellulose from biomass using ionic liquids to obtain saccharides by prehydrolysis. Raw materials were exposed to the ionic liquids (ILs) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, 1-ethyl-2,3-dimethyl-imidazolium chloride, and 3-(2-methoxy-2-oxoethyl)-1-(3-methoxy-3-oxo-propyl)-imidazolium bromide at 105 °C for 6 h. The sugar content of the liquid phase was characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The vegetal materials after treatments were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Glucose was the main reducing sugar product in each case. Different ILs were found to be most effective, depending on what sample was being dissolved – microcrystalline cellulose or rapeseed stalk.

Effect of filler loading on physical and flexural properties of rapeseed stem/PP composites

The objective of the study is to develop a new filler for the production of natural filler thermoplastic composites using the waste rapeseed stalks. The long-term water absorption and thickness swelling behaviors and flexural properties of rapeseed filled polypropylene (PP) composites were investigated. Three different contents of filler were tested: 30, 45, and 60 wt%. Results of long-term hygroscopic tests indicated that by the increase in filler content from 30% to 60%, water diffusion absorption and thickness swelling rate parameter increased. A swelling model developed by Shi and Gardner can be used to quantify the swelling rate. The increasing of filler content reduced the flexural strength of the rapeseed/PP composites significantly. In contrast to the flexural strength, the flexural modulus improved with increasing the filler content. The flexural properties of these composites were decreased after the water uptake, due to the effect of the water molecules.