Wood Dust Particles Research Articles

Recycling Possibilities of Wood-Cement Particle Board Manufacturing Waste

Wood-cement particle boards are gaining popularity within construction materials as they combine natural fiber architectural value with Portland cement durability. The production of the material is associated with processing the produced fiberboards, which includes cutting, grinding, and polishing. The remaining wood-cement dust residues are classified as production waste, which is now deposited in the dump and gives extra expenditure for the enterprise. The utilization of wood-cement dust would also benefit the circular economy and reduce the environmental impact of the production process. Two scenarios are analyzed in this research, and the life cycle assessment (LCA) tool with SimaPro software is compared. The first scenario is associated with the partial replacement of Portland cement with wood-cement dust powder. The second scenario offers re-activation of the wood-cement dust at 450 °C to obtain binder properties. Both materials' mechanical strength is comparable, reaching 10 MPa after 28d curing. To maintain target strength, 70 % of Portland cement can be replaced. To produce 1 t of binder by heating at 450 °C, 1.2 t of wood-cement dust is needed as natural moisture evaporates, and wood dust particles go through pyrolysis, giving extra heat and CO2 emissions as well. LCA results indicate the 70% replacement of Portland cement reduces CO2 emissions from 597 kg of CO2/ton of CEM II/A-LL 42,5 to 179 kg of CO2/ton, while the second scenario is associated with high energy consumption during burning of the binder and increased CO2 value due to fossil fuel consumption and CO2 release from burning organic compounds in the material.

Granulometric characterization of Arctic driftwood sawdust from frame sawing process

Arctic driftwood can be used as an alternative source of wood as construction timber and furniture material, especially in Iceland and Greenland. The use of Arctic driftwood can help in the fight against climate change, by developing land reforestation processes and reducing the volume harvested wood from forests and sustainability of harvesting processes. In this paper the results of an analysis of the effect of long-term residence of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and larch wood (Larix sibirica L.) stay in Arctic ice and seawater on the granulation of wood sawdust and the distribution of fine wood dust particles during the frame sawing process are presented. The distribution of wood chips and dust was analysed using sieve and laser diffraction methods. The results confirmed that Arctic driftwood, compared to normal wood for both analysed species, generate slightly more fine wood dust particles during the frame sawing process, which can be harmful to human health. However, these differences are not significant, indicating that the same dust extraction systems can be used for both sawing processes.

Explosion characteristics of wood dust and its suppression in typical powder-related environments

To reduce the explosion hazard caused by wood dust, the effects of dust concentration and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) on the explosion of wood dust were carried out in a vertical combustion pipeline and the suppression mechanism was revealed. The explosion intensity of the wood dust increased and then decreased with increasing concentration, and the bottom of the pipeline remained bright due to continuous ignition. APP could effectively suppress the propagation of wood dust explosion flame. When the mass fraction of APP was 10%, there was no obvious flame, and the flame pressure dropped by up to 98%. The effect of APP on wood dust pyrolysis was analyzed using TG-DSC, and the explosion products were characterized by physicochemical analysis using EDS. The results showed that APP could improve the stability of the carbon layer on the surface of wood dust particles, and its decomposition products could enhance the thermal shielding and oxygen isolation effects of the particle surface protective layer. In addition, the APP significantly suppressed wood dust explosion by absorbing heat from the reaction zone, capturing and consuming free radicals, and reducing the oxygen concentration per unit volume.

Investigation of the effects of water uptake on the mechanical properties of wood dust particle filled Prosopis Juliflora reinforced phenol formaldehyde hybrid polymer composites

Abstract The water uptake behavior of Wood Dust (WD)/Prosopis Juliflora Fiber (PJF)/Phenol-Formaldehyde (PF) hybrid composites which are immersed in distilled and seawater environments was evaluated. Three different composite samples were fabricated by reinforcing WD and PJF with PF resin. The fabricated specimens were immersed in sea and distilled water to note down the moisture content absorption of the specimens for different time intervals from 0 to 240 h. The dry and wet specimens underwent mechanical properties testing as per ASTM standards and the findings for wet and dry specimens have been compared and analyzed. It is observed that the specimens which are immersed in sea (salt) water absorb more moisture content than the specimen immersed in distilled water and the PJF-rich (30 wt% of PJF & 10 wt % of WD) specimen absorbs more water than the other specimens. The water uptake behavior of the WD/PJF/PF hybrid composite follows a non-Fickian behavior. The mechanical performance (tensile, flexural, and impact) of the 10 wt % of WD 30 wt % of PJF specimen was better than that of other specimens at dry (before immersion) conditions and lost strength when immersed in sea and distilled water. SEM analysis was also done on the broken surface of the tested specimens which were exposed to the water environment.

Polysaccharide Composite Films Utilising Wood Waste.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of raw waste pine wood dust (Pinus sylvestris) from furniture production on polysaccharide biopolymer film properties. The obtained biocomposite films produced via the casting method were prepared with 20% glycerol and 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% of added wood dust in relation to the dry starch matter. Wood dust composition and particle size distribution analysis were performed. In order to evaluate the material surface properties, tests were carried out using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a contact angle goniometer. Utilising uniaxial tensile test methodology, the values for both tensile strength and Young's modulus were determined. In addition, the barrier properties, water solubility index, and colour were also investigated. The research showed that wood dust affected the functional parameters of the obtained biocomposites. A wood dust content increase causes the Young's modulus value to rise with a progressive decrease in the max. strain. The filler did not change the films' wetting properties, and each had a hydrophilic surface regardless of the additive amount. The bio-sourced composites obtained were non-toxic and environmentally neutral materials, suitable to be applied in the packaging industry as well as the agriculture sector.

Fine dust after sanding untreated and thermally modified spruce, oak, and meranti wood

Airborne wood dust poses health and safety risks in the construction and furniture industry. The study verified whether the thermal modification affects the share of fine wood dust particles (< 10 μm) generated during spruce, oak, and meranti wood sanding. The experimental research involved nine material variants, including three wood species in three states: untreated, thermally modified at 160 °C, and thermally modified at 220 °C). To collect at least 200 g of each dust sample, a belt sander with P80 sandpaper and a belt speed of 10 m/s was used, along with a dust collector. The collected dust was then separated into fractions using a set of sieves with aperture sizes of 2000, 1000, 500, 250, and 125 μm. A laser particle sizer was employed to measure the sizes of dust particles in the under-sieve fraction (dust with particle sizes smaller than 125 μm). The under-sieve fraction was decomposed into three subfractions, with particle sizes: <2.5, 2.5-4.0, and 4.0–10 μm. Surprisingly the results indicate that sanding dust from thermally modified wood generates a lower average mass share of potentially harmful fine particle fractions than dust from untreated wood. Oak dust contained a higher mass share of fine particles compared to the spruce and meranti dust samples. Dust from thermally modified oak and meranti wood had a lower content of harmful particle fractions than dust from untreated wood. The average mass shares of these dust fractions for modified wood at 160 and 220 °C showed no statictically significant differences (p < 0.05). Conversely, spruce dust had a low content of fine fractions because spruce particles exhibit a more irregular elongated shape. The study considered the extreme temperatures of 160 and 220 °C used in the thermal modification of wood. Therefore, the above statements are assumed to be valid for all intermediate thermo-modification temperatures.

The Response of Duckweed Lemna minor to Microplastics and Its Potential Use as a Bioindicator of Microplastic Pollution.

Biomonitoring has become an indispensable tool for detecting various environmental pollutants, but microplastics have been greatly neglected in this context. They are currently monitored using multistep physico-chemical methods that are time-consuming and expensive, making the search for new monitoring options of great interest. In this context, the aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using an aquatic macrophyte as a bioindicator of microplastic pollution in freshwaters. Therefore, the effects and adhesion of three types of microplastics (polyethylene microbeads, tire wear particles, and polyethylene terephthalate fibers) and two types of natural particles (wood dust and cellulose particles) to duckweed Lemna minor were investigated. The results showed that fibers and natural particles had no effect on the specific growth rate, chlorophyll a content, and root length of duckweed, while a significant reduction in the latter was observed when duckweed was exposed to microbeads and tire wear particles. The percentage of adhered particles was ten times higher for polyethylene microbeads than for other microplastics and natural particles, suggesting that the adhesion of polyethylene microbeads to duckweed is specific. Because the majority of microplastics in freshwaters are made of polyethylene, the use of duckweed for their biomonitoring could provide important information on microplastic pollution in freshwaters.

Low-energy lightweight aggregates by cold bonding of biomass wastes: Effects of raw material proportion adjustments on product properties

• Lightweight aggregates can be produced by cold-bonding of sawdust and wood ashes. • Wood dust particles (<100 μm) significantly degrade the quality of the cold-bonded aggregate. • Adding Portland cement to coat the particles as a final step in cold-bonding does not improve aggregate properties. • Alternative, low embodied energy binders are required to obtain environmental benefits from cold-bonded aggregates. The reported research explored the feasibility of cold bonding as a method to produce low-embodied-energy lightweight aggregates from locally available biomass wastes (wood sawdust and ashes) and cement, using response surface methodology to model the effect of raw material proportions on the properties of the product. The empirical exploration comprised the particle size distribution, saturated surface dry and oven dry density, water absorption capacity, drying shrinkage, short- (7 days) and long-term (70-days) particle crushing strength, and strength variability of the pellets. Aggregates with particle densities below 1.850 g/cm 3 and crushing strengths above 1.5 MPa (comparable to expanded clay aggregates) were obtained. In the experimental region explored, increasing sawdust contents to decrease aggregate density negatively affected all the other aggregate properties tested. However, the negative impact was strongly reduced by increasing the ratio of coarse particles in the sawdust. Intermixing cement in the raw material mixture – as opposed to adding it as a coating to the already formed pellets – resulted in better formed, smaller, and stronger pellets, and reduced strength variability. The response model obtained was validated and used to optimize aggregate properties with the specific set of raw materials and production methods studied.

White Blood Cell Count and Serum Cytokine Profile in Tropical Hardwood Workers in Kumasi.

Background Occupational exposure to wood dust particles has long been reported of its associated varying degrees of negative health effects due to different extractive chemicals present in the various timber species. However, tropical hardwood is also reported to have higher levels of extractive chemicals of antihistamine, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. In Ghana, woodworkers have for years been exposed to wood dust from mixed tropical hardwood species, with little or no protective equipment such as nose masks, yet with less significant respiratory conditions. This study seeks to investigate the serum cytokine profile in tropical hardwood workers in Kumasi to provide a better understanding of the immunoregulatory pattern activated in the woodworkers. Method The study was carried out among woodworkers, teachers, and security men located in Kumasi. A cross-sectional sampling of adult male workers was selected to participate in the study (86 woodworkers and 89 nonwoodworkers). Participants donated blood collected by venepuncture into EDTA tubes and spun to separate serum for cytokine assay. Cytokines including IFN-gamma, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, and IL-17 were assayed using the Human Premixed Multianalyte Kit (R&D System, Inc., Minneapolis, USA) following the manufacturer's procedure. The cytokine levels were quantified using the Luminex∗200 analyser. Results The mean concentration levels for the various cytokines were significantly different (p < 0.05) between woodworkers and nonwoodworkers except IL-2. There were significantly increased levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines expressed in the woodworkers more than the nonwoodworkers. Conclusions The results from this study reveal that exposed woodworkers of mixed tropical hardwood species show a high level of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in their serum than nonwoodworkers.

Fire Parameters of Spruce (Picea abies Karst. (L.)) Dust Layer from Different Wood Technologies Slovak Case Study

The issue of the formation of wood dust particles in the work environment is still an actual topic in terms of its impact on employee health and the risk of fire or explosion in a woodworking operation. This article deals with the characteristics of spruce dust (Picea abies Karst. (L.)), which was taken from several types of wood technology. Experimental samples of spruce dust were taken from four types of sawing technologies, including grinding, briquetting and from the suction device container. The physical parameters of the samples taken were monitored and the particle size analysis was determined. The granulometric composition of the samples is significantly different. The sample of spruce wood dust from sawing has the most numerous fraction (250 µm), while the sample from grinding has the most numerous fraction 63–250 µm (87%).The aim of the paper was to monitor the minimum ignition temperature of the settled spruce dust layer and to look for a significant dependence of the minimum ignition temperature and ignition time on the type of spruce dust sample. A significant dependence was not confirmed. Significant moisture dependence of the samples was confirmed; the highest humidity was observed in the container, the lowest in sawing.

Sorption and diffusion properties of untreated and thermally modified beech wood dust

Dynamic water vapor sorption experiments were carried out using beech wood dust (from untreated and thermally modified wood) of two-particle sizes, (< 25 and 80–250 µm), obtained from abrasive sanding. Sorption isotherms were parameterized with the GAB and GDW models. Dust from thermally modified wood had significantly lower equilibrium moisture content compared to dust from untreated material, due to the reduction in primary sorption sites in treated material. The observed changes were quantified by the coefficients of the GAB and GDW models. Thermal modification and size of wood dust particles had no influence on binding energy of water molecules being linked to the secondary sorption sites. Water diffusivity decreased significantly with increasing moisture content, but only for monolayer sorption. For higher moisture content values, water diffusivity was practically independent of moisture content. These results were found for untreated and thermally modified material as well as for both dust size fractions. The influence of thermal modification on water diffusivity was unclear, which is attributed to the diffusion model, which represents dust particles as spheres and assumes instant hygroscopic equilibrium. Overall, this study indicates that the effectiveness of filtration processes likely depends strongly on sorption and diffusion properties of wood dust only at low moisture contents within the hygroscopic range.

Evaluation of Marblewood Dust’s (Marmaroxylon racemosum) Effect on Ignition Risk

The paper deals with the selected characteristics, such as moisture, average bulk density, and fraction size, of tropical marblewood dust (Marmaroxylon racemosum) that influence its ignition risk. Research was focused on sieve analysis, granulometric analysis, measurement of moisture level in the dust, and determination of the minimum ignition temperatures of airborne tropical dust and dust layers. Samples were prepared using a Makita 9556CR 1400W grinder and K36 sandpaper for the purpose of selecting the percentages of the various fractions (&lt;63, 63, 71, 100, 200, 315, 500 μm). The samples were sized on an automatic vibratory sieve machine Retsch AS 200. More than 65% of the particles were determined to be under 100 μm. The focus was on microfractions of tropical wood dust (particles with a diameter of ≤100 µm) and on the impact assessment of particle size (particle size &lt; 100 µm) on the minimum ignition temperatures of airborne tropical dust and dust layers. The minimum ignition temperature of airborne marblewood dust decreased with the particle size to the level of 400 °C (particle size 63 μm).

Influence of Grit Size and Wood Species on the Granularity of Dust Particles during Sanding

Wood dust poses a threat to the health of employees and the risk of explosion and fire, accelerates the wear of machines, worsens the quality of processing, and requires large financial outlays for its removal. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which the grit size of sandpaper influences the size of the wood dust particles and the proportion of the finest particles which, when dispersed in the air, may constitute the respirable fraction. Six species of hardwood (beech, oak, ash, hornbeam, alder, and walnut), and three species of softwood (larch, pine, and spruce) were used in the research. While sanding the samples under the established laboratory conditions, the following were measured for two types of sandpapers (grit sizes P60 and P180): mean arithmetic particle size of dust and finest dust particles content (&lt;10 µm). Based on the obtained results, we found that the largest dust particle sizes were obtained for alder, pine, and spruce; the smallest size of dust particles during sanding with both sandpapers was obtained for beech, hornbeam, oak, ash, larch, and walnut. The mean arithmetic particle sizes ranged from 327.98 µm for pine to 104.23 µm for hornbeam. The mean particle size of the dust obtained with P60 granulation paper was 1.4 times larger than that of the dust obtained with P180 granulation sandpaper. The content of the finest dust particles ranged from 0.21% for pine (P60 sandpaper) to 12.58% for beech (P180 sandpaper).The type of wood (hardwood or softwood) has a significant influence on the particle size and the content of the finest dust fraction.

Mechanical Characterization of Hybrid Polymer SiC Nano Composite Using Hybrid RSM-MOORA-Whale Optimization Algorithm

Colossal materials do not provide a wide range of applications due to their mechanical property limitations. Fiber reinforced polymer composites are now considered as an important class of engineering materials. The processing and mechanical characterization of a new class of multi-phase composites consisting of polyester resin reinforced with jute-glass-silk fiber. This research investigation deals with mechanical properties of hybrid polymer composite. Woven palm fiber, teak wood dust and SiC Nano particles have been used for fabrication of the composites. Experiments have been planned as per Response Surface Method. After preparing the composite material by hand layup technique and then the mechanical characterizations are performed. Multi-response optimization has been carried out using Multi objective optimization on the basis of the ratio analysis method (MOORA) and Whale Optimization Algorithm. Optimal results have been verified through confirmatory experiments. Based on the experimental observations density, flexural and Ultimate Tensile Strength, it is concluded that teak wood powder influences the mechanical properties more than that of other two reinforcements but Nano particle filled composites shows better properties.

Influence of wood dust fillers on the mechanical, thermal, water absorption and biodegradation characteristics of jute fiber epoxy composites

The present work deals with the influence of wood dust namely Rosewood and Padauk in the jute fiber-based epoxy composites. The work involves the fabrication of four different laminates of jute-epoxy composites using hand layup process with varying proportions of Rosewood and Padauk wood dust fillers compared with the composite in the absence of filler. The characterization of the mechanical and thermal properties was carried out by tensile, compression, flexural, shore D hardness, impact and thermogravimetric analysis as per ASTM. It is inferred from the test results that the mechanical properties got enhanced by the fine distribution of Padauk wood dust particles by improved adhesion with the matrix. The coarse structure of Rosewood dust over the composite improved thermal stability. Scanning Electron Microscopy was utilized to study the fractured interfaces of the mechanically tested composites. Furthermore, the developed composites affinity towards moisture and biodegradation were studied using water adsorption and biodegradability tests.

Mechanical Behaviour of Coir and Wood Dust Particulate Reinforced Hybrid Polymer Composites

Nowadays polymer composites are emerged material which is used for extensive variety of applications because of their exclusive and beautiful characters. They have high durability, high strength-to-weight ratio and abrasion resistance. In this study the mechanical characteristics of coir and wood dust particle reinforced polyester composites using hand layup process were analyzed. The prepared composites were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope and also the mechanical behaviors such as tensile strength and flexural strength were estimated using computerized testing machine.

Wood dust granular analysis in the sanding process of thermally modified wood versus its density

This paper aimed to define the density fluctuations of thermally modified wood. This was achieved by the granular analysis of wood dust. The wood dust was acquired by sanding completed using a narrow belt sander. The samples were taken from spruce, oak, and meranti wood types that were thermally modified at temperatures of 160 °C, 180 °C, 200 °C, and 220 °C. The results showed the shares of ≤ 0.08 mm wood dust particles and how their share was related to the temperature treatment; residue curves manifested the wood dust stratification in individual sieves and their density. The shares and densities of the wood dust were statistically analysed, and the statistical significance of the analysed values was calculated. An increased temperature decreased the wood density and decreased the share of the ≤ 0.08 mm wood dust particles. The wood dust shares in the 0.032-mm sieve and at the bottom (the finest particles) of the sieving machine also decreased; however, the share increased in the 0.125-mm sieve.

Effects of Aspergillus niger on some Physical Properties of Composites Produced from Transparent Low Density Polyethylene Films/Iroko Wood Dust Particles

Effects of Aspergillus niger on some Physical Properties of Composites Produced from Transparent Low Density Polyethylene Films/Iroko Wood Dust Particles

Investigations for magnetic properties of PLA-PVC-Fe3O4-wood dust blend for self-assembly applications

The use of ferro/ferri/paramagnetic materials for self-assembly is quite common, but the use of superparamagnetic materials has not been explored for such applications. In the present study, polylactic acid (PLA) matrix has been reinforced with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wood dust, and Fe3O4 particles (as superparamagnetic material) with twin screw extrusion (TSE) for the preparation of fused deposition modeling feedstock filament. The filament was tested for magnetic and mechanical properties whose results were analyzed and optimized for TSE parameters, and the regression model was used to find the effect of input parameters. The results of study suggest that the proportion as PLA 52.5 wt%, Fe3O4 25 wt%, PVC 15 wt%, and wood dust 7.5 wt% with TSE torque of 0.12 Nm, screw temperature of 165°C, and load of 5 kg are the optimized condition for the magnetization property. From vibration sample magnetometer analysis, it has been observed that all the samples having Fe3O4 in the matrix are of superparamagnetic character. Further, the magnetic and mechanical properties are not in correlation with each other for the blended samples which were counter verified by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis.

Effects of Addition of Prosopis Juliflora Fiber on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Wood Dust and Coir Pith Particle Reinforced Phenol Formaldehyde Hybrid Composite

In this study, Wood Dust (WD)/Phenol Formaldehyde (PF) and Coir Pith (CP)/PF composites were hybridized with the Prosopis Juliflora Fiber (PJF) to obtain the hybrid composites. Composites were prepared by hand moulding technique. The weight percentage of particles and fibers are fixed in the ratio of 1:1. Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strengths were evaluated as a function of the particle and fiber loadings. The results show that the properties of both the WD and CP composites obviously improved by the addition of the PJF. The improvement in WD/PF composites was obviously higher than the CP/PF composites for all loadings. The WD/PJF/PF hybrid composites exhibited better tensile (strength of 48.9 MPA and modulus of 1262.1 MPa, respectively), flexural (strength of 55.4 MPa and modulus of 1344.3 MPa, respectively), and impact properties (1.32 KJ/m2).Â