Sustainable Drying and Torrefaction Processes of Miscanthus for Use as a Pelletized Solid Biofuel and Biocarbon-Carrier for Fertilizers.

Miscanthus is resistant to dry, frosty winters in Poland and most European Union countries. Miscanthus gives higher yields compared to native species. Farmers can produce Miscanthus pellets after drying it for their own heating purposes.

Acquisition of Torrefied Biomass from Jerusalem Artichoke Grown in a Closed Circular System Using Biogas Plant Waste.

The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of biogas plant waste on the physiological activity, growth, and yield of Jerusalem artichoke and the energetic usefulness of the biomass obtained in this way after the torrefaction process. The use of waste from corn grain biodigestion to methane as a biofertilizer, used alone or supplemented with Apol-humus and Stymjod, caused increased the physiological activity, growth, and yield of Jerusalem artichoke plants and can limit the application of chemical fertilizers, whose production and use in agriculture is harmful for the environment. The experiment, using different equipment, exhibited the high potential of Jerusalem artichoke fertilized by the methods elaborated as a carbonized solid biofuel after the torrefaction process.

Low-Temperature Plasma Modification of Styrene-Butadiene Block Copolymer Surfaces for Improved Adhesion-A Kinetic Approach.

This paper proposed a kinetic model that can describe the changes in the adhesion properties of styrene-butadiene (SBS) block copolymer surfaces under the influence of low-temperature plasma treatment. As a measure of these changes, the peel strength of joints formed between the copolymer surface and the polyurethane adhesive was chosen. Five types of low-temperature low-pressure RF plasma, two inert plasmas (Ar and He), and three reactive plasmas (O, CO, and CCl) were tested.

Effect of Carbon Black Nanofiller on Adhesion Properties of SBS Rubber Surfaces Treated by Low-Pressure Plasma.

Studies on the surface modification of commercial styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) rubber with different carbon black (CB) nanofiller content (10-80 parts per hundred parts of rubber (phr)) performed by low-pressure oxygen plasma are presented in this paper. The adhesion properties of the rubber were determined by the peel test for adhesive-bonded joints prepared with a water-based polyurethane (PU) adhesive. The chemical structure and morphology of the SBS rubber surface before and after plasma treatment were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively.