Preparation and Properties Study of Wood-Based Cushioning Materials.

Traditional cushioning package materials, such as Expended Polystyrene (EPS) and Expanded Polyethylene (EPE), were made with petroleum-based plastics, which are harmful to the environment. It is crucial to develop renewable bio-based cushioning materials that can replace the aforementioned foams due to the rising energy demands of human society and the depletion of fossil fuels. Herein, we report an effective strategy for creating anisotropic elastic wood with special spring-like lamellar structures.

Stepwise separation of poplar wood in oxalic acid/water and γ-valerolactone/water systems.

A cost-efficient methodology was developed for a two-step removal of hemicellulose from lignocellulosic biomass, thereby yielding C5 sugars, further separated residue, and high purity cellulose as well as lignin. In the first step of the process, an oxalic acid (OA)-assisted hydrolysis pretreatment was conducted for the selective decomposition of hemicellulose to C5 sugars. The optimized process conditions were as follows: temperature: 160 °C, OA concentration: 1%, holding time: 10 min.

Thermogravimetric investigation on the degradation properties and combustion performance of bio-oils.

The degradation properties and combustion performance of raw bio-oil, aged bio-oil, and bio-oil from torrefied wood were investigated through thermogravimetric analysis. A three-stage process was observed for the degradation of bio-oils, including devolatilization of the aqueous fraction and light compounds, transition of the heavy faction to solid, and combustion of carbonaceous residues. Pyrolysis kinetics parameters were calculated via the reaction order model and 3D-diffusion model, and combustion indexes were used to qualitatively evaluate the thermal profiles of tested bio-oils for comparison with commercial oils such as fuel oils.

[Analysis of pyrolysis process and gas evolution rule of larch wood by TG-FTIR].

The weight-loss character and gas evolution rule of larch wood at different heating rates were investigated by TG-FTIR (thermogravimetric analyzer coupled to a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer), and the results were compared with those of larch wood model-component mixture. The main weight-loss area of larch wood was wider than larch wood model-component mixture, and the residual char yield of larch wood (18.97%) was lower than larch wood model-component mixture (29.