Physicochemical and Thermal Properties of Some Key Tropical Sawdust Woods for Energy Production

In South Saharan countries, 85% of the population uses biomass as a primary energy source. Cameroon presents one of the highest biomass energy and sawmills produce important sawdust resources which are not used and are burnt in piles leading to significant air toxic emissions. Therefore, we have to valorize industrially these available sawdusts. This study focuses on the physicochemical and thermochemical analysis of Ayous, Sapelli and Tali sawdust. The proximate and ultimate analysis, particle size, structural composition, as well as heavy metal content and calorific value were determined. In addition, the thermogravimetric mass losses were also estimated. The results showed that high water contents (24% - 41%) were recorded in the raw sawdust, and the thermal treatment reduced these contents from 78% to values in the range of 4% - 9%. The values for ash and volatile matter content were respectively between 0.25% - 0.74% and 68% - 76%. The LHV is higher in Ayous (17.5 MJ/kg) and Sapelli (16.8 MJ/kg) than that of Tali (15.7 MJ/kg). The concentration of heavy metals is very low in each species. Extractives are more present in Tali (16.06%) than in the other sawdusts. Pyrolysis of sawdust shows the typical decomposition of hemicellulose (270˚C - 325˚C), cellulose (325˚C - 400˚C) and lignin (200˚C - 550˚C) with a maximum loss of 75% at 370˚C and the melting point is 320˚C. The results of the sawdust parameters determined in the paper can be valorized to reduce pollutants emissions by developing the efficiency and effectiveness of biomass energy processes and promoting the use of biomass as a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

Physico-Mechanical Characteristics of Earth Bricks Stabilized with Cement and Padouk Sawdust Residues

The objective of this work is to improve the physical and mechanical properties of stabilized earth blocks (BTC) used in construction in the Ndé department of Cameroon. To achieve this, two stabilizers, cement and sawdust, were used at varying percentages of 0%, 4%, 6%, and 8%. Physical characterization tests, including natural water content, specific weight, jar test, Protor, and Atterberg limits, were conducted. Additionally, mechanical tests, such as compression and three-point bending, were performed. The results show that as the amount of stabilizer increases, the density of BTC decreases. The samples with 8% sawdust have the highest density, while those without stabilizers have the lowest. Porosity decreases as sawdust and cement content increases, with smaller values observed in samples with 8% sawdust or cement. Our tests indicate that blocks stabilized with cement have slightly higher compressive strength than those stabilized with sawdust. However, the water absorption rate increases with higher sawdust content.

Optimization of Cellulose Nanocrystal Isolation from Ayous Sawdust Using Response Surface Methodology

This study focuses on the extraction of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), derived from Ayous sawdust. The process involves multiple steps and a large amount of chemical products. The objective of this research was to determine the effects of factors that impact the isolation process and to identify the optimal conditions for CNC isolation by using the response surface methodology. The factors that varied during the process were the quantity of MCC, the concentration of sulfuric acid, the hydrolysis time and temperature, and the ultrasonic treatment time. The response measured was the yield. The study found that with 5.80 g of microcrystalline cellulose, a sulfuric acid concentration of 63.50% (w/w), a hydrolysis time of 53 minutes, a hydrolysis temperature of 69˚C, and a sonication time of 19 minutes are the ideal conditions for isolation. The experimental yield achieved was (37.84 ± 0.99) %. The main factors influencing the process were the sulfuric acid concentration, hydrolysis time and temperature, with a significant influence (p < 0.05). Infrared characterization results showed that nanocrystals were indeed isolated. With a crystallinity of 35.23 and 79.74, respectively, for Ayous wood fiber and nanocrystalline cellulose were observed by X-ray diffraction, with the formation of type II cellulose, thermodynamically more stable than native cellulose type I.

Experimental Study of the Influence of Intrinsic Parameters on the Thermal Reactivity of Sawdust, Polyethylene Terephthalate and Composite

Several works have been based on the study of thermal variations in biomass to derive more valuable products such as fuels capable of replacing oil in the event of a crisis or activated carbon used as an adsorbent material, widely used in industry for the elimination of unwanted materials, both in liquid and gaseous environments. A study of thermal parameters such as: heating speed, retention time, drying temperature, carbonization temperature, particle size, was carried out with the aim of determining the characteristic factors of the carbonization of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), sawdust (SC) and sawdust/polyethylene terephthalate (CPS) mixture. The results of the immediate analysis revealed a very low level of ash in PET (0.013%) compared to the level of ash in sawdust (2.9%), as well as a high level of fixed carbon (82.960%), which suggests the presence of mineral oxides and a significant carbon matrix unlike PET, which indicates a very significant organic matrix (essentially made up of organic matter) with the absence of mineral oxides. The study of thermal parameters showed the water loss from Sawdust (SC) and the Sawdust/Polyethylene terephthalate (CPS) mixture, an increase with temperature, unlike that of PET whose variation is essentially zero. Without heat treatment, sawdust alone contains approximately 7% water. The optimal drying temperature for this study is 110˚C for a stay of 24 hours. It appears that the largest mass losses for the PET samples are between 87.19% and 96.05%, followed by that of the mixture, between 47.33% and 64.37%. And the lowest are observed, those of sawdust (from 24.02% to 62.6%). However, here we can say that the influence of the mass is not great, given the slight difference between the losses by temperature. The results of the study of the influence of grain size showed that the differences are insignificant, even if we vary the diameter of the grains from simple to triple. To better minimize physical constraints such as the intragranular diffusibility of the volatile matter and the homogeneity of the temperature in the grains, 75 μm particles are found to be optimal for our study. It can be noted when studying the heating rate that the mass loss at the end of the reaction is approximately the same depending on each precursor material. However, it has been demonstrated that the heating rate strongly influences the nature of the reaction products both for volatile materials and for the solid residue as well as on the kinetic parameters of the chemical reaction. Furthermore, the variation in apparent density shows a decrease as a function of the increase in the residence time of the materials in the reactor. As the carbonization time increases, the apparent density decreases. We note, for the lignocellulosic material, that the apparent density stabilizes after 60 minutes.

Effect of acid-associated mechanical pretreatment on the hydrolysis behavior of pine sawdust in subcritical water

The effects of sulfuric acid-associated mechanical pretreatment on the hydrolysis behavior of pine sawdust were investigated in this study.Sulfuric acid could act as an acidic catalyst to depolymerize holocellulose through cleavage of the glycosidic bonds,the dissociation energies of which were supplied by the impact of a ball on pine sawdust,during milling.The destruction of glycosidic and hydrogen bonds in pine sawdust resulted in a decrease of crystallinity and an increase of water solubility.The sulfuric acid could promote the hydrolysis of holocellulose and its hydrolysis products.It also destroyed the chemical linkages between holocellulose and lignin during ball milling.The cleavage of chemical linkages with holocellulose made lignin more difficult to hydrolyze in subcritical water,and higher activation energy was needed to hydrolyze pretreated pine sawdust at higher reaction temperatures.It also led to the formation of glucose char and aromatic-linked polymer char from the hydrolysis products of holocellulose.

Kinetics and equilibrium adsorption of copper(Ⅱ) and nickel(Ⅱ) ions from aqueous solution using sawdust xanthate modified with ethanediamine

Sawdust xanthate modified with ethanediamine was used for the removal of Cu（Ⅱ） and Ni（Ⅱ） from aqueous solution. The influence of various operating parameters such temperature and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption isotherms of modified sawdust was investigated. Thermodynamic parameters, namely Gibbs free energy （△GΘ）, enthalpy （△HΘ） and entropy （△SΘ） of Cu（Ⅱ） and Ni（Ⅱ） adsorption process were calculated, showing that the adsorption is a spontaneous and exothermic process. The modified extended Langmuir equation approaches provide excellent prediction of the binary adsorption. In single and binary systems, the overall adsorption data were best described by the pseudo-second order kinetic model, then the calculated values of activation energy of Cu（Ⅱ） and Ni（Ⅱ） adsorption process were 59.12 and 55.92 kJ/mol respectively. The results show that the affinity of each metal ion onto the modified sawdust surface is influenced by the presence of the other one.

Removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution by sawdust adsorption

The adsorption of lead, cadmium and nicel from aqueous solution by sawdust of walnut was investigated. The effect of contact time, initial metal ion concentration and temperature on metal ions removal has been studied. The equilibrium time was found to be of the order of 60 min. Kinetics fit pseudo first-order, second-order and intraparticle diffusion models, hence adsorption rate constants were calculated. The adsorption data of metal ions at temperatures of 25, 45 and 60~C have been described by the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. The thermodynamic parameters such as energy, entropy and enthalpy changes for the adsorption of heavy metal ions have also been computed and discussed. Ion exchange is probably one of the major adsorption mechanisms for binding divalent metal ions to the walnut sawdust. The selectivity order of the adsorbent is Pb（I1）~Cd（II）〉Ni（I1）. From these results, it can be concluded that the sawdust of walnut could be a good adsorbent for the metal ions from aqueous solutions.

Pyrolysis of rice husk and sawdust for liquid fuel

The paper is focused on studying how to convert rice husk and sawdust into liquid fuel. Rice husk, sawdust and their mixture were pyrolyzed at the temperature between 420℃ and 540℃, and the main product of liquid fuel was obtained. The experimental result showed that the yield of liquid fuel heavily depended on the kind of feedstock and pyrolysis temperature. In the experiments, the maximum liquid yields for rice husk, sawdust and their mixture were 56% at 465 ℃, 61% at 490℃ and 60% at 475℃ respectively. Analysis with GC-MS and other apparatus indicated that the liquid fuel is a complicated organic compound with low caloric value and can be directly used as fuel oil without any up-grading. As a crude oil, the liquid fuel can be refined to be vehicle oil.

Characteristics of activated carbon prepared from Chinese fir sawdust by zinc chloride activation under vacuum condition

The preparation of activated carbon from Chinese fir sawdust by zinc chloride activation under both nitrogen atmosphere and vacuum conditions was carded out in a self-manufactured vacuum pyrolysis reactor. The effects of the system pressure and the activation condition （nitrogen or vacuum） on pore development were investigated. The results show that both high quality activated carbon and high added-value bio-oil can be obtained simultaneously via vacuum chemical activation. The characteristics of the activated carbons produced under vacuum conditions are better than those prepared under nitrogen atmosphere. The performance parameters of the activated carbon obtained under vacuum conditions are as follows： the pore size distribution is mainly microporous, the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET） surface area is 1 070.59 m^2/g, the microporous volume is 0.502 4 cm^3/g, the average pore size is 2.085 nm, and the iodine adsorption value and the methylene blue adsorption value are 1 142.92 and 131.34 mg/g, respectively. The activated carbon from vacuum chemical activation has developed micropores, and the N2 adsorption equilibrium constant of the corresponding activated carbon gradually increases with the decrease of reaction system pressure.

Reductive leaching of manganese from low-grade pyrolusite ore in sulfuric acid using pyrolysis-pretreated sawdust as a reductant

Manganese （Mn） leaching and recovery from low-grade pyrolusite ore were studied using sulfiaric acid （H2SO4） as a leachant and pyrolysis-pretreated sawdust as a reductant. The effects of the dosage of pyrolysis-pretreated sawdust to pyrolusite ore, the concentration of sulfuric acid, the liquid/solid ratio, the leaching temperature, and the leaching time on manganese and iron leaching efficiencies were inves- tigated. Analysis of manganese and iron leaching efficiencies revealed that a high manganese leaching efficiency was achieved with low iron extraction. The optimal leaching efficiency was determined to be 20wt% pyrolysis-pretreated sawdust and 3.0 mol/L H2SO4 using a liq- uid/solid ratio of 6.0 mL/g for 90min at 90℃. Other low-grade pyrolusite ores were tested, and the results showed that they responded well with manganese leaching efficiencies greater than 98%.

Effects of sawdust soil amendment on the soil, growth and yield of Solanum esculentum Linn. in waste engine oil-polluted soil

This study investigated the effects of sawdust as a soil amendment on certain growth parameters of Solanum esculentum Linn. grown in soil polluted with various concentrations of waste engine oil, and changes in the physicochemical proper- ties of the soil. The purpose was to assess the soil remediation potentials of sawdust in waste engine oil-polluted soil. The experiment was divided into three regimes： control （air-dried soil without waste engine oil and with clean sawdust）, pol- luted （waste engine oil-contaminated soil）, and amended （oil-polluted soil amended with sawdust）. Enough 3-kg soil samples were sieved and air-dried to prepare five treatment levels of waste engine oil-contaminated soil （30 mL, 1%; 60 mL, 2%; 90 mL, 3%; 120 mL, 4%; and 150 mL, 5%）, as well as five additional treatment levels （the same amounts ofoil contamination） in soil amended with sawdust. The treatment levels were replicated five times in a completely randomized design. A nursery bed was planted with a hybrid tomato variety （Roma V F） obtained from National Horticultural Research Institute （NIHORT） in Ibadan, Nigeria. During the maturation period, the growth parameters such as plant height, number of leaves, and number of branches per plant were determined and then the harvested plants were oven dried at 70 ℃for 48 hours to determine their dry weights. The effects of the sawdust amendment on the soil were assessed by determining the soil pH （glass electrode pH meter）, total nitrogen （Kjeldahl method）, total phosphorus （Bray-1 solution）, and potassium （on the leacheate by a flame photometer）. Chromium, lead, and cadmium contents were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Analysis of variance and a Duncan multiple-range test were employed to test significant differences in the soil properties of the three regimes. The growth performance ofSolanum esculentum Linn. in the amended regime （soil with sawdust） at the 150-mL waste engine oil-contamination level was significantly higher than in the polluted regime （soil without sawdust）. After plant harvest, the pH of the soil was shown to be clearly affected by the addition of waste engine oil. The control soil （air-dried only, no sawdust, no oil） had the highest pH value, 6.60, which was significantly different from the pH values at other levels of waste engine oil contamination. However, when amended with sawdust, the control soil had a significantly lower pH value than the unamended control soil. This study further demonstrates that sawdust has the potential of amending waste engine oil-contaminated soil for increasing tomato growth performance because it is capable of increasing the soil nutrient content and reducing the soil total hydrocarbon content.

Bioadsorption of Cd (II) from Contaminated Water on Treated Sawdust: Adsorption Mechanism and Optimization

Sawdust (SD) a very low cost material has been utilized as adsorbent material for the removal of Cd (II) from aqueous solutions after treatment with mono methylol urea (MMU) in the presence of zinc chloride as a catalyst to form MMU-SD. The reaction of MMU-SD was carried out under different conditions including MMU/SD molar ratio, catalyst concentration, and reaction time and temperature. Adsorption studies have been carried out to determine the effect of agitation time, pH, adsorbent and adsorbate concentrations on the adsorption capacity of Cd (II) ions onto MMU-SD. Langmuir, Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson isotherm models were applied in the adsorption studies. The experimental data were analyzed using various sorption kinetic models. The removal processes of Cd (II) onto MMU-SD particles could be well described by the pseudo-second order model. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cd(II) onto MMU-SD was 909 mg/g. Similarly, the Freundlich constant 1/n value was 0.45.

Application Status and Prospect of <i>Pinus massoniana</i>Sawdust as the Substrate for the Cultivation of Edible Fungi

In this paper, the research status of using Pinus massoniana sawdust for the cultivation of edible fungi was analyzed and discussed. It was found that Pinus massoniana sawdust contained the material base of edible fungi with sufficient cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin and a small amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, other mineral salts, and some vitamins for the growth of edible fungi. However, the Pinus massoniana wood contained a significant amount of terpenoids, which are detrimental to the growth of edible fungus and mycelial. The major and current detoxification methods for Pinus massoniana sawdust were analyzed, such as steaming method, distillation method, lime water immersion method, outdoor piling fermentation method, and chemical method. Their advantages and disadvantages were discussed and reviewed. Finally, the major issues in the application of Pinus massoniana sawdust as the cultivation substrate of edible fungi were analyzed, and the application prospect of Pinus massoniana sawdust as the substrate for the cultivation of edible fungi was also reviewed.

The Effects of Firing Temperatures on the Performance of Insulating Firebricks Containing Different Proportions of Alumina and Sawdust

This work studied the effects of firing temperatures on the refractory properties of insulating firebricks produced from a blend of hydrometallurgically purified clay, high alumina cement and sawdust. Twenty grams out of a bulk (1000 Kg) of clay obtained from Ipetumodu in Nigeria was analyzed for size range, consequent upon which the remaining bulk was sieved to 100 μm, being the average size. The bulk was there after leached under a predetermined condition (1.6 mol/dm3 of oxalic acid at 70oC for 150 min and 200 rev/min agitation speed) and cylindrical samples (5 cm diameter by 5 cm high) containing different quantities of high alumina cement (5% - 20%) and sawdust (1% - 5%) were prepared, dried at 110oC and subsequently fired at 900oC, 1100oC, 1300oC and 1500oC, at the rate of 4oC/min and soaked for 2 hrs. These samples were subjected to different refractory tests (permanent linear change, modulus of rupture, bulk density, cold crushing strength and apparent porosity). Even though samples containing more than 20% alumina crumbled at elevated temperatures, it was still observed that the bricks performed to expectations at lower alumina contents, even at 1500oC. The sample containing 3% sawdust and 10% alumina cement however, gave the desired requirement for preparing good insulating firebricks with reliable phase integrity, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Relationship between Physico-Mechanical Properties, Compacting Pressure and Mixing Proportion of Briquettes Produced from Maize Cobs and Sawdust

This study examined the relationship between selected physico-mechanical properties, compacting pressure and mixing proportion of briquettes produced from combination of maize cob particles and sawdust of low, medium and high density timber species. Particle sizes of maize cobs and sawdust used for the study were ≤1 mm. The two materials were combined at mixing percentages of 90:10, 70:30 and 50:50 (Sawdust:maize cobs). Briquettes were produced at room temperature (28°C) using compacting pressures 20, 30, 40 and 50 MPa. The results suggested that combining maize cob particles with sawdust of low, medium and high density wood species could significantly enhance the relaxed density, compressive strength in cleft and impact resistance index of briquettes produced from agricultural biomass residue like maize cobs. The results further indicated that the physical and mechanical characteristics of briquettes produced from combinations of sawdust of low density species and maize cobs were exceptionally higher than that produced from combinations of maize cob particles, and medium density and high density timber species. The R2 values for the regression model between the independent variables (mixing percentage and compacting pressure) and relaxed density, compressive strength in cleft and impact resistance index of briquettes produced from combinations of maize cob particles and sawdust of low density species (Ceiba pentandra) were 0.966, 0.932 and 0.710 respectively. This study provides a hope for briquetting maize cobs at room temperature using a low compacting pressure.

Sawdust Short Fiber Reinforced Epoxidized Natural Rubber: Insight on Its Mechanical, Physical, and Thermal Aspects

In this work,Epoxidized natural rubber/sawdust short fiber(ENR-50/SD)composites at different fiber content(5,10,15 and 20 phr)and size(fine size at 60–100μm and coarse size at 10–20 mm)were prepared using two-roll mill and electrical-hydraulic hot press machine respectively.Curing characteristics,water uptake,tensile,morphological,physical,and thermal properties of the composites were investigated.Results indicated that the scorch time and cure time became shorter whereas torque improved as SD content increase.Though the decline of tensile strength and elongation at break values,modulus,hardness and crosslinking density have shown enhancements with the increasing of SD content.The water uptake percentage of all samples has shown an increasing as SD content increase.However,the low SD content,particularly fine size have presented lower water uptake.The temperature of weight%loss(5 and 50 wt%loss)of 5 phr SD(low content)have recorded higher temperature compared to 20 phr SD(high content)in the rubber composites,which indicated higher thermal stability.The fine size of SD has recorded better overall properties than SD coarse size at same loading in the rubber composites.

Engineering Characteristics and Potential Increased Utilisation of Sawdust Composites in Construction—A Review

Many timber producing countries generate more than 2 million m3 of sawdust annually. In developing countries, sawdust is often disposed of by open dumping, open burning, or dumping in landfills. This poses huge environmental challenges related to air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and destruction of plant and aquatic life. Findings from this review article reveal that sawdust can be used to make sawdust construction composites with good modulus of elasticity, water absorption and strength characteristics that satisfy international specifications. These composites include particleboards, sawdust concrete blocks or bricks and sawdust concrete. The article concludes that partially replacing 5% to 17% of sand with sawdust, or replacing cement with sawdust ash in proportions of 5% to 15% in concrete mixes can produce structural concrete with compressive strengths greater than 20 MPa. Partially replacing 10% to 30% of sand used in the manufacture blocks and bricks with sawdust can also produce sawdust bricks and blocks with compressive strengths greater than 3 MPa. Sawdust composites are also attractive for their low thermal conductivity, high sound absorption and good sound insulation characteristics. These findings indicate that increased utilisation of sawdust composites in construction will mitigate against potential sawdust environmental pollution, conserve energy and reduce disposal costs.

Thermodynamics and Adsorption Efficiencies of Maize Cob and Sawdust for the Remediation of Toxic Metals from Wastewater

The thermodynamics and sorption efficiencies for the remediation of Cr, Ni and Cd from their aqueous solutions using Maize Cob (MC) and Sawdust (SD) in a batch system are reported. Efficiencies were judged based on parameters such as sorbent weight, initial adsorbate loading concentration, pH and surface area. Shimadzu AA650 Double Beam Atomic Absorption/Flame spectrophotometer was employed to study concentration differences before and after the adsorption process. Parameters such as ΔH, ΔS and ΔG were determined. On MC, ΔH varied as 1466.59, 1271.21 and 1347.70kJmol-1 for Cr, Ni and Cd respectively. While on SD it varied as -566.85, 256.32 and 888.77kJmol-1respectively for the same order of metal ions. The three ions were found to be chemisorbed onto MC, while on SD Cr and Ni were physisorbed and Cd remains chemisorbed as suggested by Freundlich isotherm.

Potential Utilization of Sawdust in Energy, Manufacturing and Agricultural Industry;Waste to Wealth

Sawdust which is basically considered as?a timber-industrial waste?that pollutes the environment can become a valuable commodity which is considered in three ways: Manufacturing, Energy and Agricultural utilization. The sawdust is burnt in an updraft gasifier under a limited supply of air to obtain?producer gas which is carbon II oxide and hydrogen as main components. The sawdust and other biomass materials are mixed in certain proportions, then bound together and palletized to a small blocks called briquettes. The material?was also considered to be composted by mixing it with animal digestion or?wood ashes and calcium carbonate to form fertilizers. The sawdust and wood shavings can be used for particle board as well as oil production.

Treated Tropical Wood Sawdust-Polypropylene Polymer Composite: Mechanical and Morphological Study

In this research, composites based on treated tropical sawdust and polypropylene (PP) were prepared using hot press molding machine. Raw sawdust was chemically treated with monomer, 2 - ethylhexyl methacrylate in order to improve the mechanical properties of the composites. The influence of the chemically treated sawdust on the physical and mechanical properties of sawdust-PP composites were investigated at various loading level from 10 wt.% up to 30 wt.%. Results indicate that the mechanical properties of the chemically treated sawdust–PP composites were found to be higher than those of the raw ones respectively. The surface morphology obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that raw sawdust–PP composites possess surface roughness and weak interfacial adhesion between the matrix and the filler while the chemically treated one showed improved filler–matrix interaction. This indicates that better dispersion of the filler with the PP matrix has occurred upon chemical treatment of the filler. Water absorption tests showed that composites prepared from the chemically treated sawdust absorb lower amount of water compared to the ones prepared from raw sawdust, suggesting that hydrophilic nature of the cellulose in the sawdust has significantly decreased upon chemical treatment.