Potential of Thai Bast Fibers for Injection Molded PLA Composites

Thailand has a huge variability of bast fiber plants,some of which have been little researched regarding their applicability in composites.Bast fiber(bundle)s from different species were investigated and incorporated into a polylactide(PLA)matrix by injection molding.Hemp and kenaf were used as well-studied fibers,while roselle,Fryxell and paper mulberry are less extensively characterized.Tensile strength,tensile modulus and interfacial shear strength(IFSS)of single fiber(bundle)s were highest for hemp,followed by kenaf,roselle,Fryxell and paper mulberry.Despite the lower tensile strength and IFSS of paper mulberry,the highest tensile strength was achieved for the paper mulberry/PLA composite followed by hemp/PLA.Scanning electron microscope(SEM)analyses showed that the single cells in paper mulberry fiber bundles,in contrast to the other fiber types investigated,were only partially bonded to each other,which explains the lower strength of the fiber bundles.The higher aspect ratio of fiber(bundle)s of paper mulberry in the PLA composite can explain the good composite characteristics.Apart from hemp,paper mulberry shows the best reinforcing effect in the PLA matrix and offers interesting potential for composite applications.Compared to neat PLA,the tensile strength could be increased by 24%and the tensile modulus by 54%.

The Different Expressions of Draft Cherry Tomato Growth, Yield, Quality under Bamboo and Rice Husk Biochars Application to Clay Loamy Soil

This study evaluated the different expressions of cherry tomato growth, yield and quality under bamboo and rice husk biochar applications to soil. The experiment was conducted under glasshouse conditions at Hakozaki campus, Kyushu University, Japan and consisted of 5 treatments, namely 1) no biochar application as a control;2) 2% (RH2) and 3) 5% (RH5) of rice husk biochar;4) 2% (BB2) and 5) 5% (BB5) of bamboo biochar. Bamboo biochar application significantly improved tomato growth, including number of leaves, fresh biomass yield of aboveground and underground parts for BB5;number of fruit;fresh yield from 24% - 25% for BB2 and BB5. In particular, both bamboo and rice husk biochar application at two rates 2% and 5% had positive effects on tomato quality, demonstrated by the increased total sugar content from 56% to 91%, and the enhancement of ascorbic acid content for BB2 and RH2 by 12% and 17%, respectively. Those improvements reflected the soil physiochemical property changes after biochar application, including the increase in plant available water for bamboo biochar amendment before and after cultivating by 25% - 38% and 9% - 18%, respectively, compared with those of control;and the increased total soil N for bamboo biochar treatments (11% - 14%). Generally, all data above support bamboo biochar utilization for the purpose of improving soil properties and developing crop production.

Sequence-based genetic mapping of Ds-tagged insertions to characterize malting-related traits in barley

Among various functional genomics tools used to characterize genes in plants, transposonbased mutagenesis approaches offer great potential, especially in barley and wheat, which possess large genomes and in which genetic transformation is not routine. Two Ds transposon flanking sequences(TNPs), TNP-29(27.4 c M(centi Morgan)) and TNP-79(70.3 c M), were mapped in the vicinity of a malting quality QTL located on chromosome 4H of barley. Reactivation of the Ds transposon sequence from these TNP lines led to the identification of genes in the malting QTL regions. Several Ds(dissociation) lines were generated by crossing TNP-29 and TNP-79 with an Ac TPase(activator) expressing line(25-B), and F2 progenies were subsequently screened for Ds insertions at new locations. To further characterize these Ds mutants, we mapped the new Ds flanking sequences on a barley genetic map and found that 29% of Ds were located in regions associated with the malting QTL located on chromosome 4H and in close proximity to other important malting-associated QTL across the barley chromosome. Using a sequence based approach, a linkage map was generated that confirmed the position of Ds loci in the barley genome map. Locating these Ds loci on the barley map opens avenues to dissect important malting QTL for facilitating identification of candidate malting genes.

Quick Clay Development and Cation Composition of Pore Water in Marine Sediments from the Ariake Bay Area, Japan

By analyzing the cation composition of pore water in the soil samples of Ariake Bay sediments, the present study assesses the development of quick clay by leaching in both the original and seawater-saturated soil samples. Divalent cations were dominant in the pore water of the original soil sample, whereas Na+ was the major cation in that of the seawater-saturated soil sample. The cation proportion in the pore water for both soil samples remained the same after leaching. The difference in pore water cation composition between the original and seawater-saturated soil samples affected how their geotechnical properties changed through leaching. The undisturbed shear strength of both soil samples remained almost the same, but a large disparity between the soil samples was observed in the remolded shear strength: it remained almost the same in the original soil sample after leaching. Hence, sensitivity was not increased and quick clay was not formed. However, in the seawater-saturated soil sample, the remolded shear strength decreased to a great extent, and quick clay with a sensitivity exceeding 700 developed. The lack of development of quick clay in the original soil sample is attributed to the dominance of divalent cations in the pore water, and the development of quick clay in the seawater-saturated soil sample is ascribed to the dominance of Na+ in the pore water.

Toddy Palm (Borassus Flabellifer) Fruit Fibre Bundles as Reinforcement in Polylactide (PLA) Composites: An Overview About Fibre and Composite Characteristics

Toddy palm fruit have an apparent density below 0.8 g/cm³and offer an interesting lightweight construction potential in polylactide(PLA)composites reinforced with 37 mass-%fibres.Single fibre bundles show similar mechanical properties compared with coir:tensile strength of 240 MPa,Young´s modulus of 3.8 GPa and an elongation at break of 31%.However,density and diameter(~50μm)of fruit fibre bundles are significantly lower.The compression moulded composites have a density of 0.9 g/cm³and achieved an unnotched Charpy impact strength of 12 kJ/m^(2),a tensile strength of 25 MPa,Young’s modulus of 1.9 GPa and an elongation at break of 9%.Due to the high porosity of the composites and the different stress-strain behaviour of fibre and matrix the fibre-reinforcement potential could not be fully used.Maximum stress of the composite was reached at the elongation at break of the PLA-matrix(~2%)while the fibre achieved its maximum stress at an elongation of~31%.After reaching the maximum stress of the composite,the fibres were pulled out from the matrix with low energy absorption,resulting in a decrease in stress and a limited reinforcement potential.Additionally,the study investigates whether an insect attack by the Asian fruit fly on the mesocarp has a significant influence on the mechanical fibre characteristics.The results have shown that only the rough surface of the fibre bundles is smoothed by insect infestation.The mechanical properties were not significantly affected.For this reason insect-infested fruits of the toddy palm,which are no longer suitable for food production,can be used for the production of sustainable composite materials.

Hydrothermal Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass and Kinetics

The study focus was an examination of the hydrothermal pretreatment method applied to the lignocellulosic substrate, represented by the prairie cord grass, and comparison between different conditions based on the yield of glucose after enzymatic hydrolysis. The treatment did not involve any chemicals usage. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed in order to examine the amount of glucose which was released from pretreated materials. The most efficient pretreatment conditions were at high temperature and relatively short reaction time (210&degC and 10 min), after which the lignocellulose structure was the most available for enzymes actions which resulted in a pretreatment conversion rate of 97%. Temperature had a significant influence on glucose release during the hydrolysis, which was confirmed by the Michaelis-Menten and kinetic models. Kinetic models were used to fit the inhibitors and their conversion rates were related to temperature.

In vitro and in vivo application of RNA interference for targeting genes involved in peritrophic matrix synthesis in a lepidopteran system

The midgut of most insects is lined with a semipermeable acellular tube, the peritrophic matrix （PM）, composed of chitin and proteins. Although various genes encoding PM proteins have been characterized, our understanding of their roles in PM structure and function is very limited. One promising approach for obtaining functional information is RNA interference, which has been used to reduce the levels of specific mRNAs using double-stranded RNAs administered to larvae by either injection or feeding. Although this method is well documented in dipterans and coleopterans, reports of its success in lepidopterans are varied. In the current study, the silencing midgut genes encoding PM proteins （insect intestinal mucin 1, insect intestinal mucin 4, PM protein 1） and the chitin biosynthetic or modifying enzymes （chitin synthase-B and chitin deacetylase 1） in a noctuid lepidopteran, Mamestra configurata, was examined in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies in primary midgut epithelial cell preparations revealed an acute and rapid silencing （by 24 h） for the gene encoding chitin deacetylase 1 and a slower rate of silencing （by 72 h） for the gene encoding PM protein 1. Genes encoding insect intestinal mucins were slightly silenced by 72 h, whereas no silencing was detected for the gene encoding chitin synthase-B. In vivo experiments focused on chitin deacetylase 1, as the gene was silenced to the greatest extent in vitro. Continuous feeding of neonates and fourth instar larvae with double-stranded RNA resulted in silencing of chitin deacetylase 1 by 24 and 36 h, respectively. Feeding a single dose to neonates also resulted in silencing by 24 h. The current study demonstrates that genes encoding PM proteins can be silenced and outlines conditions for RNA interference by per os feeding in lepidopterans.

Identification of the Mamestra configurata （Lepidoptera Noctuidae） peritrophic matrix proteins and enzymes involved in peritrophic matrix chitin metabolism

The peritrophic matrix （PM） is essential for insect digestive system physiol- ogy as it protects the midgut epithelium from damage by food particles, pathogens, and toxins. The PM is also an attractive target for development of new pest control strategies due to its per os accessibility. To understand how the PM performs these functions, the molecular architecture of the PM was examined using genomic and proteomic approaches in Mamestra configurata （Lepidoptera： Noctuidae）, a major pest of cruciferous oilseed crops in North America. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses of the PM identified 82 proteins classified as： （i） peritrophins, including a new class with a CBDIII domain; （ii） enzymes involved in chitin modification （chitin deacetylases）, di- gestion （serine proteases, aminopeptidases, carboxypeptidases, lipases and ^-amylase） or other reactions （/^-l,3-glucanase, alkaline phosphatase, dsRNase, astacin, pantetheinase）; （iii） a heterogenous group consisting of polycalin, REPATs, serpin, C-Type lectin and Lsti99/Lsti201 and 3 novel proteins without known orthologs. The genes encoding PM proteins were expressed predominantly in the midgut, cDNAs encoding chitin synthase-2 （McCHS-2）, chitinase （McCHI）, and fl-N-acetylglucosaminidase （McNAG） enzymes, in- volved in PM chitin metabolism, were also identified. McCHS-2 expression was specific to the midgut indicating that it is responsible for chitin synthesis in the PM, the only chitinous material in the midgut. In contrast, the genes encoding the chitinolytic enzymes were expressed in multiple tissues. McCHS-2, McCHI, and McNAG were expressed in the midgut of feeding larvae, and NAG activity was present in the PM. This information was used to generate an updated model of the lepidopteran PM architecture.

Effects of reaction temperature,time and particle size on switchgrass microwave pyrolysis and reaction kinetics

This study investigated microwave pyrolysis of switchgrass with particle sizes from 0.5 mm to 4 mm and determined the effects of reaction temperature and time on the yields of bio-oil,syngas,and bio-char.A prediction model was satisfactorily developed to describe the bio-oil conversion yield as a function of reaction temperature and time.Second-order reaction kinetics was also developed to model the switchgrass pyrolysis.Switchgrass with different particle sizes was found to be similarly pyrolyzed by microwave heating.The research results indicated that thermochemical conversion reactions can take place rapidly in large-sized switchgrass by using microwave pyrolysis.GC-MS analysis indicates that the bio-oil contained a series of important and useful chemical compounds:phenols,aliphatic hydrocarbons,aromatic hydrocarbons,and furan derivatives.These chemical compounds evolved were related to the pyrolysis conditions.

Fractionation and characterization of bio-oil from microwave-assisted pyrolysis of corn stover

Bio-oil from thermochemical conversion of biomass is a complex mixture of polar and non-polar compounds,and cannot be used directly as a combustion engine fuel due to its low heating value,high viscosity,chemical instability,and incomplete volatility.Mixed-solvent extraction was developed to fractionate bio-oils from microwave-assisted pyrolysis of corn stover to produce light oil(a mixture of light and inflammable fuel oil components from bio-oil)with low viscosity and low combustion residue,and high value chemicals.Different fractions from bio-oil were characterized using GC/MS and TG,and a major chemical(hydroxy-butanedioic acid diethyl ester)was separated.

Optimization of modified clean fractionation of prairie cordgrass

In this study,modified clean fractionation process was optimized for prairie cordgrass,with usage of alternative organic constituent-ethyl acetate.Other constituents of the solvent mixture included ethanol and water.Clean fractionation solvent was used in different proportions of the constituents.Process efficiency was determined by lignin recovery,solvent composition,as well as time and temperature applied to each sequential process.Glucose yield during enzymatic hydrolysis and overall pretreatment were calculated.Optimal conditions(125℃,37 min,with the solvent composition of ester:ethanol:water=32.5:22.5:45)yielded a 20%lignin recovery,38%glucose yield during enzymatic hydrolysis and 26%xylose recovery in aqueous fraction.