Vedegenskaper i härskande och behärskade granar vid Remingstorp : Wood properties in dominant and sub-dominant trees of Norway spruce at Remingstorp

Variation in wood properties for Picea abies trees and logs of different dimensions has been studied at two sites in southern Sweden of different site quality class. Trees have been classified as dominant or sub-dominant, according to their height. Log and board grades were classified and strength grade of boards, basic density and annual ring width measured. A similar study made on four northern sites was used as reference material.Sub-dominant trees were of superior quality in comparison to dominant trees, when classified by log and board grades or strength grading. Differences were accentuated for the second log where the sub-dominant trees had superior strength and low amount of boards with coarse branches. The results correspond well to those from the northern region, Jämtland. The classifica¬tion of boards as well as bending strength indicated superior properties on timber from northern sites even though the basic density was similar.

Methodology for identifying parameters for the TRNSYS model Type 210 -wood pellet stoves and boilers

This report describes a method how to perform measurements on boilers and stoves and how to identify parameters from the measurements for the boiler/stove-model TRNSYS Type 210. The model can be used for detailed annual system simulations using TRNSYS. Experience from measurements on three different pellet stoves and four boilers were used to develop this methodology. Recommendations for the set up of measurements are given and the re-quired combustion theory for the data evaluation and data preparation are given. The data evalua-tion showed that the uncertainties are quite large for the measured flue gas flow rate and for boilers and stoves with high fraction of energy going to the water jacket also the calculated heat rate to the room may have large uncertainties. A methodology for the parameter identification process and identified parameters for two different stoves and three boilers are given. Finally the identified models are compared with measured data showing that the model generally agreed well with meas-ured data during both stationary and dynamic conditions.

Emissions from realistic operation of residential wood pellets heating systems

Emissions from residential combustion appliances vary significantly depending on the firing behaviours and combustion conditions, in addition to combustion technologies and fuel quality. Although wood pellet combustion in residential heating boilers is efficient, the combustion conditions during start-up and stop phases are not optimal and produce significantly high emissions such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon from incomplete combustion. The emissions from the start-up and stop phases of the pellet boilers are not fully taken into account in test methods for ecolabels which primarily focus on emissions during operation on full load and part load. The objective of the thesis is to investigate the emission characteristics during realistic operation of residential wood pellet boilers in order to identify when the major part of the annual emissions occur. Emissions from four residential wood pellet boilers were measured and characterized for three operating phases (start-up, steady and stop). Emissions from realistic operation of combined solar and wood pellet heating systems was continuously measured to investigate the influence of start-up and stop phases on total annual emissions. Measured emission data from the pellet devices were used to build an emission model to predict the annual emission factors from the dynamic operation of the heating system using the simulation software TRNSYS. Start-up emissions are found to vary with ignition type, supply of air and fuel, and time to complete the phase. Stop emissions are influenced by fan operation characteristics and the cleaning routine. Start-up and stop phases under realistic operation conditions contribute 80 – 95% of annual carbon monoxide (CO) emission, 60 – 90% total hydrocarbon (TOC), 10 – 20% of nitrogen oxides (NO), and 30 – 40% particles emissions. Annual emission factors from realistic operation of tested residential heating system with a top fed wood pelt boiler can be between 190 and 400 mg/MJ for the CO emissions, between 60 and 95 mg/MJ for the NO, between 6 and 25 mg/MJ for the TOC, between 30 and 116 mg/MJ for the particulate matter and between 2x10-13 /MJ and 4x10-13 /MJ for the number of particles. If the boiler has the cleaning sequence with compressed air such as in boiler B2, annual CO emission factor can be up to 550 mg/MJ. Average CO, TOC and particles emissions under realistic annual condition were greater than the limits values of two eco labels. These results highlight the importance of start-up and stop phases in annual emission factors (especially CO and TOC). Since a large or dominating part of the annual emissions in real operation arise from the start-up and stop sequences, test methods required by the ecolabels should take these emissions into account. In this way it will encourage the boiler manufacturers to minimize annual emissions. The annual emissions of residential pellet heating system can be reduced by optimizing the number of start-ups of the pellet boiler. It is possible to reduce up to 85% of the number of start-ups by optimizing the system design and its controller such as switching of the boiler pump after it stops, using two temperature sensors for boiler ON/OFF control, optimizing of the positions of the connections to the storage tank, increasing the mixing valve temperature in the boiler circuit and decreasing the pump flow rate. For 85 % reduction of start-ups, 75 % of CO and TOC emission factors were reduced while 13% increase in NO and 15 % increase in particle emissions was observed.

Wood : from the forest to the consumer

Illegal logging causes a number of environmental and social damages in countries where wood is sourced from native forests. Logging in protected areas is an act of irresponsibility that exacerbates the loss of biodiversity. In addition, uncontrolled deforestation and bushfires may aggravate climate change, not to mention the negative effects they impose on local populations, such as the impoverishment of rural communities whose livelihoods depend on forest products. Several studies show that Brazil ranks high in terms of irresponsible use of natural resources, including native wood from the Amazon. Even more worrisome is the fact that the state, despite being responsible for regulating logging activities, is one of the largest consumers of native wood, which subverts the goals of any government committed to sustainable environmental management. By monitoring the development and impacts of illegal timber production and consumption around the world, the Friends of the Amazon Network – an initiative by the Getulio Vargas Foundation with support from the British Government and the European Commission – identified a need to describe and evaluate, in a brief and instructive manner, the different mechanisms the state has available to reverse this predatory practice. One of the aspects discussed in this book is the role of civil servants in major efforts aimed at repressing illegal logging and timber production, as well as identifying products derived from these activities in order to prevent their consumption. This is the purpose of this publication, which uses detailed infographics and a journalistic approach, including interviews and true stories, to outline the complexity of Amazon timber’s chain of custody – from logging, processing and transportation to commercialization in the Brazilian market.

Retinal nerve fiber layer analysis using GDx® in 49 patients with chronic phase DUSN

To describe retinal nerve fiber layer changes in late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis eyes and compare these results with healthy eyes observed through nerve fiber analyzer (GDx®). Methods: This is a retrospective case-control study in which 49 eyes in late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis were examined from May/97 to December/ 01. First, eyes with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis and healthy contralateral eyes (Control Group I) were statistically matched. Subsequently, eyes with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis were compared with eyes of healthy patients (Control Group II). Results: Eyes from Control Groups I and II had higher relative frequency of “within normal limits” status. Eyes from the diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) Group had higher frequency of “outside normal limits” and “borderline” status. Control Groups I and II had absolute values different from the DUSN Group regarding all parameters (p<0.05), except for Symmetry in Control Groups I and II, Average thickness and Superior Integral in control group II. Conclusion: Patients with late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis presented presumed decrease in nerve fiber layer thickness shown by GDx®. Retinal zones with larger vascular support and larger amount of nerve fibers presented higher decrease in the delay of the reflected light measured by the nerve fiber analyzer

Utilização de resíduo lignocelulósico na obtenção de chapa de madeira aglomerada homogênea e compósito reforçado com fibra de vidro-E

This research is about the use of the coconut´s endocarp (nucifera linn) and the waste of derivatives of wood and furniture as raw material to technological use. In that sense, the lignocellulosic waste is used for manufacture of homogeneous wood sheet agglomerate (LHWS) and lignocellulosic load which take part of a polymeric composite with fiber glass E (GFRP-WC). In the manufacturing of the homogeneous wood sheet agglomerate (LHWS), it was used mamona´s resin as waste s agglutinating element. The plates were taken up in a hydraulic press engine, heated, with temperature control, where they were manufactured for different percentage of waste wood and coconuts nucífera linn. Physical tests were conducted to determine the absorption of water, density, damp grade (in two hours and twenty-four hours), swelling thickness (in two hours and twenty-four hours), and mechanical tests to evaluate the parallel tensile strength (internal stick) and bending and the static (steady) flexural. The physical test´s results indicate that the LHWS can be classified as bonded wood plate of high-density and with highly water resistant. In the mechanical tests it was possible to establish that LHWS presents different characteristics when submitted to uniaxial tensile and to the static (steady) flexural, since brittle and elasticity module had a variation according to the amount of dry endocarp used to manufacture each trace of LHWS. The GFRP-WC was industrially manufactured by a hand-lay-up process where the fiber glass E was used as reinforcement the lignocellulósic´s waste as load. The matrix was made with ortofitalic unsaturated polyester resin. Physical and mechanical tests were performed in presence of saturated humidity and dry. The results indicated good performance of the GFRP-WC, as traction as in flexion in three points. The presence of water influenced the modules obtained in the flexural and tensile but there were no significant alteration in the properties analyzed. As for the fracture, the analysis showed that the effects are more harmful in the presence of damp, under the action of loading tested, but despite this, the fracture was well defined starting in the external parts and spreading to the internal regions when one when it reaches the hybrid load

Analysis of the four wave mixing effect (FWM) in a dispersion decreasing fiber (DDF) for a WDM system

We did a numerical investigation of the propagation of short light pulses in the region of 1.55 mu m and the conversion efficiency (CE) for the four wave mixing generation (FWM) of ordinary and dispersion decreasing fibers for use in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems, Our simulations studies three different profiles, linear, hyperbolic. and constant, One conclude that for all the profiles there is decrease of the conversion efficiency with the increase in the channel separation. The hyperbolic profile present a higher efficiency of around 1000 above in magnitude compared with the others profiles at 0.2 nm of channel separation. We calculate the conversion efficiency versus the fiber length for the three profiles. The conversion efficiency for the hyperbolic profile is higher when compared to the constant and linear profiles. The other interesting point of the hyperbolic profile is that the increase of the CE in the beginning of the fiber does not show my oscillation in the CE value (log eta), which was observed for the constant and linear profiles. For all the profiles there is an increase of the conversion efficiency with the increase of the pump power. The compression factor C-i for the generated FWM signal at omega(3) was measured along the DDF's and the constant profile fibers. One can conclude that with the use of decreasing dispersion profile (DDF) fibers one can have a control of the (CE) conversion efficiency and the compression factor of the four wave mixing (FWM) generation in WDM systems. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Natural fibers based composites - Technical and social issues

Brazil is the only country in South America to have an automotive supplier sector based on natural fibers. New opportunities are arising due to an increase demand by the car makers in applying natural fibers in their parts. Several crop fibers have been developed in Brazil. Among them can be listed caroa, piacava, pupunha, mutum and others of regional application. For the automotive industry, which requires large quantities with uniform quality, the alternatives are sisal (170,000 ton/yr), curaua (150 ton/yr in 2003), malva, 200 ton/yr; Brazil is the single largest producer country of sisal, and commercially, the only one in curaua. For South America, the alternatives are fique in Colombia, abaca in equator, flax in Argentina and curaua in Venezuela. It must be understood by the target countries of drugs, is that crop fiber can be an economic alternative to coca in the Andes region, therefore an instrument of land reform and drug reduction plantations. Several companies have a strong program of apply natural fibers based components in their products: Volkswagen do Brazil, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors do Brazil. Among their suppliers can be listed companies such Pematec (curaua), Toro (sisal, coir and jute), Incomer (sisal and jute), Ober (jute, curaua), Indaru (jute and sisal), Antolin (imported kenaf,) Tapetes Sao Carlos (sisal), Poematec (coir) and Art-Gore, with Woodstock'' wood and natural fibers). Figures about production and demand are discussed in the paper.

Accumulation of nutrients in sweet peppers cultivated in coconut fiber

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Digestive and functional properties of a partially hydrolyzed cassava solid waste with high insoluble fiber concentration

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Growth analysis of sweet pepper cultivated in coconut fiber in a greenhouse

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Determination of crude protein, crude fiber and crude fat in twenty-five genotypes of kale (B-oleracea var. acephala)

The aim of the study was to determine the percentage of crude protein, crude fiber and crude fat (ether extract) of 25 genotypes of kale from the Germplasm Bank of Instituto Agronomico de Campinas and of one genotype grown in the region of Jaboticabal-SP. The plants were cultivated in the field, and the leaves after collection were pre-dried in a convection oven at 65 degrees C for 72 h. Afterward, the leaves were analyzed for crude protein, crude fiber and crude fat (ether-soluble materials). Significant differences were detected among the different genotypes for all the characteristics examined. of the genotypes studied, six showed more than 30% crude protein: HS-20 (32.56%), Comum (31.70%), Couve de Arthur Nogueira 2 (31.16%), Pires 2 de Campinas (30.63%), Manteiga 1-916 (30.36%), and Manteiga de Ribeirao Pires I-2446 (30.03%). In relation to crude fiber, the highest percentage was seen in the genotype Manteiga de Mococa (10.92%), differing significantly from the other genotypes studied. With regard to crude fat, the highest percentage was found in the genotype HS-20 (3.72%), and Pires 1 de Campinas (3.34%). of the genotypes tested, HS-20 stood out among the others, showing both the highest percentage of protein and fat.