Sustainable Cellular Biocomposites from Natural Fibers and Unsaturated Polyester Resin for Housing Panel Applications

Increased environmental awareness and interest in long-term sustainability of material resources has motivated considerable advancements in composite materials made from natural fibers and resins, or biocomposites. In spite of these developments the lower stiffness and strength of biocomposites has limited their applications to non-load-bearing components. This paper presents an overview of a study aimed at showing that the shortcomings of biocomposites can be overcome through hybrid material designs and efficient structural configurations to make them suitable for load bearing structural components. Hybrid blends of natural and synthetic fibers can significantly improve the characteristics of biocomposites with minimal cost and environmental impact, and hierarchical cellular designs can maximize material efficiency in structural components. Periodic and hierarchical cellular plate designs made from natural fibers and unsaturated polyester resin were evaluated experimentally and analytically. Stiffness, strength, and dimensional stability of all-biocomposite and hybrid natural–synthetic material systems were evaluated through material tests while structural performance of cellular plate designs was assessed through flexural tests on laboratory-scale samples. The experimental results were correlated with analytical models for short-fiber composites and cellular structures. The results showed that biocomposites have adequate short-term performance and that they can efficiently compete with housing panels made from conventional structural materials.     

Synthesis of Molecular Imprinting Polymers Separating Toluic Acid Isomers (II)

Polymers that can separate toluic acid isomers were synthesized by molecular imprinting technique. Molecular imprinting polymers (MIPs) for each isomer of toluic acids (TA) were synthesized using styrene and 4-vinylpyridine (4-Vpy). The adsorption characteristics of TA isomers, salicylic acid (SA), and benzoic acid (BA) on each MIP were investigated. The materials used for polymerization of TA isomers MIPs were adsorbed relatively well. This verifies that the MIPs which can adsorb template selectively were synthesized. In addition, the quantities of adsorbed TA isomers on the TA isomers MIPs and on the control polymer polymerized without template were compared and discussed. The variation of adsorption ability for MIPs with repeated use was investigated, showing excellent reproducibility.     

Role of Amino Acids on <Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis> Photografting of Jute Yarn with 3-(Trimethoxysilyl) Propylmethacrylate

To improve the mechanical performance of natural lignocellulosic jute yarn, grafting with [3-(trimethoxysilyl) propylmethacrylate] (TMSPM) monomer has been performed on in situ UV radiation and optimized the monomer concentration (30%) and irradiation time (30 min). Effect of various amino acids (1%) as additives in TMSPM with photografted jute yarn at optimized system has been studied. The polymer loading (PL) and tensile properties like tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (Eb) of treated samples were enhanced by incorporation of amino acids and the highest properties (TS = 300% and Eb = 386%) achieved by the sample treated with l-Arginine (Arg) with 32.5% PL value. Weak acid like 3% acetic acid and inorganic acid like 1% sulfuric acid were also incorporated in the optimized system of TMSPM grafting and compared their effect on the tensile properties with amino acid treated samples. Water absorption and weathering resistance of treated and untreated samples were also performed and treated sample showed lesser water uptake as well as less weight loss and mechanical properties as compared to untreated samples.     

Application of Cellulose Microfibrils in Polymer Nanocomposites

Cellulose microfibrils obtained by the acid hydrolysis of cellulose fibers were added at low concentrations (2–10% w/w) to polymer gels and films as reinforcing agents. Significant changes in mechanical properties, especially maximum load and tensile strength, were obtained for fibrils derived from several cellulosic sources, including cotton, softwood, and bacterial cellulose. For extruded starch plastics, the addition of cotton-derived microfibrils at 10.3% (w/w) concentration increased Young’s modulus by 5-fold relative to a control sample with no cellulose reinforcement. Preliminary data suggests that shear alignment significantly improves tensile strength. Addition of microfibrils does not always change mechanical properties in a predictable direction. Whereas tensile strength and modulus were shown to increase during addition of microfibrils to an extruded starch thermoplastic and a cast latex film, these parameters decreased when microfibrils were added to a starch–pectin blend, implying that complex interactions are involved in the application of these reinforcing agents.     

Mechanisms of cross-shelf transport of crab megalopae inferred from a time series of daily abundance

From 20 July 1982 to 19 July 1984, crab megalopae were trapped daily from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier. Pachygrapsus crassipes, Portunus xantusii, Cancer spp., Hemigrapsus spp., and Majid crab megalopae dominated the catch. Yearly, seasonal, and daily variations in the magnitude of the catch were observed. Yearly and seasonal variations were probably due to a strong El Niño event that occurred during the study and to the timing of spawning and duration of the larval phase, respectively. Daily variation was correlated with oceanographic processes that can transport larvae to shore. Catch of some taxon during some seasons correlated with wind stress suggesting that transport was wind driven. The correlations were, however, weak and the sign of the correlation varied between years. The maximum daily tidal range was significantly correlated (cross-correlations and cross Fourier analysis) to both daily seawater temperature anomalies (surface and bottom) and daily catch of crab megalopae in all taxa enumerated. Significant correlations between tidal range and temperature anomalies suggest that temperature anomalies were primarily due to the shoreward transport of warm and cold water by the internal tides. The consistent and relatively strong relationship between tidal range and catch of megalopae (the cross-Fourier analysis suggests that from 20 to >90% of the variation in catch can be attributed to variation in the tidal range) suggest that much of the shoreward transport of megalopae was via the internal tides. Shoreward transport of larvae by internal tides may be due to internal cold bores or convergences over large tidally generated internal waves (solitons). Peak catches of megalopae, however, were often not associated with cold anomalies suggesting that transport was due to moving convergences over internal waves.     

First Jurassic Choristodera from Asia

Although choristoderes have a good Lower Cretaceous record in Asia, they have never previously been recorded from Jurassic deposits. Here we describe fragmentary vertebral material referable to Choristodera indet. from the Middle Jurassic Balabansai Svita of the Fergana Valley, Kyrgyzstan. This provides a significant range extension for the group in Asia and shows that choristoderes already had a Pan-Laurasian distribution in the Jurassic.     

Heavy metals associated with reduced sulfur in sediments from different deposition environments in the Pearl River estuary, China

Distribution of acid volatile sulfur (AVS) and the simultaneously extracted metals (SEM: Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni) in sediment profiles has been studied at five sites in Pearl River estuary, China. Of the five sampling locations, Nos.1 and 2 are in the middle shoal, Nos.3 and 4 in the west shoal and No. 5 locates to the south of the estuary. The AVS content in the sediments of the middle shoal varies in a small range (0.25–4.06 μmol g⁻¹), while that of west shoal increases with depth from 0 to ultimately 26.09 μmol g⁻¹. The SEM concentration in the sediment profiles at location Nos. 1, 2 and 5 is generally in the range of 0.95±0.2 μmol g⁻¹ with a slight upward increase, while that in the sediment of west shallows are much higher (1.43–2.42 μmol g⁻¹) with a significant upward increase, especially in the upper layer of ca. 15 cm. The observed upward increase of SEM content at all the sites implies that heavy metal contamination of sediment in the Pearl River estuary is increasing. Calculations of the excess heavy metal content which is defined by SEM-AVS molar difference suggests that the upper sediment in the Pearl River estuary, especially on the west shallows, could be a source of heavy metal contaminants and may cause toxicity to the benthos. The site-specific distribution patterns in the AVS and SEM profiles were interpreted according to the hydrogeochemistry of deposition environments.     

Modeling solute transport in one-dimensional homogeneous and heterogeneous soil columns with continuous time random walk

In this paper, we used the continuous time random walk (CTRW) framework to characterize the transport process in 1250-cm long one-dimensional homogenous and heterogeneous soil columns at the experiments conducted by Huang et al. [Huang, K., Toride, N., van Genuchten, M.Th., 1995. Experimental investigation of solute transport in large, homogeneous and heterogeneous, saturated soil columns. Trans. Porous Media. 18, 283-302]. The transport process was also simulated by using the advection-dispersion equation (ADE) and the spatial fractional advection-dispersion equation (FADE) for comparison. In the homogeneous soil column, the non-Fickian behavior is found at the distances less than 1000cm with beta values larger than 1.60, but less than 2, and Fickian form transport is obtained at distances larger than 1000cm with beta values larger than 2. In the heterogeneous soil column, we found the most anomalous behavior at distances from 200cm to 700cm with beta values ranging from 0.894 to 0.958, and non-Fickian transport process is observed at distances larger than 800cm with beta values in the range between 1 and 1.3. More significant non-Fickian behavior is found for transport in the heterogeneous soil column than that in the homogeneous soil column. The CTRW fits to the breakthrough curves (BTCs) have lower values of root mean square error (RMSE) and higher values of determination coefficient (r(2)), with respect to the fits of ADE and FADE. The CTRW model also is better captures the full evolution of BTCs, and especially their tails.     

Sedimenttoxizit?t — ein inhaltlicher Schwerpunkt beim SETAC Europe 16th Annual Meeting World Forum Convention Center in Den Haag, Niederlangden, 7–11 Mai 2006

Tagungsankündigungen

Sedimenttoxizit?t — ein inhaltlicher Schwerpunkt beim SETAC Europe 16th Annual Meeting World Forum Convention Center in Den Haag, Niederlangden, 7–11 Mai 2006     

单体液压支柱工作面顶板事故的原因与防治

简要地介绍了安徽淮南某矿回采工作面发生的1起重大冒顶事故,从地质、技术、装备、管理以及认识等方面分析r事故发生的原因,并提出了防治顶板事故的6项措施。