The Structure, Biosynthesis, and Degradation of Wood
The Structure, Biosynthesis, and Degradation of Wood

Author: F. Loewus

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 534

ISBN-13: 1461588731

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Forest trees constitute one of the major resources of the world and their utilization, either for structural purposes or for the materials which they yield, dates back to antiquity. Over the centuries, the exploitation of this resource has become progressively more sophisticated, and, in many parts of the world has led to the development of highly complex forest-based industries. The research and development work which led to these industrial uses fostered the formation of numerous technical societies and associations, which, through their meetings and publi cations, have facilitated communication and the exchange of ideas. Over the years, there have been numerous symposia devoted to wood and the many facets of its properties and utilization. However, rarely has the emphasis in such symposia been placed upon the living tree and the changes which it undergoes in relation to its ultimate utilization. Hence the Phytochemical Society of North America arranged the symposium, "The Structure, Biosynthesis, and Degradation of Wood", held at the University of British Columbia in August, 1976. the contributions to which form the basis of the present volume.

Biosynthesis and biodegradation of wood components
Biosynthesis and biodegradation of wood components

Author: Takayoshi Higuchi

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2012-12-02

Total Pages: 696

ISBN-13: 0323143288

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Biosynthesis and Biodegradation of Wood Components is a comprehensive account of the biosynthesis and biodegradation of wood and wood components. Topics covered range from the localization of polysaccharides and lignins in wood cell walls to the metabolism and synthetic function of cambial tissue, along with the function of cell organelles in the biosynthesis of cell wall components. The biosynthesis of plant cell wall polysaccharides is also discussed. This book is comprised of 22 chapters and begins with an overview of the structure of wood, with emphasis on three aspects of sections of wood: the cross or transverse section, the tangential section, and the radial section or face. The following chapters deal with the structure and chemistry of the major components of wood cell walls; the metabolism and synthetic function of cambial tissue; the function of organelles involved in biosynthesis; and the biosynthesis both of the major cell wall components of wood (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignins) and of wood extractives. The microbial degradation of cell wall components and aromatic extractives of wood is also considered, together with the microorganisms involved in lignin biodegradation as well as the physiology and biochemistry of degradation by white-rot fungi. This monograph will be of interest to biochemists as well as students and researchers in biochemistry.

Biosynthesis and Biodegradation of Cellulose
Biosynthesis and Biodegradation of Cellulose

Author: Candace H. Haigler

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 1990-12-20

Total Pages: 718

ISBN-13: 9780849383991

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A gathering of articles bringing together knowledge of both the synthesis and degradation of a pervasive biological substance, cellulose. Topics include native cellulose; particle rosettes and terminal globules; microfibril biogenesis; synthesis in Acetobacter xylinum ; biodegradation measurement; e

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Wood
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Wood

Author: Takayoshi Higuchi

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 3642604692

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Progress in wood chemistry has been related mainly to chemical wood pulping and bleaching and chemical utilization of wood and wood extractives. Meth ods of wood analysis were developed by Schorger (proximate analysis in 1917) and Dore (summative analysis in 1919), and standard methods based on Schorger's method, e.g., TAPPI standards (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry), have been widely used for chemical analysis of woods in many countries. Thus it is generally known that wood is composed of about 50% cellulose, 20-35% of lignin, 15-25% of hemicelluloses, and variable amounts of extractives. Chemical characterization and efficient utilization of these wood components have been studied in laboratories of wood chemistry and technology in universities and government institutions. In the last decade, biochemistry and molecular biology of microorganisms, animals, and plants have greatly progressed. At the same time wood has been recognized as a unique renewable ecomaterial produced by trees using solar energy. In addition, many desirable properties of wood and wood components as biomaterial that affects physiology and psychology in humans have recently attracted attention.

The Biology of Reaction Wood
The Biology of Reaction Wood

Author: Barry Gardiner

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2014-01-08

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 3642108148

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The book is a fundamental reference source on reaction wood for wood scientists and technologists, plant biologists, silviculturists, forest ecologists, and anyone involved in the growing of trees and the processing of wood. It brings together our current understanding of all aspects of reaction wood, and is the first book to discuss both compression wood and tension wood. Trees produce reaction wood to maintain the vertical orientation of their stems and the optimum angle of each branch. They achieve this by laying down fibre cell walls in which differences in physical and chemical structure from those of normal fibres are expressed as differential stresses across the stem or branch. This process, while of obvious value for the survival of the tree, causes serious problems for the utilisation of timber. Timber derived from trees containing significant amounts of reaction wood is subject to dimensional instability on drying, causing twisting, bending and splitting. It is also difficult to work as timber, and for the pulp and paper industry the cost of removing the increased amount of lignin in compression wood is substantial. This has both practical and economic consequences for industry. Understanding the factors controlling reaction wood formation and its effect on wood structure is therefore fundamental to our understanding of the adaptation of trees to their environment and to the sustainable use of wood. The topics covered include: -Morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of reaction wood -Cell-wall polymers in reaction wood and their biosynthesis -Changes in tree proteomes during reaction wood formation -The biomechanical action and biological functions of reaction wood - Physical and mechanical properties of reaction wood from the scale of cell walls to planks -The detection and characterisation of compression wood -Effects of reaction wood on the performance of wood and wood-based products - Commercial implications of reaction wood and the influence of forest management on its formation