In the year 2001, Prof. Dr. Ursula Kües was appointed at the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology of the Georg-August-University Göttingen to the chair Molecular Wood Biotechnology endowed by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU). Her group studies higher fungi in basic and applied research. Research foci are on mushroom development and on fungal enzymes degrading wood and their applications in wood biotechnology. This book has been edited to thank the DBU for all support given to the chair Molecular Wood Biotechnology. Contributions to the book are from scientists from Göttingen recognised in different fields of forestry and wood science. Chapters presented by members of the group Molecular Wood Biotechnology introduces into their areas of research. The book is designed for interested students of wood biology and wood technology but will also address scientists in the field.
In the year 2008 the research activities in the project Deutsch-Arabisch/Iranischer Hochschuldialogʺ between the Research Institute for Forests and Rangelands, Teheran and the University of Göttingen were successfully continued. The project was financed by the Department of Foreign Affairs in the context of the Europäisch/Islamischen Kulturdialog (EIK) supervised by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Now, like in the two years before, the present book gives again an overview of the common research themes in which the Iranian and German young scientists and senior scientists of both countries works are summarised. The themes cover a wide variety in the research fields of forestry, mircobiology, forest zoology, wood science and wood biotechnology.
New and Future Developments in Microbial Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Recent Developments in Trichoderma Research covers topics on-Trichoderma biodiversity, strain improvement and related researches in bioprocess technology, chemical engineering, bioremediation process, secondary metabolite production, Protein production, plant disease resistance and biocontrol technology. This book includes unique compilations of different chapters with emerging issues in the area of Trichoderma research and its related importance in the Biochemical-Industry-Agri-Food sector. - Includes recent developments on Trichoderma research in plant biotechnology, agriculture and in the environment - Provides a detailed and comprehensive coverage of the biodiversity and biochemistry of Trichoderma - Covers potential applications of Trichoderma in biotechnology, including secondary metabolites and protein engineering
This book provides an overview of eco-friendly resins and their composite materials covering their synthesis, sources, structures and properties for different industrial applications to support the ongoing research and development in eco-friendly and renewable commercial products. It provides comparative discussions on the properties of eco-friendly resins with other polymer composites. It is a useful reference on bio-based eco-friendly polymer resins, wood-based composites, natural fibers and biomass materials for the polymer scientists, engineers and material scientists.
The market for durable products using modified wood has increased substantially during the last few years. This is partly because of the restriction on the use of toxic preservatives due to environmental concerns, and to lower maintenance cost and time. Furthermore, as sustainability becomes a greater concern, the environmental impact of construction and interior materials is factored in planning by considering the whole life cycle and embodied energy of the materials used. Wood is modified to improve its intrinsic properties, enhance the range of applications of timber, and to acquire the form and functionality desired by engineers without calling the environmental friendliness into question. Wood modification processes are at various stages of development, and the challenges faced in scaling up to industrial applications differ. The aim of this book is to put together the key elements of the changes of wood constituents and the related changes in wood properties of modified wood. Further, a selection of the principal technologies implemented in wood modification are presented. This work is intended for researchers, professionals of timber construction, as well as students studying the science of materials, civil engineering and architecture. This work is not exhaustive, but intends to deliver an outline of the scientific disciplines necessary to apprehend the technologies of wood modification and its behavior during treatment, as well as during its use.
Wood Deterioration, Protection and Maintenance provides an up to date discussion of the natural durability of wood, wood degradation processes, and methods of structural and chemical protection of wood. Modern active substances in wood preservatives and the relationships between preservative properties, the anatomical structure and moisture content of wood and protective processes involving pressure and/or diffusion driving forces are fully illustrated.
Handbook of Modern Coating Technologies: Application and Development reviews recent applications and developments of modern coating technologies. The topics in this volume consist of role of antibacterial coatings in the development of biomaterials, insights of technologies for self-healing organic coatings, sensor applications, application of carbon nanotubes–based coating in the field of art conservation, oxide-based self-cleaning and corrosion-protective coatings, protective coatings for wood, applications of optical coatings on spectral selective structures, application of natural antimicrobial coating for controlling foodborne pathogens on meat and fresh produce, efficacy of antimicrobial coating in reducing pathogens on meat, composite membrane: fabrication, characterization, and applications, development of nanostructured HVOF coatings on high strength steel components for turbine blades, nanoscale multilayered composite coating, applications of sol–gel coatings, application of graphene in protective coating industry, application of coatings in outdoor high-voltage installations, defects and doping effects in thin films of transparent and conductive oxides, and functional coatings for lab-on-a-chip systems based on phospholipid polymers.
Adhesive bonding plays an increasing role in the forest product industry and is a key factor for efficiently utilizing timber and other lignocellulosic resources. As synthetic wood adhesives are mostly derived from depleting petrochemical resources and have caused increasing environmental concern, natural product and byproduct-derived adhesives have attracted much attention in the last decades. Although adhesives made from plant and animal sources have been in existence since ancient times, increased knowledge of their chemistry and improved technical formulation of their preparation are still needed to promote their broader industrial applications. The primary goals of this book are to (1) synthesize the fundamental knowledge and latest research on bio-based adhesives from a remarkable range of natural products and byproducts, (2) identify need areas and provide directions of future bio-based adhesive research, and (3) help integrating research findings in practical adhesive application for maximal benefits. This book covers information on a variety of natural products and byproducts and the latest research on formulation, testing and improvement of the relevant adhesives in fifteen chapters written by an international group of accomplished contributors. This book will serve as a valuable reference source for university faculty, graduate students, research scientists, agricultural and wood engineers, international organization advocators and government agency regulators who work and deal with enhanced utilization of agricultural and forest products and byproducts.
Agricultural biomass is abundant worldwide and it can be considered as alternative source of renewable and sustainable materials which can be used as potential materials for different applications. Despite this enormous production of agricultural biomass, only a small fraction of the total biomass is utilized for different applications. Industry must be prepared to take advantage of the situation and utilize the available biomass in the best possible manner. Agricultural biomass such as natural fibres has been successfully investigated as a great potential to be used as a renewable and sustainable materials for the production of composite materials. Natural fibres offer excellent specific properties and have potential as outstanding reinforcing fillers in the matrix and can be used as an alternative material for biocomposites, hybrid composites, pulp, and paper industries. Natural fibre based polymer composites made of jute, oil palm, flex, hemp, kenaf have a low market cost, attractive with respect to global sustainability and find increasing commercial use in different applications. Agricultural biomass based composites find applications in a number of fields viz., automotive industry and construction industry. Future research on agricultural biomass-natural fibre based composites should not only be limited to its automotive applications but can be explored for its application in aircraft components, construction industry, rural housing and biomedical applications. In this book we will cover the chemical, physical, thermal, electrical, and biodegradability properties of agricultural biomass based composite materials and its different potential applications. The main goal of this volume is to familiarize researchers, scientists and engineers with the unique research opportunities and potentials of agricultural biomass based materials. Up-to-date information on alternative biomass utilization Academic and industry leaders discuss unique properties of biomass based composite materials Direct application of agricultural biomass materials as sustainable and renewable alternatives
Waste Wood and wood by-products have the potential to become attractive alternative sources of raw materials. Their efficient use is important due to the rising demand and limited supply of forest wood. Cascade utilization is gaining interest as a strategy to bridge the gap between rising wood demand and fresh wood availability. However, the economic and environmental impacts of a cascading system for wood-based products are not fully known. In this work, an investigation is conducted to determine the consequences of cascade utilization for the economic and environmental performance of logistics networks for wood flows. Two case studies in Lower Saxony consider five wood products, including medium density fiber (MDF), oriented strand board (OSB), particleboard, coated paper, and wood pellets. In the first case study, an approach for decision support is developed that consists of a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model. In the first case study, the MILP model is used for minimizing the costs of the logistics network for three scenarios. Then the UMBERTO software is applied to determine the quantity of CO2e of the minimized logistics network. In the second case study, the MILP model is enhanced using two objective functions, as cost and global warming potential (GWP) are considered simultaneously. In this case study, it is observed that environmental parameters such as CO2 emissions can also be implemented in the MILP. The utilization of a multi-objective optimization model brings new perspectives (the trade-off between two contradictory objective functions, for instance) in comparison to the first case study, in which CO2 is calculated as an off-line step after logistics costs are minimized. Altholz und Holz-Nebenprodukte besitzen das Potenzial, attraktive, alternative Rohstoffquellen zu werden. Ihre effiziente Nutzung ist von hoher Relevanz, da die Nachfrage nach Holz steigt und die Versorgung mit Holz aus Wäldern begrenzt ist. Um die Lücke zwischen der wachsenden Holznachfrage und - verfügbarkeit zu überbrücken, ist die Kaskadennutzung eine Strategie, welche zunehmendes Interesse erfährt. Allerdings sind die wirtschaftlichen und ökologischen Auswirkungen eines Kaskadensystems für Holzprodukte nicht vollständig bekannt. In dieser Arbeit wird eine Untersuchung durchgeführt, um die Folgen der Kaskadennutzung auf die Wirtschafts - und Umweltleistung von Logistiknetzwerken für Holzströme zu bestimmen. Im Rahmen von zwei Fallstudien in Niedersachsen werden fünf Holzprodukte, einschließlich mitteldichten Fasern (MDF), OSB-Platten (OSB), Spanplatten, beschichtetem Papier und Holz-Pellets betrachtet. In der ersten Fallstudie wird ein Ansatz zur Entscheidungsunterstützung entwickelt, der aus einem Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP)-Modell besteht. Das MILP-Modell wird zuerst in drei verschiedenen Szenarien zur Minimierung der Logistikkosten angewendet. Mithilfe der UMBERTO-Software wird anschließend die Menge von CO2e bestimmt. In der zweiten Fallstudie wird das Modell für zwei Zielfunktionen weiterentwickelt und eingesetzt, bei denen die Kosten und das Treibhausgaspotenzial gleichzeitig betrachtet werden. Diese Fallstudie zeigt, dass auch Umweltparameter wie CO2-Emissionen mit MILP umgesetzt werden können. Die Verwendung eines Mehrzieloptimierungsmodells ermöglicht die Betrachtung neuer Perspektiven (zum Beispiel den Trade-off zwischen zwei widersprüchlichen Zielfunktionen) im Vergleich zur ersten Fallstudie, in welcher CO2-Emissionen in einem Offline-Schritt nach der Minimierung der Logistikkosten minimiert werden.
