This text details the principal concepts and developments in wood science, chemistry and technology. It includes new chapters on the chemical synthesis of cellulose and its technology, preservation of wood resources and the conservation of waterlogged wood.

This text details the principal concepts and developments in wood science, chemistry and technology. It includes new chapters on the chemical synthesis of cellulose and its technology, preservation of wood resources and the conservation of waterlogged wood.

Tropical forests occupy only one-tenth of the world's land area but are home to more than half of the world's flora and fauna. They comprise extremely complex labyrinth of ecological interactions. The astounding richness and biodiversity of tropical forests are rapidly dwindling. There is a fear that the burgeoning human population and industrialization, where a majority of these tropical forests are found, may lead to the clearing or modification or may be a complete disappearance of the remaining tropical forests within few decades. This has severely altered the vital biogeochemical cycles of carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, and so on and has led to the change in global climate and pristine natural ecosystems. Hence, there is an urgent need to protect, restore, conserve, and improve the forest resources before they are irrevocably lost. In this second edition of the book Tropical Forests, the chapters share the above issues and help in understanding, educating, and creating awareness on the role of "tropical forests" for the very survival of mankind, climate change, and the diversity of biota across the globe. This book will be of great use and could be useful to students, scientists, ecologists, population and conservation biologists, and forest managers across the globe.

Wood Fracture Characterization provides a guide to the application of modern fracture mechanics concepts to wood materials used in structural engineering, which commonly involve discontinuities and irregularities. The authors cover the tests, data reduction schemes and numerical methods devised for wood structural applications, based on cohesive zone analysis, and used to validate experimental-based methodologies. Five detailed Case Studies are included to link theory with engineering practice. This important new text explains the basics of fracture mechanics, and extends them as needed to cover the special behaviour of an anisotropic wood materials.

Natural fiber composites have experienced a renaissance over the last two decades as a response to societal demands for developing eco-friendly, biodegradable and recyclable materials. They are now being extensively used in everyday products as well as in automotive, packaging, sports and the construction industries. These fibers require surface treatments in order to improve their properties and interfacial bonding with polymer matrices, and to reduce their hydrophilic character. These methods can be grouped into three major categories: chemical, physical and biological. Chemical methods use chemical reagents to reduce fibers' hydrophilic tendency and thus improve compatibility with the matrix. They also expose more reactive groups on the fibre surface to facilitate efficient coupling with the matrix. Physical methods change structural and surface properties of the fiber and thereby influence the interfacial bonding with matrices, without extensively changing the chemical composition of the fibers. They are cleaner and simpler than the chemical methods. Biological methods use biological agents like fungi, enzymes and bacteria to modify the fiber surface properties. These methods are not toxic like chemical methods and are not energy-intensive like physical methods.Surface Treatment Methods of Natural Fibers and their Effects on Biocomposites presents an overview and recent developments of these methods. All the major methods are reviewed, explaining the science and methodology behind each method. The effects of these methods on various properties of fibers and the biocomposites made from these fibers are analyzed in detail.The book will be an essential reference for academic researchers, materials scientists and engineers, postgraduate students and industrial researchers and development scientists and engineers working on natural fibers and biocomposites. - Extensive coverage of all the surface modification methods (chemical, physical, biological) of natural fibers and its effect on properties of produced composites - The chemical mechanisms which are utilized in surface treatments are discussed in detail and how these affect the interfacial properties and characteristics - Systematic and comprehensive review on surface modifications of natural fibres, and explains how the effect of the surface treatment can be characterized and measured, as well as the effect on properties

"Offers comprehensive coverage of the most important natural and synthetic fibers used in consumer goods, agriculture, industry, medicine, and engineering. Second Edition provides entirely new coverage of topics such as vinyl fibers; mammalian fibers related to wool; cotton, jute, silk, and kenaf fibers; and acrylic fibers."

The production of textile materials comprises a very large and complex global industry that utilises a diverse range of fibre types and creates a variety of textile products. As the great majority of such products are coloured, predominantly using aqueous dyeing processes, the coloration of textiles is a large-scale global business in which complex procedures are used to apply different types of dye to the various types of textile material. The development of such dyeing processes is the result of substantial research activity, undertaken over many decades, into the physico-chemical aspects of dye adsorption and the establishment of ‘dyeing theory’, which seeks to describe the mechanism by which dyes interact with textile fibres. Physico-Chemical Aspects of Textile Coloration provides a comprehensive treatment of the physical chemistry involved in the dyeing of the major types of natural, man-made and synthetic fibres with the principal types of dye. The book covers: fundamental aspects of the physical and chemical structure of both fibres and dyes, together with the structure and properties of water, in relation to dyeing; dyeing as an area of study as well as the terminology employed in dyeing technology and science; contemporary views of intermolecular forces and the nature of the interactions that can occur between dyes and fibres at a molecular level; fundamental principles involved in dyeing theory, as represented by the thermodynamics and kinetics of dye sorption; detailed accounts of the mechanism of dyeing that applies to cotton (and other cellulosic fibres), polyester, polyamide, wool, polyacrylonitrile and silk fibres; non-aqueous dyeing, as represented by the use of air, organic solvents and supercritical CO2 fluid as alternatives to water as application medium. The up-to-date text is supported by a large number of tables, figures and illustrations as well as footnotes and widespread use of references to published work. The book is essential reading for students, teachers, researchers and professionals involved in textile coloration.

Agro-industrial Wastes as Feedstock for Enzyme Production: Apply and Exploit the Emerging and Valuable Use Options of Waste Biomass explores the current state-of-the-art bioprocesses in enzyme production using agro-industrial wastes with respect to their generation, current methods of disposal, the problems faced in terms of waste and regulation, and potential value-added protocols for these wastes. It surveys areas ripe for further inquiry as well as future trends in the field. Under each section, the individual chapters present up-to-date and in-depth information on bioprospecting of agro-industrial wastes to obtain enzymes of economic importance. This book covers research gaps, including valorization of fruit and vegetable by-product—a key contribution toward sustainability that makes the utmost use of agricultural produce while employing low-energy and cost-efficient bioprocesses. Written by experts in the field of enzyme technology, the book provides valuable information for academic researchers, graduate students, and industry scientists working in industrial-food microbiology, biotechnology, bioprocess technology, post-harvest technology, agriculture, waste management, and the food industry. - Addresses key opportunities and challenges in the emerging field of enzyme technology, with an emphasis on energy and bio-based industrial applications - Explores the current state of the art bioprocesses in enzyme production using fruit and vegetable wastes with respect to their generation, current methods of disposal, and problems faced in terms of waste and regulation - Presents in-depth information on bioprospecting of fruit and vegetable to obtain enzymes of economic importance - Delves into environmental concerns and economic considerations related to fruit and vegetable processing by-products

As a spectroscopic method, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has seen spectacular growth over the past two decades, both as a technique and in its applications. Today the applications of NMR span a wide range of scientific disciplines, from physics to biology to medicine. Each volume of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance comprises a combination of annual and biennial reports which together provide comprehensive of the literature on this topic. This Specialist Periodical Report reflects the growing volume of published work involving NMR techniques and applications, in particular NMR of natural macromolecules which is covered in two reports: "NMR of Proteins and Acids" and "NMR of Carbohydrates, Lipids and Membranes". For those wanting to become rapidly acquainted with specific areas of NMR, this title provides unrivalled scope of coverage. Seasoned practitioners of NMR will find this an in valuable source of current methods and applications. Specialist Periodical Reports provide systematic and detailed review coverage in major areas of chemical research. Compiled by teams of leading authorities in the relevant subject areas, the series creates a unique service for the active research chemist, with regular, in-depth accounts of progress in particular fields of chemistry. Subject coverage within different volumes of a given title is similar and publication is on an annual or biennial basis.

Materials from renewable resources are receiving increased attention, as leading industries and manufacturers attempt to replace declining petrochemical-based feedstocks with products derived from natural biomass, such as cereal straws. Cereal straws are expected to play an important role in the shift toward a sustainable economy, and a basic knowledge of the composition and structure of cereal straw is the key to using it wisely. Cereal Straw as a Resource for Sustainable Biomaterials and Biofuels: Chemistry, Extractives, Lignins, Hemicelluloses and Cellulose provides an introduction to straw chemistry. Topics discussed include the structure, ultrastructure, and chemical composition of straw; the structure and isolation of extractives from the straw; the three main components of straw: cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignins; and chemical modifications of straw for industrial applications. This book will be helpful to scientists interested in the areas of natural resource management, environmental chemistry, plant chemistry, material science, polysaccharide chemistry, and lignin chemistry. It will also be of interest to academic and industrial scientists/researchers interested in novel applications of agricultural residues for industrial and/or recycling technologies. - Provides the basics of straw composition and the structure of its cell walls - Details the procedures required to fractionate straw components to produce chemical derivatives from straw cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignins - Elucidates new techniques for the production of biodegradable materials for the energy sector, chemical industry, and pulp and paper business