Tohru Uehara

Effect of bamboo vinegar on regulation of germination and radicle growth of seed plants

Abstract Two kinds of bamboo vinegar from madake bamboo (Phyllostachys bambusoides) and moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) were prepared to analyze their components by gas chromatography (GC). The original vinegar, distilled vinegar, ether-extracted vinegar, and three fractions including acidic, neutral, and phenolic fractions separated from ether-extracted vinegar were diluted with distilled water 102 to 107 times. These diluted vinegar solutions were used to investigate the effect of bamboo vinegar on the germination and radicle growth of seed plants. High concentrations of all kinds of treated bamboo vinegars (e.g., 102 of original vinegar and 103 of ether-extracted vinegar) showed strong inhibition against germination of the seeds. However, an appropriate dilution of bamboo vinegar showed an obvious promotional effect on germination and radicle growth for the four kinds of tested seeds (lettuce, watercress, honewort, chrysanthemum).

Chemical modification of wood by anhydrides without solvents or catalysts.

Acetylated, propionylated, butyrylated, isobutyrylated, and hexanoylated woods were prepared at several temperatures. The reaction rate, dimensional stability, and changes in the ratios of specific gravity and dimensions in the tangential and radial directions were estimated. The reaction rate of propionylation was slow at temperatures under 90°C but increased with the temperature. The butyrylated, isobutyrylated, and hexanoylated woods showed little or no weight percent gain (WPG) and little or no antiswelling efficiency (ASE) below 110°C even for 24h, but they achieved significant WPG and ASE values at 140°C with a longer reaction time. The acetylated, propionylated, and butyrylated woods showed almost the same values for dimensional stabilization efficiency based on WPG (DSE). The specific gravity and dimensions ratios for acetylated, propionylated, and butyrylated woods compared to those of untreated wood increased with an increase in WPG.

Effect of bamboo vinegar on regulation of germination and radicle growth of seed plants II: composition of moso bamboo vinegar at different collection temperature and its effects

Moso bamboo vinegar was treated with extractive and separation methods. The acidic, neutral, and phenolic fractions separated from ether-extracted vinegar were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the major components in moso bamboo vinegar. The compositions of eight moso vinegar fractions collected over different temperature ranges from 100°C to 480°C were also analyzed and their effects on regulation of germination and growth were studied by bioassay with seeds of watercress and chrysanthemum. The results showed that moso bamboo vinegar fractions with collection temperatures up to 250°C promoted radicle and hypocotyl growth and this effect became larger with increasing collection temperature for chrysanthemum. Moso bamboo vinegar collected from 250°C to 400°C had a strong inhibition on germination and radicle growth for both seed types when tested at 103 dilution.

Improvement on the properties of gypsum particleboard by adding cement

Gypsum particleboard (GPB) has high thickness swelling (TS), high water absorption (WA), and low mechanical properties compared with cement-bonded particleboard. The properties of GPB were improved by adding cement. The experimental results showed that GPB with the added cement had good physical and mechanical properties compared with those of gypsum particleboard with no added cement. The TS and WA of gypsum particleboard with added cement were reduced by 10%. The mechanical properties of GPB, such as internal bond strength (IB), modulus of rupture (MOR), and modulus of elasticity (MOE), increased when the GPB was made with added cement. The properties of GPB improved relative to the quantity of cement added. With an increase of cement content from 5% to 10%, the TS and WA were reduced, and the IB, MOR, and MOE were increased. In contrast, the TS and WA increased and the IB, MOE, and MOR decreased when the cement content was increased from 15% to 30%. Thus the physical and mechanical properties of GPB were successfully improved when the added cement content was 10%.

Production and Characterization of Palm Fruit Shell Bio-Oil for Wood Preservation

Pyrolytic liquid (bio-oil), produced by pyrolyzing the shell of the palm fruit, was characterized, and its preservative properties were examined using drywood termites (Cryptotermes spp.) and blue stain fungi (Ceratocystis spp.). The yield from shell bio-oil production ranged from 35 to 37 percent relative to the mass of the raw material. The shell bio-oil had the following properties: specific gravity (ranging from 1.0365 to 1.0431), refractive index (ranging from 1.3594 to 1.3613), wood absorption level (ranging from 0.0088 to 0.0625 g/cm3), and retention (ranging from 0.0022 to 0.0141g/cm3). The shell bio-oil also had termicidal activity as shown by drywood termite mortalities: 25 percent between days 3 and 6, 50 percent between days 3 and 20, and 100 percent between days 5 and 49 in termite resilience tests. Using a fluorescence microscope, we demonstrated that the shell bio-oil–treated wood completely inhibited the growth of blue stain fungi on both pine (Pinus merkusii) and Sengon (Paraserianthes fa...

Regulation effect of Phyllostachys pubescens methanol extractives on growth of seed plants

Due to a processing error, first authors name is missing in the HTML version of this article abstract page. The correct authors are given below:Jun Mu, Tohru Uehara, Takeshi Furuno

Composition of acidic components in Chinese raw tall oil

Chinese raw tall oil samples, which were obtained from pulp and papermaking factories in Qingzhou and Jiamusi, were first divided into acidic and neutral parts with a diethylaminoethyl-Sephadex (DEAE-Sephadex) gel column. The acidic components were then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results obtained are as follows: Most of the compounds that comprised 0.1% or more of the components were identified. Secodehydroabietic, 8,15-pimaradienoic, 8,15-isopimaradienoic, 7,13,15-abietatrien-18-oic acid, and others were found for the first time in Chinese tall oil; they have not been found in Chinese fatty rosin. Docosan-1,22-dioic acid was also found in tall oil for the first time.

Effect of Fractionated Palm Fruit Shell Bio-Oil on Seed Germination

Palm fruit shell was pyrolyzed in a closed simple reactor. The physical and chemical properties of the pyrolytic oil (bio-oil) were characterized. The effect of original and fractionated bio-oil was analyzed as a germination promoting agent. Raw palm shell bio-oil character differed from that of wood and other biomass. The pyrolysis temperature caused differences in yield and acetic acid content, but there were no significant differences in specific gravity, pH, or the major chemical components of shell bio-oil. The effect of shell bio-oil on germination and radicle growth of seeds depended on pyrolysis temperature, fraction, and dilution rate. Original shell bio-oil had the best effect on germination and radicle growth. Dilutions of 102 and 103 inhibited germination and radicle growth for three kinds of seeds.