Search Results (21)

The deep carbonate reservoirs in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China, are widely developed with multi-scale complex reservoir spaces such as fractures, pores, and karst caves under the coupling of abnormal high pressure, diagenesis, karst, and tectonics and have strong heterogeneity. Among them, fracture–cavity carbonate reservoirs are one of the main reservoir types. Revealing the petrophysical characteristics of fracture–cavity carbonate reservoirs can provide a theoretical basis for the log interpretation and geophysical prediction of deep reservoirs, which holds significant implications for deep hydrocarbon exploration and production. In this study, based on the mineral composition and complex pore structure of carbonate rocks in the Tarim Basin, we comprehensively applied classical petrophysical models, including Voigt–Reuss–Hill, DEM (Differential Effective Medium), Hudson, Wood, and Gassmann, to establish a fracture–cavity petrophysical model tailored to the target block. This model effectively characterizes the complex pore structure of deep carbonate rocks and addresses the applicability limitations of conventional models in heterogeneous reservoirs. The discrepancies between the model-predicted elastic moduli, longitudinal and shear wave velocities (Vp and Vs), and laboratory measurements are within 4%, validating the model’s reliability. Petrophysical template analysis demonstrates that P-wave impedance (Ip) and the Vp/Vs ratio increase with water saturation but decrease with fracture density. A higher fracture density amplifies the fluid effect on the elastic properties of reservoir samples. The Vp/Vs ratio is more sensitive to pore fluids than to fractures, whereas Ip is more sensitive to fracture density. Regions with higher fracture and pore development exhibit greater hydrocarbon storage potential. Therefore, this petrophysical model and its quantitative templates can provide theoretical and technical support for predicting geological sweet spots in deep carbonate reservoirs. Full article

Bioinspired composites for thermal energy storage have gained much attention all over the world. Bioinspired structures have several advantages as the skeleton for preparing thermal energy storage materials, including preventing leakage and improving thermal conductivity. Phase change materials (PCMs) play an important role in the development of energy storage materials because of their stable chemical/thermal properties and high latent heat storage capacity. However, their applications have been compromised, owing to low thermal conductivity and leakage. The plant-derived scaffolds (i.e., wood-derived SiC/Carbon) in the composites can not only provide higher thermal conductivity but also prevent leakage. In this paper, we review recent progress in the preparation, microstructures, properties and applications of bioinspired composites for thermal energy storage. Two methods are generally used for producing bioinspired composites, including the direct introduction of biomass-derived templates and the imitation of biological structures templates. Some of the key technologies for introducing PCMs into templates involves melting, vacuum impregnation, physical mixing, etc. Continuous and orderly channels inside the skeleton can improve the overall thermal conductivity, and the thermal conductivity of composites with biomass-derived, porous, silicon carbide skeleton can reach as high as 116 W/m*K. In addition, the tightly aligned microporous structure can cover the PCM well, resulting in good leakage resistance after up to 2500 hot and cold cycles. Currently, bioinspired composites for thermal energy storage hold the greatest promise for large-scale applications in the fields of building energy conservation and solar energy conversion/storage. This review provides guidance on the preparation methods, performance improvements and applications for the future research strategies of bioinspired composites for thermal energy storage. Full article

Background/Objectives: Thiadiazine thione (THTT) has gained significant interest owing to its pharmacological potentials, particularly its antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory properties. Leishmaniasis is a clinical syndrome caused by infection with Leishmania species and is associated with an inflammatory response and nociception. The available treatments against leishmaniasis are inadequate, as they are associated with high cost, toxicity, and increased resistance. Methods: In the current study, the antileishmanial potential of five Thiadiazine thione derivatives (C1–C5) was evaluated in vivo against Leishmania tropica. Experiments were performed on BALB/c mice infected with promastigotes and treated with THTT derivatives for 15 days. Additionally, the derivatives were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antipyretic, and antisedative properties using standardized models, including carrageenan-induced paw edema, acetic acid-induced abdominal writhes, yeast-induced fever, and white wood apparatus, respectively. Results: Of the tested derivatives, C5 exhibited the most promising results, with a 61.78% reduction in lesion size and significant decrease in parasite load. Among the derivatives, C1 showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity, with 63.66% inhibition in the paw edema test at the 5th hour post treatment. In the antipyretic assay, C1 and C5 were able to reduce body temperature to a normal level within 1 h of treatment. Furthermore, compounds C4, C2, and C1 showed high nociceptive activity, while C1 and C5 demonstrated the most notable antisedative effects (94 ± 2 and 92 ± 1, respectively), outperforming the standard drug diazepam (13 ± 1). Conclusion: These in vivo findings suggest that THTT derivatives have the potential to serve as a template for developing leishmanicidal drugs, with added anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Full article

Pine wilt disease (PWD), which poses a significant risk to pine plantations across the globe, is caused by the pathogenic agent Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, also referred to as the pine wood nematode (PWN). A droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay was developed for the quick identification of the PWN in order to improve detection sensitivity. The research findings indicate that the ddPCR assay demonstrated significantly higher analysis sensitivity and detection sensitivity in comparison to traditional quantitative PCR (qPCR). However, it had a more limited dynamic range. High specificity was shown by both the ddPCR and qPCR techniques in the diagnosis of the PWN. Assessments of reproducibility revealed that ddPCR had lower coefficients of variation at every template concentration. Inhibition tests showed that ddPCR was less susceptible to inhibitors. There was a strong linear association between standard template measurements obtained using ddPCR and qPCR (Pearson correlation = 0.9317; p < 0.001). Likewise, there was strong agreement (Pearson correlation = 0.9348; p < 0.001) between ddPCR and qPCR measurements in the evaluation of pine wood samples. Additionally, wood samples from symptomatic (100% versus 86.67%) and asymptomatic (31.43% versus 2.9%) pine trees were diagnosed with greater detection rates using ddPCR. This study’s conclusions highlight the advantages of the ddPCR assay over qPCR for the quantitative detection of the PWN. This method has a lot of potential for ecological research on PWD and use in quarantines. Full article

Transparent wood has excellent optical and thermal properties and has great potential utilization value in energy-saving building materials, optoelectronic devices, and decorative materials. In this work, transparent wood with soft-/hard-switchable and shape recovery capabilities was prepared by introducing an epoxy-based polymer with a glass transition temperature of about 0 °C into the delignified wood template. The epoxy resin was well filled in the pore structure of the delignified wood, and the as-prepared wood exhibited excellent transparency; the optical transmittance and haze of the transparent wood with a thickness of 2.0 mm were approximately 70% and 95%, respectively. Because the glass transition temperature of the epoxy-based polymer was about 0 °C, the prepared transparent wood was rigid below 0 °C and flexible above °C; meanwhile, the transparent wood exhibited shape change and shape recovery properties. Incorporating optical transparency and soft-/hard-switchable ability into the transparent wood opens a new avenue for developing advanced functional wood-based materials. Full article

Azo dye wastewater is a common type of organic wastewater that often presents a significant challenge due to its gloomy color, high toxicity, and resistance to degradation. The discharge of such wastewater directly into natural water bodies can pose a severe threat to both ecological security and human health. Traditional biological treatment methods are often ineffective in treating industrial pollutants, but advanced oxidation technologies, such as persulfate (PS), offer unique advantages due to their strong oxidation ability and short reaction times. This study investigates the use of modified biochar (BC) material and catalyzed persulfate advanced oxidation technology to adsorb and separate acid orange 7 (AO7), a common industrial pollutant, from water and further oxidize and degrade it. Wood chips were used as biological templates to create an efficient, eco-friendly, and reusable adsorbent and catalytic material. In this paper, the adsorption effect of Fe₃O₄@BC on AO7 in water was compared, the adsorption kinetics and isotherm of Fe₃O₄@BC on different pollutants were studied, and the possible adsorption mechanism was proposed based on the relevant characterization. Adsorption kinetics describes the rate and quality of adsorption by studying the adsorption capacity in the adsorption process. Furthermore, the activated PS system was used to explore the degradation of AO7 at room temperature. First, the catalytic performance of Fe₃O₄@BC was evaluated by examining the amounts of PS and Fe₃O₄@BC, the initial pH, the ionic strength, and the reusability of Fe₃O₄@BC. Then, a possible degradation mechanism was proposed through electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), free radical quenching experiment, and density functional theory (DFT) analysis. The results of this study suggest that modified biochar material and catalyzed persulfate advanced oxidation technology offer an effective and eco-friendly method for treating AO7 in wastewater. Full article

In the context of the double carbon goal, the green, low-carbon and environmentally friendly modern wood construction market is promising and is expected to be further promoted and applied in the construction market. Optically transparent wood is a new building light-transmitting material with excellent performance, designed to reduce the energy consumption of buildings. An efficient and green method for the preparation of hydrophobic optically transparent wood is proposed in this study, in which its microstructure, chemical composition, surface wettability and optical properties are investigated. Hydrophobic optically transparent wood (90% light transmission, 80% haze, 130° water contact angle) with identical optical properties on the positive and negative sides was obtained by UV-assisted hydrogen peroxide treatment of natural wood to remove lignin chromogenic groups in situ, followed by dipping the epoxy resin into the wood substrate template and finally combining it with PDMS low surface energy modifications on the surface. The scanning electron microscopy and chemical composition analysis showed that the epoxy resin was successfully immersed in the internal pores of the wood and exhibited a homogeneous interface with the wood cell walls. All results confirm that this optically transparent wood preparation method is effective, and the resulting hydrophobic optically transparent wood is a new wood composite alternative material with excellent optical and hydrophobic properties, which broadens the application area of traditional wood and offers potential applications in energy-efficient buildings, smart windows and solar cells. Full article

Wood delignification can provide a wood-based template with sufficient pore volume for polymer/wood composites. At the same time, delignification is conducive to the penetration of polymer into the wood cell wall, which is of great significance to improve the function and performance of composites. However, lignin is the main chemical component in wood. The removal of lignin will inevitably lead to the change of the wood’s physical properties, including the hygroscopicity of the wood. In this study, prepolymerized methyl methacrylate (MMA) impregnated delignified wood (DW) was used to obtain polymerized methyl methacrylate/delignified wood (PMMA/DW) composites with different lignin removal. The effect of lignin removal on the hygroscopicity of the composites is discussed. The results of nitrogen adsorption showed that the DW could adsorb more nitrogen than the original wood, and the amount of nitrogen adsorption gradually increased with the improvement of the processing degree. After filling with PMMA, the adsorption amount of nitrogen was greatly reduced. The results of the BET analysis showed that delignification promoted the distribution of PMMA in the pores of the wood cell wall. When lignin was almost completely removed, all mesopores in the cell wall were filled with PMMA. The results of the moisture absorption analysis isotherm curve showed that the moisture absorption content of the wood was positively correlated with the amount of lignin removed, and the moisture absorption content of the PMMA/DW composite was negatively correlated with the amount of lignin removed. The hygroscopic data were further analyzed using the Hailwood–Horrobin model. The results showed that the mole number of adsorbable or hydratable sites of the DW increased with the increase of lignin removal, and the situation of the PMMA/DW composites was just the opposite. In addition, after delignification, the dissolved water content and hydrated water content of the DW increased, and the increase was related to the delignification strength. The increase of dissolved water content indicates that the removal of lignin promotes the production of more volume in the cell wall, which provides space for the adsorption of multilayer water. After MMA in situ polymerization, the hydration and dissolved water content of the PMMA/DW decreased significantly, and the dissolved water content decreased even more significantly. The fitting curves of the H-H model and GDW model for the experimental data points of the differently treated samples were similar. The removal of lignin led to the increase of the w value, indicating that the ratio of water molecules adsorbed in the first layer of DW to the second layer increased, and the removal of lignin resulted in the enhancement of wood hygroscopicity; the opposite was true for the PMMA/DW. Full article

In this work, Ni-doped ordered nanoporous carbon was prepared by a simple and green one-pot solvent evaporation induced self-assembly process, where chestnut wood tannins were used as a precursor, Pluronic^® F-127 as a soft template, and Ni²⁺ as a crosslinking agent and catalytic component. The prepared carbon exhibited a 2D hexagonally ordered nanorod array mesoporous structure with an average pore diameter of ~5 nm. Nickel was found to be present on the surface of nanoporous carbon in the form of nickel oxide, nickel hydroxide, and metallic nickel. Nickel nanoparticles, with an average size of 13.1 nm, were well dispersed on the carbon surface. The synthesized carbon was then tested for the removal of methylene blue under different conditions. It was found that the amount of methylene blue removed increased with increasing pH and concentration of carbon but decreased with increasing concentration of methylene blue. Furthermore, photocatalytic tests carried out under visible light illumination showed that purple light had the greatest effect on the methylene blue adsorption/degradation, with the maximum percent degradation achieved at ~4 h illumination time, and that the percent degradation at lower concentrations of methylene blue was much higher than that at higher concentrations. The adsorption/degradation process exhibited pseudo second-order kinetics and strong initial adsorption, and the prepared carbon showed high magnetic properties and good recyclability. Full article

This study explores the modification of lignin with surfactants, which can be used as a template to make mesoporous structures, and can also be used in combination with manganese oxide to produce manganese oxide/lignin-derived carbon. Organosolv extraction, using ethanol (70%) at 150 °C, was carried out to extract lignin from oil palm wood. Lignin was then mixed with Pluronic F-127, with and without Mn(NO₃)₂, and then crosslinked with acidic formaldehyde, resulting in a carbon precursor-based modified lignin. Carbonization was carried out at 900 °C to produce lignin-derived carbon and manganese oxide/lignin-derived carbon. The characterization materials included Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and N₂-sorption analysis. FTIR curves displayed the vibration bands of lignin and manganese oxide. SEM images exhibited the different morphological characteristics of carbon from LS120% (lignin with a Pluronic surfactant of 120%) and LS120%Mn20% (lignin with a Pluronic of 120% and Mn oxide of 20%). Carbon LS120% (C-LS120%) showed the highest specific surface area of 1425 m²/g with a mean pore size of 3.14 nm. The largest mean pore size of 5.23 nm with a specific surface area of 922 m²/g was exhibited by carbon LS120%-Mn20% (C-LS120%-Mn20%). C-LS120%Mn20% features two phases of Mn oxide crystals. The highest specific capacitance of 345 F/g was exhibited by C-LS120%-Mn20%. Full article

Understanding physical phenomena related to fluid flow transport in plants and especially through wood is still a major challenge for the scientific community. To this end, we have focused our attention on the design of wood-mimicking polymeric architectures through a strategy based on the double porogen templating approach which relies on the use of two distinct types of porogens, namely aligned nylon threads and a porogenic solvent, to produce macro- and nanoporosity levels, respectively. A bio-based phenolic functional monomer, i.e., vanillin methacrylate, was employed to mimic either hard wood or soft wood. Upon free-radical polymerization with a crosslinking agent in the presence of both types of porogenic agents, followed by their removal, biporous materials with anistotropic tubular macropores surrounded by a nanoporous matrix were obtained. They were further fully characterized in terms of porosity and chemical composition via mercury intrusion porosimetry, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microtomography. It was demonstrated that the two porosity levels could be independently tuned by varying structural parameters. Further, the possibility to chemically modify the pore surface and thus to vary the material surface properties was successfully demonstrated by reductive amination with model compounds via Raman spectroscopy and water contact angle measurements. Full article

Wood-based materials in current additive manufacturing (AM) feedstocks are primarily restricted to the micron scale. Utilizing large-scale wood in existing AM techniques remains a challenge. This paper proposes an AM method—laser-cut veneer lamination (LcVL)—for wood-based product fabrication. Inspired by laminated object manufacturing (LOM) and plywood technology, LcVL bonds wood veneers in a layer-upon-layer manner. As demonstrated by printed samples, LcVL was able to retain the advantageous qualities of AM, specifically, the ability to manufacture products with complex geometries which would otherwise be impossible using subtractive manufacturing techniques. Furthermore, LcVL-product structures designed through adjusting internal voids and wood-texture directionality could serve as material templates or matrices for functional wood-based materials. Numerical analyses established relations between the processing resolution of LcVL and proportional veneer thickness (layer height). LcVL could serve as a basis for the further development of large-scale wood usage in AM. Full article

Traceability of natural resources, from the cradle to the final product is a crucial issue to secure sustainable material usage as well as to optimize and control processes over the whole supply chain. In the forest products industries the material can be tracked by different technologies, but for the first step of material flow, from the forest to the industry, no systematic and complete technology has been developed. On the way to close this data gap the fingerprint technology for wooden logs looks promising. It uses inherent properties of a wood stem for identification. In this paper hyperspectral cameras are applied to gain images of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) log end faces in different spectral ranges. The images are converted to a biometric template of feature vectors and a matching algorithm is used to evaluate if the biometric templates are similar or not. Based on this, matching scores specific spectral ranges which contain information to distinguish between different log end faces are identified. The method developed in this paper is a necessary and successful step to define scanning system parameters for fingerprint recognition systems for wood log traceability from the forest. Full article

Wood supply chain performance suffers from risks intensified by more frequent and extreme natural calamities such as windstorms, bark beetle infestations, and ice-break treetops. In order to limit further damage and wood value loss after natural calamities, high volumes of salvage wood have to be rapidly transported out of the forest. In these cases, robust decision support and coordinated management strategies based on advanced contingency planning are needed. Consequently, this study introduces a contingency planning toolbox consisting of a discrete event simulation model setup for analyses on an operational level, strategies to cope with challenging business cases, as well as transport templates to analyze outcomes of decisions before real, costly, and long-lasting changes are made. The toolbox enables wood supply managers to develop contingency plans to prepare for increasing risk events and more frequent natural disturbances due to climate change. Crucial key performance indicators including truck to wagon ratios, truck and wagon utilization, worktime coordination, truck queuing times, terminal transhipment volume, and required stockyard are presented for varying delivery time, transport tonnage, and train pick-up scenarios. The strategy BEST FIT was proven to provide robust solutions which saves truck and train resources, as well as keeps transhipment volume on a high level and stockyard and queuing time on a low level. Permission granted for increased truck transport tonnages was evaluated as a potential means to reduce truck trips, if working times and train pick-ups are coordinated. Furthermore, the practical applicability for contingency planning is demonstrated by highly relevant business cases such as limited wagon or truck availability, defined delivery quota, terminal selection, queuing time reduction, or scheduled stock accumulation. Further research should focus on the modeling and management of log quality deterioration and the resulting wood value loss caused by challenging transport and storage conditions. Full article

Two common tree species of Betula alnoides (Betula) and New Zealand pine (Pinups radiata D. Don) were selected as the raw materials to prepare for the partially transparent wood (TW) in this study. Although the sample is transparent in a broad sense, it has color and pattern, so it is not absolutely colorless and transparent, and is therefore called partially transparent. For ease of interpretation, the following “partially transparent wood” is referred to as “transparent wood (TW)”. The wood template (FW) was prepared by removing part of the lignin with the acid delignification method, and then the transparent wood was obtained by impregnating the wood template with a refractive-index-matched resin. The goal of this study is to achieve transparency of the wood (the light transmittance of the prepared transparent wood should be improved as much as possible) by exploring the partial delignification process of different tree species on the basis of retaining the aesthetics, texture and mechanical strength of the original wood. Therefore, in the process of removing partial lignin by the acid delignification method, the orthogonal test method was used to explore the better process conditions for the preparation of transparent wood. The tests of color difference, light transmittance, porosity, microstructure, chemical groups, mechanical strength were carried out on the wood templates and transparent wood under different experimental conditions. In addition, through the three major elements (lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose) test and orthogonal range analysis method, the influence of each process factor on the lignin removal of each tree species was obtained. It was finally obtained that the two tree species acquired the highest light transmittance at the experimental level 9 (process parameters: NaClO₂ concentration 1 wt%, 90 °C, 1.5 h); and the transparent wood retained most of the color and texture of the original wood under partial delignification up to 4.84–11.07%, while the mechanical strength with 57.76% improved and light transmittance with 14.14% higher than these properties of the original wood at most. In addition, the wood template and resin have a good synergy effect from multifaceted analysis, which showed that this kind of transparent wood has the potential to become the functional decorative material. Full article