In an effort to achieve high mechanical performance and improved dimensional stability, densification combined with oil-heat treatment (OHT) was performed. In our previous study, OHT was successfully applied to densified veneer, which resulted in improved dimensional stability. In the present study, the impact of OHT on densified wood veneer hygroscopicity and mechanical properties was determin...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of climate change on the radial growth, wood structure and chemistry of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). The materials for this study were obtained from climate change studie...

Depolymerization of lignin in wood with hydrogen iodide in a nonpolar solvent is a selective, high-yield reaction that releases a diiodide of potential synthetic value into the solution. Finely milled wood (Douglas-fir, spruce, aspen, and sugarcane), was suspended in CDCl3 and treated with dry hydrogen iodide in a NMR tube. The yields and composition of the chloroform-soluble monomeric lignin d...

Community assembly is an integral process in all ecosystems, producing patterns of species distributions, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning. Environmental filters and colonization history govern the assembly process, but their relative importance varies depending on the study system. Dead wood decomposition is a slow process, allowing decomposer communities to develop within a slowly chan...

BACKGROUND Wood cell walls are rich in cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Hence, they are important sources of renewable biomass for producing energy and green chemicals. However, extracting desired constituents from wood efficiently poses significant challenges because these polymers are highly cross-linked in cell walls and are not easily accessible to enzymes and chemicals. RESULTS We sh...

I would like to thank my advisors, Drs. Sigrid Resh and Evan Kane, for their continued guidance and support in all things academic and research related during my Master of Science program. Thank you for believing in me and choosing me to work on this project. If it weren't for their collaboration, this project would never have happened. Thank you all for the input and advice revolving around so...

Identification of specific genes and enzymes involved in conversion of lignocellulosics from an expanding number of potential feedstocks is of growing interest to bioenergy process development. The basidiomycetous wood decay fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Postia placenta are promising in this regard because they are able to utilize a wide range of simple and complex carbon compounds. How...

BACKGROUND Ionic liquids (ILs) draw attention as green solvents for pretreatment of lignocellulose before enzymatic saccharification. Imidazolium-based ILs with different anionic constituents ([HSO4]-, [Cl]-, [MeCO2]-) were compared with regard to pretreatment of wood from aspen and spruce. The objective was to elucidate how the choice of anionic constituent affected the suitability of using th...

This review summarises the knowledge about the ecology, breeding and management of hybrid aspen (Populus wettsteinii Hämet-Ahti P. tremula L. P. tremuloides Michx.). The review is restricted mainly to Northern Europe, where hybrid aspen has been most intensively studied and cultivated and where it has proved to be one of the fastest-growing hardwoods, suitable for the production of pulpand ener...

Hot water extraction of hemicelluloses from aspen wood chips of different sizes and wood meal was performed, and the extracted hemicelluloses were characterized. With decreasing wood chip size, the total sugars and total polyand oligosaccharides extracted with hot water increased. The dissolution of hemicelluloses was mainly limited by diffusion in the fiber wall and mass transfer from fiber to...