Characterisation of hardwood fibres used for wood fibre insulation boards (WFIB)

Wood fibre insulation boards (WFIB) are typically made from softwood fibres. However, due to the rapid decrease in softwood stands in Germany, the industry will be forced to adapt to the wood market. Therefore, alternative approaches for the substitution of softwood with hardwood will be needed in the fibre industry. The objective of this paper is to address the characterisation of hardwood fibres regarding their availability for the WFIB industry. The physico-mechanical properties of WFIB are significantly determined by the length of the fibres. Longer softwood fibres usually generate higher strength properties and a lower thermal conductivity than shorter hardwood fibres. In this paper, the potential application of hardwood fibres (up to 20,500 μm long) produced in a refiner by thermo-mechanical pulping (TMP) to WFIB production was examined. The scanner-based system FibreShape was used for the automatic optical analysis of the geodesic length distribution of fibres. The analysed hardwood fibres contained significantly more dust and were shorter than respectively produced softwood fibres, limiting their applicability for WFIB production. Thus, two analytical approaches were chosen to receive longer fibres and less dust: (1) blending hardwood fibres with supporting softwood fibres (20%, 50 and 80% proportion of softwood), and (2) mathematical fractionation of hardwood fibres based on the fibre length to remove all particles smaller than 500 μm. It was concluded that the practical fractionation seems to be economically and ecologically challenging and that blending hardwood fibres with at least 50% softwood fibres offers a promising approach, which should be further studied.

The Seed of Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.): Nutritional Quality and Potential Functionality for Human Health and Nutrition

Hempseeds, the edible fruits of the Cannabis sativa L. plant, were initially considered a by-product of the hemp technical fibre industry. Nowadays, following the restorationing of the cultivation of C. sativa L. plants containing an amount of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) <0.3% or 0.2% (industrial hemp) there is a growing interest for the hempseeds production due to their high nutritional value and functional features. The goal of this review is to examine the scientific literature concerning the nutritional and functional properties of hempseeds. Furthermore, we revised the scientific literature regarding the potential use of hempseeds and their derivatives as a dietary supplement for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory and chronic-degenerative diseases on animal models and humans too. In the first part of the work, we provide information regarding the genetic, biochemical, and legislative aspects of this plant that are, in our opinion essential to understand the difference between “industrial” and “drug-type” hemp. In the final part of the review, the employment of hempseeds by the food industry as livestock feed supplement and as ingredient to enrich or fortify daily foods has also revised. Overall, this review intends to encourage further and comprehensive investigations about the adoption of hempseeds in the functional foods field.

A novel approach for banana (Musa) Pseudo-stem fibre grading Method: Extracted fibres from Sri Lankan Banana Cultivars

Fibre grading systems are recognized as essential for both customers and the manufacturers of natural fibres. Identification or grading of fibre content in textiles and fibre industry has become extremely challenging even for experienced parties in the field. The increasing variety of fibres and blending techniques are the reason for this. Consequently, laboratory tests are very important for grading and verification. This research focuses on observing the surface structure of the banana pseudostem fibre in the light microscope, scanning electron microscope, fineness, strength, chemical solubility, burning behaviours, and grading for different banana varieties. Fibres and fibre bundles were inspected visually and tested. One of the focus of this research is to produce quantifiable observations such as general observation test and feeling test. So the quantitative method can lead to exploring the systemic connection between experimental observation and mathematical expression for the grading of banana fibres. Based on the testing results, a novel grading system was introduced for banana fibres varieties (Sri Lankan cultivar).

Evaluation of Diluted Cellulose Solutions for Nanofiber Production using the Electrospinning Method

This paper discusses the possibility of nanofibre formation in an electrostatic field from cellulose solutions in different solvent systems. Additionally when investigating solutions of various cellulose content, an attempt was made to evaluate these solutions from the viewpoint of their usability for nanofibre formation. The spinnability of the solutions examined was assessed based on observation of the stability of nanofibre formation by the simplest single needle spinning device. The morphology of the samples obtained by electrospinning was studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Spinning dopes were obtained using well-known technologies for cellulose solution preparation applied in the cellulose fibre industry, namely N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) and viscose methods, as well as a mixture of phosphoric acids, which is relatively cheap, easily available and yet not used in industry. Based on the research conducted, it may be concluded that the cellulose solutions in NMMO proved to be the best system for exceptionally stable formation of nanofibres in an electrostatic field.

A European Structural Crisis Cartel as Solution to a Sectoral Depression?

Due to the decline of the Western European textile industry in the 1960s and international economic turbulences in the 1970s, the chemical fibre industry in Western Europe ran into trouble. The ten largest manufacturers of polyester fibres therefore applied for a structural crisis cartel in 1972. Even though the European Commission rejected the request, the question of a cartel agreement remained a topic of discussion at the European level for more than ten years. In June 1978, eleven European manufacturers of chemical fibres signed a cartel agreement in Brussels, but it was not compatible with the Treaty of the European Economic Community. It was not until 1980 that the companies submitted a new contract to the European Commission which was in accordance with antitrust law and renewed in 1982. The article analyses the course of negotiations as well as the driving forces and different aims of political and industrial players on the national and the European level.