Co-Pyrolysis of Neem Wood Bark and Low-Density Polyethylene: Lnfluence of Plastic on Pyrolysis Product Distribution and Bio-Oil Characterization

In this study, the investigation on effect of plastic during co-pyrolysis with biomass has been carried out in a fixed reactor. Pyrolysis of neem wood bark (NB), low density polyethylene (LDPE) and their blends at different ratios is performed in order to evaluate the product distribution. The effects of reaction temperature, NB-to-LDPE blend ratio on product distribution and chemical compositions of bio-oil are examined. The co-pyrolysis of NB and LDPE increased the yield and quality of the bio-oil. The experiments are conducted under different LDPE addition percentage such as 20%, 40%, 50%, 60% and 80%. Under the optimum experimental condition of 60% addition of LDPE and temperature of 450°C, the maximum yield of bio-oil (64.8 wt%) and hydrocarbon (75.2%) are achieved with the lowest yield of oxygenated compounds. The calorific value of the co-pyrolytic oil is found to be higher than that of NB pyrolytic oil. The relation between NB and LDPE during co-pyrolysis has been validated by GC–MS analysis, which shows in decrease of oxygenated compounds.

FLAT-PRESSED WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITES FROM COMMUNITY FOREST WOOD BARK AND RECYCLED POLYPROPYLENE: THE EFFECT OF PRESSING TEMPERATURE ON THE PHYSICAL, MECHANICAL, AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

The article describes a new idea related to the use of wood bark powder as a filler material in the production of wood plastic composites using flat-pressed method, based on its thermal stability and abundant availability, enabling replacing wood powder, which has been widely used. This research aims to study the effect of temperature on the physical, mechanical, and morphological properties of flat-pressed wood plastic composites made from Gmelina arborea bark and recycled polypropylene. A 40:60 mesh (5% moisture content) of G. arborea bark powder was mixed with recycled polypropylene (RPP) pellets with a weight ratio of 40:60 and a maleic anhydride (MAH) modifier as much as 5% of the weight of the RPP was added. Mixing the ingredients is done in a rotating blender for 15 minutes at a speed of 80 rpm until homogeneous. The mixture was heated at 175oC until the RPP pellets were completely melted and then cooled at room temperature. After that, the material mixture was made into powder and filtered, and then moulded in a steel plate mould at temperatures of 160, 165, and 170oC under a pressure of 30 kg/cm2 for 4 minutes with a target density of 1 g/cm3. Physical properties including density, moisture content, water absorption, thickness swelling, and volume shrinkage according to ASTM D570 standard were determined. Mechanical properties, such as modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rapture (MOR), referring to ASTM D7031 standard, and tensile strength parallel to panel length, referring to ASTM D638 standard, were also evaluated. In addition, composite morphology was also studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the increasing of pressing temperature had a significant effect on the improvement of moisture content, water absorption, thickness swelling, volume shrinkage, and MOR. MOR value increased by 34.12% when the pressing temperature increased form 160oC up to 170oC. Our method allows improving the physical and mechanical properties of wood bark plastic composites based on a pressing temperature of 170oC.

Comparative Effects of Different Types of Biochar on Physical Properties of Soil And Growth of Maize

The current pot trial was conducted to estimate the impacts of different types of biochar on the growth and nutrients availability of maize (Zea mays) and their effects on the properties of soil. Treatments including four different feedstock based biochar i.e wheat straw, rice husk, corn cob and wood bark were applied to the soil in 10 kg pots @ 1.5% w/w. The experiment was carried out using complete randomized design (CRD). The crop was harvested after the plants have completed their vegetative growth. Physiological parameters of the crop (plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content) were measured before harvesting while shoot mass (fresh and dry) and root mass (fresh and dry) were calculated after harvesting of the crop. The data showed a significant difference when compared with the control. Plant height was significantly increased from 140cm (control) to 159.9cm in T4 (wood bark biochar). Experimental soil was analyzed in the laboratory for NPK, water aggregate stability, organic matter and active carbon. Wet aggregate stability value of the soil was improved from 17.82% to 19.5%. Similarly soil active carbon was significantly improved from 259.33 ppm to 321.25 ppm. The data showed more significant results of wood bark biochar. Nutrient availability in the soil and plant nutrients uptake N (21.6%), P (31.25%) and K (45%) was increased as a results of biochar incorporation in the soil.

INFLUENCE OF THE MODIFIED WOOD BARK "UNISORB-BIO" ON THE RESTORATION OF SOILS CONTAMI-NATED WITH OIL

The article examines the effect of the "Unisorb-Bio" carbamide sorbent modified with wood bark on the biodegradation of fuel oil using the example of artificially contaminated soil. It is shown that for 100 days of exposure "Unisorb-Bio" and actinomycetes immobilized on it (Streptomyces exfoliatus strain) are able to effectively decompose fuel oil. The maximum value of the degree of destruction of fuel oil was 82.7% in soil samples with a sorbent modified with birch bark. In the samples with larch bark, this figure is 7.3% lower. The degree of destruction of fuel oil in the control soil sample (soil with fuel oil) for the entire exposure period was – 27.4%. If this figure is taken as the background, then only the direct contribution to the degradation of fuel oil biosorbent is 45.1%; biosorbent with 0.2% diammofoska – 55%; sorbent without microorganisms – 33.8%. The results showed that the used carbamide sorbent with immobilized and native microflora is capable of effectively decomposing fuel oil to concentrations that allow the transition to agrotechnical measures. Thus, sowing watercress on soils after the end of the experiment showed that seed germination is 50–60%, which suggests that residual concentrations of fuel oil are relatively harmless to the root system of plants and the completion of the bioremidation process can be carried out by growing plants that are resistant to residual concentrations of pollutants. In general, the result confirms the effectiveness of the applied method in accelerating bioremidation processes, but further development is required in the direction of creating mixed associations of UVOM.