A test method for measuring formaldehyde from urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins at high temperature was developed and used to assess the influence of the reaction pH on the formaldehyde emission and heat stability of the cured resins. Additionally, solid-state ~3C CP/MAS nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques were used to investigate the structure of cured UF resins before and after high temperature heating. Formaldehyde emissions during the cure were related to the UF resins' methylol group content. The heat stability of cured UF resins synthesized under strongly acidic conditions was much higher than that of the other resins, which were prepared in weakly acidic and alkaline media. Solid-state ~3C CP/MAS NMR spectra showed that formaldehyde emission from cured UF resins after heating is mainly ascribable to decreased methylol groups and dimethylene ether linkages. Significantly, it was revealed that uron structures characteristically found in the cured UF resin synthesized under strongly acidic medium indicated high heat stability.
Bagasse flour (BF) was liquefied using bi-component polyhydric alcohol (PA) as a solvent and phosphoric acid as a catalyst in a microwave reactor. The effect of BF to solvent ratio and reaction temperatures on the liquefaction extent and characteristics of liquefied products were evaluated. The results revealed that almost 75% of the raw bagasse was converted into liquid products within 9 min at 150 °C with a BF to solvent ratio of 1/4. The hydroxyl and acid values of the liquefied bagasse (LB) varied with the liquefied conditions. High reaction temperature combining with low BF to solvent ratio resulted in a low hydroxyl number for the LB. The molecular weight and polydispersity of the LB from reactions of 150 °C was lower compared to that from 125 °C. Rigid polyurethane (PU) foams were prepared from LB and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), and the structural, mechanical and thermal properties of the PU foam were evaluated. The PU foams prepared using the LB from high reaction temperature showed better physical and mechanical performance in comparison to those from low reaction temperature. The amount of PA in the LB has the ability of increasing thermal stability of LB-PU foams. The results in this study may provide fundamental information on integrated utilizations of sugarcane bagasse via microwave liquefaction process.
The bark of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray) Parl. was extracted with methanol and sequentially partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and deionized water. The antioxidant activities of the four extracts were evaluated using the DPPH• and ABTS+• methods. The total phenolic content of the extracts was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method and expressed as gallic acid equivalents (GAE). Butylated hydroxytoluene was used as a positive control in the radical-scavenging activity tests. All the bark extracts showed significant radical-scavenging activity. In the ABTS+• assay, n-butanol extracts exhibited the strongest radical-scavenging activity, followed by ethyl acetate, water, and n-hexane extracts. The greatest total phenolic content was 428.54 mg GAE per gram of dry extract and was detected in the n-butanol extract, followed by the ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts. The antioxidant activities correlate with the amount of phenolics present in these extracts. The ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts were rich in phenolics and may represent a good source of antioxidants.
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