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Orange orchards are typical Mediterranean crops and a major feature of the heritage of the Mediterranean basin, where they play an important environmental and economic role. Their high availability, low price, and potential industrial application make the development of new and valuable uses of the orange's biomass of high interest. This research was focused: (i) on recognition and mapping of orange cultivation in the Basilicata region; (ii) on the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of extracts;These authors contributed equally to this work. 510MR Bruno et al.In the Field: Chemical characterization of orange biomass (iii) on identification of extractives' traits. To achieve these objectives, the anti-oxidative properties and chemical compounds of the extracts from orange orchard biomass were analyzed. Different extraction techniques were applied, including maceration, ultrasound-assisted extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, and autoclaving. Results demonstrated the potential antioxidant activity of the bark and wood of orange-tree biomass, which has not been investigated before. The relative antioxidant capacity index showed that bark extracts were more effective than wood ones, and accelerated solvent extraction was the most effective process for recovering antioxidants. Chemical characterization by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) showed the presence of different natural compounds, including caffeic acid, alkaloids, and flavonoids. The development of innovative applications that use biomass derivatives could lead to their possible use in the market as a commodity for the chemical or cosmetic industries, giving new added value to the current use of biomass from agricultural practices. Through multi-criteria analysis it was possible to recognize the sustainability of these cropping models and their ecological function, using them for the preservation of environmental resources, environmental quality, and quality of life.

The influence of the thermal modification process on wood machinability was investigated with four minor species of low economic importance. A set of representative experimental samples was machined to the form of disks with sharp and dull tools. The resulting surface quality was visually evaluated by a team of experts according to the American standard procedure ASTM D-1666-87. The objective quantification of the surface quality was also done by means of a three dimensions (3D) surface scanner for the whole range of grain orientations. Visual assessment and 3D surface analysis showed a good agreement in terms of conclusions. The best quality of the wood surface was obtained when machining thermally modified samples. The positive effect of the material modification was apparent when cutting deodar cedar, black pine and black poplar in unfavorable conditions (i.e., against the grain). The difference was much smaller for an easy-machinability specie such as Italian alder. The use of dull tools resulted in the worst surface quality. Thermal modification has shown a very positive effect when machining with dull tools, leading to a relevant increment of the final surface smoothness.

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Abstract:Oriented strand board (OSB) are widely marketed for several applications, from building to packaging. The manufacturing of poplar OSB has recently started in Northern Italy, representing a relevant innovation in the sector, given that this product is usually made of coniferous wood. Thermal treatment is nowadays widely used for increasing the dimensional stability and the durability of wood. The drawback is, however, that the mechanical performance of the treated wood product is reduced. The objective of this research was to analyze the effect of thermo-vacuum treatment on the characteristics of poplar OSB. To this purpose, boards 15 mm thick and with a density of 590 kg/m 3 were drawn from the standard production of the manufacturer and thermally treated under vacuum conditions at 190 • C for 2 h. Their mass loss, bending strength, modulus of elasticity, internal bond and swelling were determined. In addition, color change and wettability were studied before and after a weathering test. The thermal treatment significantly changed the properties of poplar OSB. The mass, the bending strength, the modulus of elasticity and the internal bond decreased with different intensities. The swelling after immersion in water decreased. The color switched toward a darker tone and the wettability decreased. After an accelerated weathering test (AWT), the color lightened, and the wettability increased. Overall, this study broadened the knowledge about the thermal treatment of this wood-based panel, which could enable new applications with particular attention to non-structural uses in humid conditions.

Eucalyptus spp. has received attention from the research and industrial field as a biomass crop because of its fast growth and high productivity. The features of this species match with the increasing demand for wood for energy production. Commonly, the wood used for energy production is converted in chips, a material susceptible to microbial degradation and energy losses if not properly stored before conversion. This study aims at investigating two outdoor storage systems of Eucalyptus wood chips (covered vs. uncovered), assessing the variation in moisture content, dry matter losses and fuel characteristics. The class size of the material was P16, which was obtained using a commercial chipper appositely searched to conduct the study. The results highlighted how the different storage methods were influenced by the climatic condition: the woody biomass covered showed the best performances in terms of dry matter losses achieving 2.7% losses vs. the 8.5% of the uncovered systems. However, fuel characteristics displayed minor changes that affected the final energy balance (∆En = −0.2% in covered; ∆En = −6.17% in uncovered). Particle size varied in both methods with respect to the start conditions, but the variation was not enough to determine a class change, which remained P16 even after storage.