Fast-growing poplar (Populus tomentosa Carr) can produce wood veneers, but their poor quality restricts their application in construction and building. Modification of wood has the potential to improve its properties. In this study, poplar veneers were impregnated with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to reinforce their performance. The results showed that CaCO3 was uniformly distributed in cell lumens in impregnated veneers. After impregnation, the maximum weight gain rate was up to 41.4%, and water uptake decreased from 6.82% to 0.94%. The hardness increased from 7.6 to 10.0 MPa, and the extent of wear fell from 0.91% to 0.05%. The ignition time was prolonged, and the heat release rate and total heat release were low. Experimental results demonstrated that CaCO3 improved the physical-mechanical properties and flame retardancy of poplar veneers.
The branchwood of fruit trees is being promoted to supplement the fiber material for paper manufacturing in China. This study was conducted to investigate the fiber morphology of walnut branchwood, and to highlight its potential utilizations in papermaking. The effects of the branch diameter, branching level, and tension wood on the fiber morphology were also investigated. The results showed that approximately 65% of the fibers were longer than 900 µm, 95% of the fibers had a slenderness ratio greater than 40, and 67% of the fibers had a Runkel ratio less than 1. It is evident from the results that the fiber morphology of walnut branchwood is reasonably good for paper manufacturing. However, the diameter of the branch does not provide reliable information to predict the fiber morphometrics. In addition, the branching level and tension wood are not very helpful in the screening of fiber raw materials.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.