C5v: Forest Products

The Amazon Rainforest is one of the main producers of tropical timber, covering an area of 550 million hectares. From this amount, 320 million (60%) are within the Brazilian territory. Besides, it houses about 50% of the world's biodiversity and 50% of the world’s tropical timber reserve, with variability of up to 300 wood-producing species per hectare. Due to this variability, many species are still technologically unknown and consequently they are not commercially used, especially for high value-added products. Good surface finish will improve the look and durability of these products. Thus, this research evaluated the quality of surface finishes on Amazonian wood species; namely, Byrsonima crispa, Eschweilera odora, Eschweilera coriacea, Manilkara amazonica and Inga alba, harvested from the Experimental Station of Tropical Silviculture, INPA. Specimens with the dimensions 10x150x650mm were cut and prepared by planing and sanding (60-320). Alkyd, Acrylic Water Based, Nitrocellulose, Polyurethane varnishes were applied with specifications for internal use. Statistical analysis (Anova/Tuckey) was applied to evaluate the effect of species/varnish factors. The properties of the finishes were evaluated via gloss, adhesion and abrasion resistance tests (ABNT 14535:2008). The adhesion was classified as G1, with up to 5% of the detached film area, the polyurethane presented the lowest performance. The abrasion wear rate, adhesion and gloss were affected only by the varnish factor. Regarding the abrasion test, the nitrocellulose and polyurethane presented the lowest and highest performances, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the species factor had no effect on the properties of finishes.

Na Amazônia, madeiras efetivamente explorada para fins comerciais estão restrita a pouco mais de uma dezena de espécies, entretanto, a floresta produz uma grande variedade, com elevada densidade populacional. A espécie Micrandropsis scleroxylon ocorre com grande freqüência em florestas de terra firme no Amazonas/Brasil, entretanto, seu baixo diâmetro e a falta de informações técnicas impossibilitam uma aplicação dessa biomassa. O trabalho teve como objetivos determinar as propriedades físicas, mecânicas e químicas da madeira piãozinho utilizando metodologia tradicional e não destrutiva. Amostras de três árvores foram obtidas da Estação Experimental de Silvicultura Tropical/INPA/BRASIL. Para os ensaios químicos obteve-se a serragem a 60 mesh (ASTM, 2013) e para os testes físico-mecânicos foram confeccionados corpos-de-prova de acordo com as normas técnicas de cada ensaio (NBR 7190, 1997). As concentrações de extrativos totais, polifenóis totais, solubilidade em água quente e NaOH para a madeira de piãozinho foram de 5,17%, 8,91%, 14,69 e 9,00% respectivamente. Nestes materiais encontram-se vários compostos de baixo peso molecular, tais como resinas, gomas, terpenos, alcalóides, flavonóides entre outros. Para os macrocomponentes lignina e celulose os resultados foram 34,30% e 48,18%. Os resultados das propriedades físico-mecânicas estão dentro daqueles obtidos para madeiras amazônicas. O teor de umidade da madeira foi de 14,03%, e sua superfície apresentou grã regular com textura média. A Densidade básica foi de 0,645 g/cm³, com MOE de 14,212 MPa. A caracterização tecnológica da madeira de piãozinho é uma etapa primordial para indicação desta espécie no manejo sustentável da Amazônia.

For the development of natural fibres and thermoplastic polymers composites, chemical modifications are generally required for compatibilization. The esterification reaction promotes fibre surface functionalization from the reaction of the hydroxyl groups which are transformed into hydrophobic ester linkages, which consequently increases the hydrophobicity of the fibres and, therefore, the compatibility between the fibre and polymer. Acetylation is the widely esterification method used and has been used at an industrial scale because it is relatively simple, safe and inexpensive. Numerous acetylation methods can be used by varying the type of solvent, catalyst, time and temperature of reaction. The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of 4 acetylation methods onto bleached Eucalyptus cellulose fibres. Bleached cellulose fibres was obtained through paper mill process. The acetylation was conducted using acetic anhydride as an acetylating agent, acetic acid or toluene as the solvent and sulfuric acid as the catalyst. Temperatures of 30°C, 60°C and 120°C were used. The acetylation time was 3 and 24 hours. Acetylated fibres were characterized for physical, chemical, and morphological aspects by acid-base titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis, X-Ray Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy. All acetylation methods showed partial substitution of the hydroxyl groups for the acetyl groups. The crystallinity of the fibres was reduced according to the efficiency of the method. Changes in fibre morphology were significant mainly in acetylation methods with prolonged reaction time (24h). It was concluded that the acetylation methods conducted with longer reaction times are more efficient.

Although widely used in the wood industry, moisture measurements made with electric hand-held meters are only estimates. For more accurate measurements it is necessary to perform calibrations and comparisons based on the oven-drying method. This work aimed to carry out a preliminary study to determine the best scale of use of a resistive moisture meter in five exotic timber species planted in Brazil. The resistive-type meter Gann Hydromette HT65 and the species Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla, Khaya sp., K. senegalensis, K.ivorensis, and Toona ciliata were used. According to the results of the Student's t-test (paired) performed between measurements of the four scales of the device vs. those of the oven-dried method, it is preliminarily recommended to use the following scales by species: 2 - E. grandis x E. urophylla, Khaya sp. and K. senegalensis; 3 - K.ivorensis; and 4 - Toona ciliata.

A caracterização tecnológica consiste na avaliação das propriedades químicas, físicas e mecânicas da madeira, com objetivo de indicar o uso racional. Os ensaios das propriedades da madeira são em geral destrutivos que demandam alto custo e tempo. A espectroscopia no infravermelho próximo (NIR) vem sendo utilizada para predição da qualidade da madeira. Esta ferramenta permite estimar várias características sem a necessidade de preparação da amostra, em menor tempo e com a mesma confiabilidade dos resultados dos ensaios tradicionais. O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar a madeira de Murici por meio de metodologia não destrutiva (FT-NIR). Byrsonima crispa tem grande ocorrência nas parcelas onde são inventariadas em vários sítios do Amazonas/Brasil, e apresenta em geral baixo diâmetro (20-50cm) em relação a espécies madeireiras. Sua madeira é castanha escura, apresenta grã regular com textura média, a densidade básica foi de 0,49 g/cm³, enquanto o teor de umidade foi de 12,30% e o poder calorífico superior foi de 4.873 kcal/g. O modulo de elasticidade foi de 11.535 MPa. Esses resultados são semelhantes aos descritos para madeiras da Amazônia. Nas estimativas químicas, polifenóis totais e extrativos totais foram de 6,05 e 5,53%, respectivamente, enquanto, para lignina e celulose bruta as concentrações foram de 32,52 e 55,62%, e cinzas 0,61%. Estes resultados foram preditos de modelos FT-NIR com alto coeficiente de correlação (R²<0,90) e baixos erros de calibração e previsão. O resultado desta caracterização indica que a madeira de Murici pode se adequada para uso interior e não estrutural.

O fruto açaí é relevante na alimentação e ganhos econômicos de famílias extrativistas da Amazônia. O crescente aumento da demanda nos mercados nacional e internacional pelos seus sub(produtos) amplia a renda e o poder de compra das famílias, gerando o risco de redução da soberania alimentar. Neste estudo foram quantificados o consumo e a venda de açaí (rasas) por famílias extrativistas da Ilha das Cinzas, Gurupá-Pará. A técnica utilizada foi o monitoramento com “calendário do açaí”, onde 28 famílias preencheram diariamente o consumo, a produção e o valor (U$) da rasa de açaí durante os meses de março a junho de 2018. O consumo total familiar de açaí foi 1203 rasas/16240,5 kg, sendo abril e junho os meses de menor e maior consumo, respectivamente, média/família de 43 rasas/580 kg, aproximadamente. A produção total de açaí vendida foi 1731,5 rasas/23375,25 kg, média de 62 rasas/837 kg/família. Em média, o consumo representou 41% da produção, devido ao período de entressafra. Os meses de março e junho foram os de menor e maior volume vendidos, 42 rasas/567 kg e 919 rasas/12406,5 kg, com valor médio da rasa de 21,86 e 6,2, respectivamente. Os valores mínimo e máximo por rasa foram 2,69 e 61,83. O volume de açaí consumido e vendido pelas famílias demonstra a importância do açaí para a soberania alimentar e da atividade econômica para a região estuarina amazônica. Isso corrobora com estudos que indicam sua contribuição elevada na renda de famílias extrativistas ribeirinhas, em torno de 70%.

The effect of oblique cutting on the chipping mechanism of the chipper-canter was studied. A  bent knife type was modified in order to obtain an inclination angle (IA) of 30° and 50° between the chipping edge and the log feeding direction. The standard knife had an IA of 40°. These three  knives were tested on 15 logs each, under frozen and unfrozen conditions. Logs knot characteristics and physical properties were measured. Experiments revealed that IA had a significant effect on chip formation mechanism. The IA affected how the chipping edge entered the log and the form of the wood slice that was transform into chips. These changes provoked  variations in the chip size. A 30° IA produce wider chips, mostly in the first half of the cut, shaped as an elongated parallelepiped that resulted from a tangential, oblique, and radial splitting in a single chip. Chips obtained with IAs of 40° and 50° resulted in chips shaped more as an upright parallelepiped that were detached mostly by radial and/or oblique splittings. At the beginning and at the end of the cut, chips were produced by tangential splitting. As a result, chip mean thickness increased with the decrease in IA. Knot ratio, basic density, heartwood moisture content, and total knot area were the main covariates affecting chip size distribution. Chipping of frozen wood reduced the chip size. The amount of acceptable chips increased by 6% due to an increase in the IA from 30° to 50° and by 8% when chipping unfrozen wood compared to frozen wood.

Olive fruit residue is rich in hydroxytyrosol and other polyphenols, which haveantioxidant, lipid regulation, anti-tumor and other biological activities. The hydroxyl group in the side chain of hydroxytyrogenol can produce new β -ketoester compounds by transesterification. β -keto ester is considered to be an effective intermediate in organic synthesis because of its electrophilic carbonyl group  and nucleophilic carbon. In this study, hydroxy tyrosol was used as the substrate to prepare β -ketone ester by transesterification, and then dihydropyrimidinone derivatives were prepared from the intermediate. The inhibitory effects of different target compounds on α -glucosidase and α -amylase activities were also investigated. The results showed that tyrosol β -ketone derivatives prepared by benzyl protected phenolic hydroxyl groups had better inhibitory effects on the two enzymes. At the same time, the inhibitory effect of 3,4-dihydropyrimidinone derivatives prepared by this kind of compounds on enzyme activity was significantly increased, and compared with other substituents, The inhibitory effect of fluorine derivatives on the two enzymes was more obvious. This study provides a new idea for the efficient utilization of olive fruit dregs, and has a certain reference value for the development of new active drug intermediates for the treatment of diabetes.

Due to the importance of characterization and standardization of wood as raw material for different end uses, this work aimed to demonstrate the color variability of eight Amazonian woods species (Cumaru - Dipteryx odorata (Aubl.) Willd., Itaúba - Mezilaurus lindaviana Schwacke & Mez., Muirapixuna – Cassia L. Maparajuba - Manilkara amazonica (Huber) Standl., Sapucaia – Lecythidaceae A. Rich A.Rich., Tauari - Couratari guianensis Aubl., Tanimbuca - Buchenavia capitata (Vahl) Eichler and Timborana - Piptadenia communis Benth.) using quantitative colorimetry. The determination of color of these wood species was conducted using the CIE La*b* system and the chromatic coordinates L*, a*, b*, C* and h. The wood species, obtained at the Forest Products Laboratory (LPF) of the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB), were conditioned in a controlled room with temperature and humidity to reach 12% equilibrium moisture content. Ten samples were scanned per species at 10 random colorimetric reading points on the tangential face of each sample. According to results, the wood species were classified as: Cumaru and Sapucaia - brownish yellow., Itaúba - olive brown., Maparajuba - redish brown., Muirapixuna and Tanimbuca – olive., Tauari and Timborana - yellowish olive. Additionally, it was concluded by the clarity (L*) that species Sapucaia, Tauari and Timborana were considered light-colored and the others dark-colored and the ink angle h, in the CIE La * b * system of all colors of wood studied, remained in the first quadrant (between 0º and 90º). These results may assist in the identification of timber species in commercialization or control.