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In order to extend the application of black liquor (BL), amino group was introduced in lignin through Mannich reaction. The structure of the aminated black liquor (ABL) was characterized with FT-IR, elemental analysis, the zeta potential and the inherent viscosity. The foam generated by ABL was more stable, for the surface tension was lower. The results of the mortar test indicated that the water-retention rate of the fresh mortar incorporated with 0.3 wt% ABL was 89.1%; the consistency loss was about 39.7% after 4 h. When the dosage was less than 0.3 wt%, ABL could increase the bond strength of the hardened mortars. The results showed that ABL could be used as an effective ready-mixed wet mortar admixture. This study not only provided a new method to develop new mortar admixture, but also alleviated the pollution of BL.

Cement is one of the mostly used construction materials due to its high durability and low cost, but it suffers from brittle fracture and facile crack initiation. This article describes the use of naturally-derived renewable cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) to reinforce cement. The effects of CNFs on the mechanical properties, degree of hydration (DOH), and microstructure of cement pastes have been studied. It is found that an addition of 0.15% by weight of CNFs leads to a 15% and 20% increase in the flexural and compressive strengths of cement paste. The enhancement in mechanical strength is attributed to high DOH and dense microstructure of cement pastes after adding CNFs., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This work assesses the effects of white rice husk ash (WRHA) as pozzolanic material, virgin kraft pulp (VKP), old corrugated container (OCC) and fibers derived from fiberboard (FFB) as reinforcing agents on some properties of blended cement composites. In the sample preparation, composites were manufactured using fiber-to-cement ratio of 25:75 by weight and 5% CaCl(2) as accelerator. Type II Portland cement was replaced by WRHA at 0%, 25% and 50% by weight of binder. A water-to-binder ratio of 0.55 was used for all blended cement paste mixes. For parametric study, compressive strength, water absorption and density of the composite samples were evaluated. Results showed that WRHA can be applied as a pozzolanic material to cement and also improved resistance to water absorption. However, increasing the replacement level of WRHA tends to reduce the compressive strength due to the low binding ability. The optimum replacement level of WRHA in mortar was 25% by weight of binder; this replacement percentage resulted in better compressive strengths and water absorption. OCC fiber is shown to be superior to VKF and FFB fibers in increasing the compressive strength, due to its superior strength properties. As expected, the increase of the WRHA content induced the reduction of bulk density of the cement composites. Statistical analysis showed that the interaction of above-mentioned variable parameters was significant on the mechanical and physical properties at 1% confidence level., (Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Utilization potential of membrane filtration retentate (concentrate) of bleach plant effluent from paper industry, in bricks production, was investigated in the present study. Bricks were prepared by using retentate of membrane filtration in place of water. The physical properties measured for bricks were dimensions, density, moisture content, compressive strength, water absorption and porosity. Chemical analysis of the bricks was performed for water leachability and acid leachability, using ASTM Standard methods D 3987-06 and D 5233-92 respectively. The leachate samples were analyzed for Al, Cu, Fe, Co, Cr, Pb, Ni and Zn using AAS (atomic absorption spectrophotometer). Adsorbable organic halides (AOX) of leachate were analyzed by using AOX analyzer model ECS 1200 using column method. It was observed that the physical and chemical properties of bricks especially fire clay bricks were not adversely affected by the use of wastewater. Therefore, the organic matter of the retentate of membrane filtration creates no problems for this application., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To survey paperboard products from 17 US mills for bacterial populations and for bacteria potentially harmful to human health., Methods and Results: Culturable aerobic bacteria were isolated from paperboard products using selective and nonselective medium. Resulting colonies from samples from three regions of the United States were identified using fatty acid methyl ester analysis. Percentages of bacteria species found were Bacillus megaterium (47), Bacillus licheniformis (15), Bacillus pumilus (12), Paenibacillus macerans (5), Paenibacillus pabuli (3), Bacillus subtilis (2), Bacillus cereus (2), Bacillus coagulans (1), Bacillus circulans (1), Bacillus brevis (1), Bacillus thuringiensis (1), Paenibacillus polymyxa (1), Cellulomonas turbata (1), Cellulomonas flavigena (1), unidentified Bacillus sp. (3) and unidentified bacteria (1)., Conclusions: Recycled paperboard contained high populations of bacteria, and a positive correlation was found between recycle content and bacterial populations. Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella or confirmed coliform bacteria were not found in any product., Significance and Impact of the Study: Populations of bacteria did not differ significantly from original counts over a 4-month period of dry storage, indicating that bacteria persist in paperboard over long periods and may re-enter the recycling process. The predominance of heat-tolerant endospore-forming bacteria explains the high bacteria counts found in paperboard made from recycled materials.

The flame retardancy of medium density fiberboard (MDF) made from mixture of rubberwood fibers and recycled old corrugated containers was studied. Aluminum trihydroxide (ATH) was used as a fire retardant additive and mixed with the fibers to manufacture experimental MDF panels using wet process. Phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin in liquid, 2% based on oven dry weight of fibers, was used along with 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% of ATH. The flame retardant test was done using the limiting oxygen index (LOI) test. The other properties investigated include internal bond strength, thickness swelling and water absorption. The results showed that ATH loading increased as the LOI of MDF increased. This demonstrated that ATH could improved the fire retardant property of MDF at sufficient loading. An increase in concentration of ATH showed an increase in the IB values of MDF made without resin. MDF panels made without resin showed a progressive increase in internal bond as the composition of recycled old corrugated containers fiber increased. Addition of resin improved internal bond strength and reduced thickness swelling, and water absorption. Thickness swelling of panel increased as the composition of recycled old corrugated containers fiber increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) showed that there is indication of ATH and resin filling the void space in between fibers.