Hemicellulose Extraction of Mixed Southern Hardwoods
Sefik Tunc, Ph.D Thesis DefenseThursday July 17th, 2008
10:00am - Soderberg Lecture Hall
10:00am - Soderberg Lecture Hall
Hemicelluloses derived from biomass are presently underutilized. In order to develop more profitable biorefinery processes, the mechanism responsible for hemicellulose removal by pretreatments must be further explored. The hydrothermal dissolution profile of the main wood components, cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, of a hardwood mixture during autohydrolysis were investigated. The effect of time and temperature on the extraction yield and the dissolution yield of major wood components (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) can be expressed by a single relationship as a function of P-factor. The composition of a precipitate formed by addition of 4 parts of ethanol to hemicellulose extract was determined. Almost all lignin in the ethanol precipitate is bound to low molecular weight carbohydrates. However, the majority of carbohydrates present in the precipitates is found to be lignin free. Lignin-Carbohydrate Complexes (LCCs) are also quantified in the present study. Four LCCs have been identified and their development during autohydrolysis has been determined.
Forest Biorefineries Producing Pulp, Biofuels, Chemicals and Polymers
Presented by Dr. Adriaan van HeiningenThursday July 17th, 2008
3:00-4:00pm - Soderberg Lecture Hall, Jenness Hall
3:00-4:00pm - Soderberg Lecture Hall, Jenness Hall
Seminar is part of our REU speaker series.
The Role of Forest Operations to the Forest Bioproducts Industry
Presented by Dr. Jeff BenjaminThursday July 24th, 2008
3:00-4:00pm - Soderberg Lecture Hall
3:00-4:00pm - Soderberg Lecture Hall
Seminar is part of our REU speaker series.
Assembling Materials from Nanoscale Building Blocks
Richard Siegel, Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center and Materials Science and Engineering Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteMonday July 28th, 2008
1:00pm - Bangor Room, Memorial Union
1:00pm - Bangor Room, Memorial Union
The past decade has seen an explosive growth worldwide in the physical, chemical, and biological synthesis and study of a wide range of nanoscale building blocks with unique properties. Great strides are now being made worldwide in our ability to assemble these nanoscale building blocks to create advanced materials and devices with novel properties and functionalities. The novel properties of nanostructures are derived from their confined sizes and their very large surface-to-volume ratios. The former give rise to unique size-dependent properties in the nanoscale (1-100 nm) regime, while the latter gives rise to the ability of nanoscale additions to conventional material matrices to dramatically change the host material's properties. A perspective of this important research area will be presented based upon specific examples from our work in the Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures supported by the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Initiative of the U.S. National Science Foundation. Examples will be given of directed assembly of nanoparticles, nanotubes, and hybrid structures containing these and polymers or biomolecules, to make new materials and devices that possess enhanced mechanical, electrical, optical, or bioactive properties, as well as some multifunctional combinations thereof. The opportunities and challenges facing the worldwide research community in moving forward in this area will be considered.
Environmental Aesthetics: Does it Matter When it Comes to Forest Biomass Harvesting
Presented by Dr. Jessica LeahyThursday July 31st, 2008
3:00-4:00pm - Soderberg Lecture Hall
3:00-4:00pm - Soderberg Lecture Hall
Seminar is part of our REU speaker series.
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