Chemical characterization and morphology of moringa oleifera's wood as potential raw material for biorefineries

La creciente demanda de biomasa forestal ha motivado elcultivo de plantaciones forestales de corta rotación en países desarrollados y en desarrollo.La Moringa oleifera es una especie de rápidocrecimiento que se adapta aun amplio rango de suelos. La incorporación de estaespecie como cultivo forestal en los sistemas silvo-pastoriles permitiría el uso de las semillas y hojas como forraje yproductos medicinales/alimentos de bajo costo, obteniendo una mejor rentabilidad de los productores y mayorsustentabilidad de la actividad. El objetivo de este trabajo es conocer la composición química y la estructura morfológica dela madera de Moringa oleifera dedos edades diferentes (3 años y 8 años) para analizar su potencial usocomo materia prima fibrosa de biorrefinerías.The growing demand for forest biomass has motivated the culture of forest plantations of short rotation in developed and in developing countries. Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing species that is to a wide range of soils. The incorporation of this species as forest cultures in silvopastoral systems would allow the use of seeds and leaves as forage and as low-cost medicinal products and foods, improving the profitability of producers and the greater sustainability of the activity. The aim of this study is to know the chemical composition and morphological structure of the wood of Moringa oleifera of two different ages (3 years-old and 8 years-old) to analyze its potential as raw material for biorefineries.Fil: Benitez, Julieta Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Vallejos, María Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Felissia, Fernando Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentin

Office paper recyclability: fibrous characteristics

Recyclability is the ability of a material to reacquire the same properties it had originally. The aim of this work was to verify the recyclability of three printing and writing papers, from the characteristics of their fibers after two recycles. Three ECF bleached kraft eucalyptus commercial bond papers from Argentina and Brazil were studied (A, B, C). The papers were repulped and refined using different levels and intensities of energy (1st recycle). Laboratory sheets were produced, and they were repulped and refined again (2nd recycle). The microscopic characteristics of repulped papers were obtained by automatic equipment based on image analysis. Differences found in the behavior of the different samples can be explained by fiber parameters. The fiber length was significantly different in the three papers (A > B > C) and globally decreased in the second recycle (about 6%). Sample A had the highest initial fiber length and length/width, but it largely decreased with refining conditions in the 1st recycle (length fall 12%, generating fines by cutting), whereas it fall 9% between the 1st and 2nd recycles, and nothing with refining conditions in the 2nd recycle. Sample B fall by 5% with refining conditions in the 1st recycle, and 9% between the 1st and the 2nd recycle, but suffered few alteration in the second recycle. Fiber length of sample C was unaffected by refining conditions and only decreased 9% between the 1st and 2nd recycles. In all cases, the generated fines increased lightly with refining in the first recycle, but were two-fold higher in the second recycle than in the first one. The fiber coarseness of the 3 samples was similar in the first recycle, but decreases significantly in the 2nd recycleFil: Benitez, Julieta Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Koga, Mariza E. T.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnologicas de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Otero D'Almeida, Maria L.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnologicas de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Felissia, Fernando Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Park, Song W.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentin

Office paper recyclability: first recycling

Paper recyclability implies in the paper capacity to be recycled maintaining its properties to the maximum. Four commercial papers from Argentina and Brazil were studied, including three eucalyptus kraft (A, B, C) and one sugar cane bagasse soda-AQ (D), all with different bleaching processes. Their physical and chemical properties and a first laboratory recycling were evaluated. A refining of the pulp with a PFI mill, applying two energy levels at two different intensities - measured by number of revolutions and load - was accomplished to reach the same °SR (between 30 and 40, approximately). The refining energy and the yield were registered in each case. The properties of laboratory handsheets, and the aging to 24, 48, 72 and 144 hours were evaluated. The statistical analysis of the results indicates that the properties of the initial eucalyptus papers were similar, whereas they were generally inferior in the case of the bagasse paper. The bagasse and eucalyptus papers presented similar initial whiteness, but the first one had a higher reversion than the others. Once repulped, the eucalyptus papers A, B and C required, respectively, 4, 7 and 10 times greater energy than D, to obtain the same °SR. In all cases, the required energy to achieve the same °SR is slightly greater with the smaller refining intensity. The physical properties of the handsheets from the first recycle of paper D were, in general, lower. Among eucalyptus papers, B showed a slightly higher resistance and C, a slightly lower one. The mechanical properties of pulp sheets A, and D to a lesser extension, were more affected by the refining intensity than the rest, indicating a higher sensitivity of the fibers. The whiteness of the sheets of pulp B is lower than the rest. Opacity and light scattering coefficient of the sheets of pulp C were much higher than those of the other pulps.Fil: Benitez, Julieta Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Koga, Mariza E. T.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas de São Paulo (ipt); BrasilFil: Otero D'Almeida, Maria L.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas de São Paulo (ipt); BrasilFil: Felissia, Fernando Esteban. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Park, Song W.. Escola Politecnica, Universidad de Sao Paulo (usp); BrasilFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Manufacture of handmade paper from non-conventional fibers of five colombian species

La producción de papel a partir de fibras de plantas anuales o de residuos agroindustriales es una alternativa rentable para países con escasos recursos madereros. Estas fibras pueden ser empleadas para obtener diferentes calidades de papel artesanal. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la potencialidad de cinco tipos de fibras no convencionales de Colombia (limoncillo, canelo, bambú, papayo y fique) para la fabricación de papel artesanal mediante la caracterización microscópica de estas fibras y la determinación de las propiedades físico-mecánicas y ópticas del papel artesanal obtenido. Las propiedades papeleras resultaron en general, más bajas que las propiedades de pulpas químicas convencionales (similares a las de una pulpa quimimecánica de eucaliptos). La mejor forma de utilizar estas fibras en papeles artesanales es elaborar hojas de gramajes superiores a 100 g/m2 y utilizarlas sin blanquear, aprovechando su aspecto rústico y coloración natural para la fabricación de tapas o elementos decorativos.The papermaking from annual plant or agro-industrial waste fibers is a cost-effective alternative for countries with insufficient wood resources. These fibers can be used to obtain handmade paper qualities. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of five types of unconventional fibers (limoncillo, cinnamon, bamboo, papaya and mango) from Colombia for the production of handmade paper by the microscopic characterization of this fibers and the determination of the physical-mechanical and optic properties of the obtained paper. The papermaking properties were, in general, lower than the properties of the conventional papermaking pulps (similar to those of a quimimecánica pulp of eucalyptus).The best way to use these fibers in handmade papers is to make sheets of grammages greater than 100 g/m2 and use them without bleaching, taking advantage of their rustic appearance and natural coloration for the manufacture of covers or decorative elements.Fil: Benitez, Julieta Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Popo Amu, Manuel. No especifíca;Fil: Vallejos, María Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentin

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon¹⁻³. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses⁴⁻⁹. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.Keywords: Ecology, Environmental scienc

Comparative brain morphology of Neotropical parrots (Aves, Psittaciformes) inferred from virtual 3D endocasts

Psittaciformes are a very diverse group of non-passerine birds, with advanced cognitive abilities and highly developed locomotor and feeding behaviours. Using computed tomography and three-dimensional (3D) visualization software, the endocasts of 14 extant Neotropical parrots were reconstructed, with the aim of analysing, comparing and exploring the morphology of the brain within the clade. A 3D geomorphometric analysis was performed, and the encephalization quotient (EQ) was calculated. Brain morphology character states were traced onto a Psittaciformes tree in order to facilitate interpretation of morphological traits in a phylogenetic context. Our results indicate that: (i) there are two conspicuously distinct brain morphologies, one considered walnut type(quadrangular and wider than long) and the other rounded (narrower and rostrally tapered); (ii) Psittaciformes possess a noticeable notch between hemisphaeria that divides the bulbus olfactorius; (iii) the plesiomorphic and most frequently observed characteristics of Neotropical parrots are a rostrally tapered telencephalon in dorsal view, distinctly enlarged dorsal expansion of the eminentia sagittalis and conspicuous fissura mediana; (iv) there is a positive correlation between body mass and brain volume; (v) psittacids are characterized by high EQ values that suggest high brain volumes in relation to their body masses; and (vi) the endocranial morphology of the Psittaciformes as a whole is distinctive relative to other birds. This new knowledge of brain morphology offers much potential for further insight in paleoneurological, phylogenetic and evolutionary studies.Fil: Carril, Julieta. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Cátedra de Histología y Embriología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Tambussi, Claudia Patricia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra; ArgentinaFil: Degrange, Federico Javier. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones Paleobiológicas; ArgentinaFil: Benitez Saldivar, Maria Juliana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Picasso, Mariana Beatriz Julieta. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentin

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.William F. Laurance, D. Carolina Useche, Julio Rendeiro, Margareta Kalka, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Sean P. Sloan, Susan G. Laurance, Mason Campbell, Kate Abernethy, Patricia Alvarez, Victor Arroyo-Rodriguez, Peter Ashton, Julieta Benítez-Malvido, Allard Blom, Kadiri S. Bobo, Charles H. Cannon, Min Cao, Richard Carroll, Colin Chapman, Rosamond Coates, Marina Cords, Finn Danielsen, Bart De Dijn, Eric Dinerstein, Maureen A. Donnelly, David Edwards, Felicity Edwards, Nina Farwig, Peter Fashing, Pierre-Michel Forget, Mercedes Foster, George Gale, David Harris, Rhett Harrison, John Hart, Sarah Karpanty, W. John Kress, Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Willis Logsdon, Jon Lovett, William Magnusson, Fiona Maisels, Andrew R. Marshall, Deedra McClearn, Divya Mudappa, Martin R. Nielsen, Richard Pearson, Nigel Pitman, Jan van der Ploeg, Andrew Plumptre, John Poulsen, Mauricio Quesada, Hugo Rainey, Douglas Robinson, Christiane Roetgers, Francesco Rovero, Frederick Scatena, Christian Schulze, Douglas Sheil, Thomas Struhsaker, John Terborgh, Duncan Thomas, Robert Timm, J. Nicolas Urbina-Cardona, Karthikeyan Vasudevan, S. Joseph Wright, Juan Carlos Arias-G., Luzmila Arroyo, Mark Ashton, Philippe Auzel, Dennis Babaasa, Fred Babweteera, Patrick Baker, Olaf Banki, Margot Bass, Inogwabini Bila-Isia, Stephen Blake, Warren Brockelman, Nicholas Brokaw, Carsten A. Brühl, Sarayudh Bunyavejchewin, Jung-Tai Chao, Jerome Chave, Ravi Chellam, Connie J. Clark, José Clavijo, Robert Congdon, Richard Corlett, H. S. Dattaraja, Chittaranjan Dave, Glyn Davies, Beatriz de Mello Beisiegel, Rosa de Nazaré Paes da Silva, Anthony Di Fiore, Arvin Diesmos, Rodolfo Dirzo, Diane Doran-Sheehy, Mitchell Eaton, Louise Emmons, Alejandro Estrada, Corneille Ewango, Linda Fedigan, François Feer, Barbara Fruth, Jacalyn Giacalone Willis, Uromi Goodale, Steven Goodman, Juan C. Guix, Paul Guthiga, William Haber, Keith Hamer, Ilka Herbinger, Jane Hill, Zhongliang Huang, I Fang Sun, Kalan Ickes, Akira Itoh, Natália Ivanauskas, Betsy Jackes, John Janovec, Daniel Janzen, Mo Jiangming, Chen Jin, Trevor Jones, Hermes Justiniano, Elisabeth Kalko, Aventino Kasangaki, Timothy Killeen, Hen-biau King, Erik Klop, Cheryl Knott, Inza Koné, Enoka Kudavidanage, José Lahoz da Silva Ribeiro, John Lattke, Richard Laval, Robert Lawton, Miguel Leal, Mark Leighton, Miguel Lentino, Cristiane Leonel, Jeremy Lindsell, Lee Ling-Ling, K. Eduard Linsenmair, Elizabeth Losos, Ariel Lugo, Jeremiah Lwanga, Andrew L. Mack, Marlucia Martins, W. Scott McGraw, Roan McNab, Luciano Montag, Jo Myers Thompson, Jacob Nabe-Nielsen, Michiko Nakagawa, Sanjay Nepal, Marilyn Norconk, Vojtech Novotny, Sean O'Donnell, Muse Opiang, Paul Ouboter, Kenneth Parker, N. Parthasarathy, Kátia Pisciotta, Dewi Prawiradilaga, Catherine Pringle, Subaraj Rajathurai, Ulrich Reichard, Gay Reinartz, Katherine Renton, Glen Reynolds, Vernon Reynolds, Erin Riley, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Jessica Rothman, Philip Round, Shoko Sakai, Tania Sanaiotti, Tommaso Savini, Gertrud Schaab, John Seidensticker, Alhaji Siaka, Miles R. Silman, Thomas B. Smith, Samuel Soares de Almeida, Navjot Sodhi, Craig Stanford, Kristine Stewart, Emma Stokes, Kathryn E. Stoner, Raman Sukumar, Martin Surbeck, Mathias Tobler, Teja Tscharntke, Andrea Turkalo, Govindaswamy Umapathy, Merlijn van Weerd, Jorge Vega Rivera, Meena Venkataraman, Linda Venn, Carlos Verea, Carolina Volkmer de Castilho, Matthias Waltert, Benjamin Wang, David Watts, William Weber, Paige West, David Whitacre, Ken Whitney, David Wilkie, Stephen Williams, Debra D. Wright, Patricia Wright, Lu Xiankai, Pralad Yonzon & Franky Zamzan