Possibility of Advanced Modified-Silica-Based Porous Materials Utilisation in Water Adsorption Processes—A Comparative Study

Due to a high risk of power outages, a heat-driven adsorption chillers are gaining the attention. To increase the efficiency of the chiller, new adsorbents must be produced and examined. In this study, four newly developed silica–based porous materials were tested and compared with silica gel, an adsorber commonly paired with water. Extended sorption tests using mercury intrusion porosimetry, gas adsorption, and dynamic vapor sorption were performed. The morphology of the samples was determined using a scanning electron microscope. The thermal properties were defined using simultaneous thermal analysis and a laser flash method. Metal organic silica (MOS) nanocomposites analysed in this study had thermal properties similar to those of commonly used silica gel. MOS samples have a thermal diffusivity coefficient in the range of 0.17–0.25 mm2/s, whereas silica gel of about 0.2 mm2/s. The highest water adsorption capacity was measured for AFSMo-Cu and equal to 33–35%. For narrow porous silica gel mass uptake was equal about 25%. In the case of water adsorption, it was observed that the pore size of the sorbent is essential, and adsorbents with pore sizes higher than 5 nm, are most recommended in working pairs with water.

Quantitative prediction of moisture content distribution in acetylated wood using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging

The uptake of moisture severely affects the properties of wood in service applications. Even local moisture content variations may be critical, but such variations are typically not detected by traditional methods to quantify the moisture content of the wood. In this study, we used near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to predict the moisture distribution on wood surfaces at the macroscale. A broad range of wood moisture contents were generated by controlling the acetylation degree of wood and the relative humidity during sample conditioning. Near-infrared image spectra were then measured from the surfaces of the conditioned wood samples, and a principal component analysis was applied to separate the useful chemical information from the spectral data. Moreover, a partial least squares regression model was developed to predict moisture content on the wood surfaces. The results show that hyperspectral near-infrared image regression can accurately predict the variations in moisture content across wood surfaces. In addition to sample-to-sample variation in moisture content, our results also revealed differences in the moisture content between earlywood and latewood in acetylated wood. This was in line with our recent studies where we found that thin-walled earlywood cells are acetylated faster than the thicker latewood cells, which decreases the moisture uptake during the conditioning. Dynamic vapor sorption isotherms validated the differences in moisture content within earlywood and latewood cells. Overall, our results demonstrate the capabilities of hyperspectral imaging for process analytics in the modern wood industry. Graphical abstract

Enhanced soot particle ice nucleation ability induced by aggregate compaction and densification

Soot particles, acting as ice nucleating particles (INPs), can contribute to cirrus cloud formation which has an important influence on climate. Aviation activities emitting soot particles in the upper troposphere can potentially impact ice nucleation (IN) in cirrus clouds. Pore condensation and freezing (PCF) is an important ice formation pathway for soot particles in the cirrus regime, which requires the soot INP to have specific morphological properties, i.e. mesopore structures. In this study, the morphology and pore size distribution of two kinds of soot samples were modified by a physical agitation method without any chemical modification, by which more compacted soot sample aggregates could be produced compared to the unmodified sample. The IN activities of both fresh and compacted soot particles with different sizes, 60, 100, 200 and 400 nm, were systematically tested by the Horizontal Ice Nucleation Chamber (HINC) under mixed-phase and cirrus clouds relevant temperatures (T). Our results show that soot particles are unable to form ice crystals at T > 235 K (homogeneous nucleation temperature, HNT) but IN was observed for compacted and larger size soot aggregates (> 200 nm) well below homogeneous freezing relative humidity (RHhom) at T < HNT, demonstrating PCF as the dominating mechanism for soot IN. We also observed that mechanically compacted soot particles can reach a higher particle activation fraction (AF) value for the same T and RH condition, compared to the same aggregate size fresh soot particles. The results also reveal a clear size dependence for the IN activity of soot particles with the same agitation degree, showing that compacted soot particles with large sizes (200 and 400 nm) are more active INPs and can convey the single importance of soot aggregate morphology for the IN ability. In order to understand the role of soot aggregate morphology for its IN activity, both fresh and compacted soot samples were characterized systematically using particle mass and size measurements, comparisons from TEM (transmission electron microscopy) images, soot porosity characteristics from argon (Ar) and nitrogen (N2) physisorption measurements, as well as soot-water interaction results from DVS (dynamic vapor sorption) measurements. Considering the soot particle physical properties along with its IN activities, the enhanced IN abilities of compacted soot particles are attributed to decreasing mesopore width and increasing mesopore occurrence probability due to the compaction process.

Fire Performance of Intumescent Waterborne Coatings with Encapsulated APP for Wood Constructions

In this work, intumescent coatings were prepared for protection of wood from fire. The fire-retardant chemical ammonium polyphosphate (APP) is known to have poor resistance to water and high humidity as it is hygroscopic in nature. To improve the water resistance, durability and fire resistance of the intumescent coating, APP was modified using a hybrid organic-inorganic polysiloxane encapsulation shell prepared by the sol–gel method. The physical and chemical properties of the intumescent mix containing microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (EAPP) particles were characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), water absorption, dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The EAPP mix showed 50% reduction in water absorption, 75% reduction in water vapor sorption and increased thermal stability when compared to the APP mix. The intumescent coatings were applied on wood samples, and their fire performance was evaluated using a cone calorimeter test. The intumescent coatings containing EAPP mix showed better fire retarding properties with longer time to ignition, lower heat release rate and shorter heat release peak when compared to the coating without EAPP mix. The prepared intumescent coating shows higher resistance to water and moisture, and it has great potential to be used in bio-based construction industry for enhancing the fire resistance of wood.

Deswelling of microfibril bundles in drying wood studied by small-angle neutron scattering and molecular dynamics

Structural changes of cellulose microfibrils and microfibril bundles in unmodified spruce cell wall due to drying in air were investigated using time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The scattering analysis was supported with dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) measurements to quantify the macroscopic drying kinetics. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to aid in understanding the molecular-level wood-water interactions during drying. Both SANS experiments and simulations support the notion that individual cellulose microfibrils remain relatively unaffected by drying. There is, however, a significant decrease in fibril-to-fibril distances in microfibril bundles. Both scattering and DVS experiments showed two distinct drying regions: constant-rate drying and falling-rate drying. This was also supported by the MD simulation results. The shrinking of the fibril bundles starts at the boundary of these two regions, which is accompanied by a strong decrease in the diffusivity of water in between the microfibrils. Graphic abstract

Sorption behavior and swelling of citric acid and sorbitol (SorCA) treated wood

Citric acid together with sorbitol (SorCA) have been used to modify wood and improve its properties, such as dimensional stability and biological durability, which partly result from its swelling and sorption behavior. However, the underlying mechanism of water interaction with SorCA-treated wood is very complex and not fully understood. Previous research confirmed cell wall bulking and suggested cross-linking, however the extent of their contribution to moisture-induced changes has not been researched. This study investigated the effect of SorCA treatment on sorption properties of wood in the hygroscopic range (0–95% RH). Scots pine sapwood (Pinus sylvestris L.) was chemically modified with an aqueous SorCA solution at different treatment levels and measured by dynamic vapor sorption (DVS). The observed permanent increase in oven-dry dimensions did not result in a decreased swelling compared to untreated specimens. It was ascribed to the excessive expansion of cell wall matrix caused by a degradation of cell wall constituents by the acidic impregnation solution. However, a reduction in moisture content in comparison to untreated reference was detected. Present findings suggest that the SorCA polyester structure is altered after impregnation inside the wood and affects its sorption behavior by covalent bonding and, presumably, cross-linking with wood polymer constituents.

Single Fibre Swelling Behavior for Natural and Man-Made Cellulose Fibres Under Industrial Steeping Conditions

Swelling behavior of cotton, dissolving wood pulp (DWP), viscose staple fibre (VsF), and Tencel staple fibre (TsF) in varying sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were investigated by means of optical microscopy and were characterized by molecular mass distribution, X-ray diffractometer, and dynamic vapor sorption. Effect of temperature (20-45 °C) and duration (0-120 min) was studied. The results reveal that the swelling ratio of fibre in alkali solution depends on fibre accessibility and NaOH concentration. Among all the materials, VsF exhibited the highest swelling ratio and lowest swelling ratio has been observed for cotton fibre. The results suggest that the swelling is limited by the presence of plant cell wall structures in cotton and DWP, rather from fringed-fibrillar, semi-crystalline sub-structures, which result from the inherent tendency of cellulose molecules to form such structures during the biosynthesis of plant cell walls as well as during the formation of regenerated cellulosic textile fibre in wet-spinning.

The Study of Sorption Characteristics of Dried Crab Stick Product Using Dynamic Vapor Sorption

The research delved into the sorption characteristics of dried crab stick products using dynamic vapor sorption (DVS). The obtained sorption isotherm data, including equilibrium moisture content (Me) and water activity (aw), were fitted with 6 different sorption isotherm models, such as Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Guggenheim-Anderson-Boer (GAB), Pickett-Modified BET, Adam and Shove, Blahovec-Yanniotis, and Peleg. The results showed that the Peleg model was the best-describing model with a coefficient of determination (R2), chi-square (χ2), root mean square error (RMSE), and standard error of estimate (SEE) ranging from 0.988 to 0.998, 0.719 to 4.349, 0.431 to 2.609 and 0.692 to 1.703, respectively. According to the classification of the shape of moisture sorption isotherm, the isotherm type III and II were found in this research for adsorption and desorption, respectively. The GAB and BET models were used to estimate monolayer moisture content (M0) of the sample and it was found that the M0 ranged from 3.65 to 5.36 % dry basis and 4.57 to 4.83 % dry basis for GAB and BET models, respectively. Blahovec-Yanniotis’s model was applied in this work to investigate the contribution of water and the result showed that the contribution of solution water played a major in the moisture changes of the sample during the adsorption and desorption process. Moreover, sorption isotherm data were modeled with 0 and 1st order reaction kinetics, and the results demonstrated that 0 order and 1st order models were the most appropriate model to describe moisture changes behavior of the sample at each relative humidity step for adsorption and desorption, respectively. HIGHLIGHTS The construction of sorption isotherms of dried crab stick product using dynamic vapor sorption GAB and BET models were used to estimate monolayer moisture content Peleg model was the most appropriate model to describe sorption behaviors of dried crab stick product Blahovec-Yanniotis provided the contribution of water information of dried crab stick during adsorption and desorption processes The application of reaction order kinetics could provide the information of moisture changing behaviors at each relative humidity step for adsorption and desorption processes GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT