A review of oil palm fruit fiber reinforced composites

Oil palm fibers have been developed as reinforcement in the composite. These fibers can be produced from fruit, trunk, and frond of oil palm. In this review, the oil palm fruit fiber for reinforcing composite was focused. Oil palm fruit fibers consist of empty fruit bunch (EFB) and mesocarp fruit (MF) fibers. The chemical composition and characteristics of oil palm fruit fiber are described. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the composite are reported to be related to the surface treatment of EFB and MF fibers. Applications of such fiber composite are included in this review. From some researches, the surface treatment methods for MF and EFB fibers as reinforcement composite was conducted with using alkali, silane, acryilic acid, acetic anhydride, hydogen peroxide, microwave, and superheated steam. The effect of these surface treatments on oil palm EFB and MF fibers displayed the improvement of the mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact strengths) of the composite due to enhance the interface adhesion between fiber and matrix after treatment of fibers.

Comparative analysis of characteristics of liquid fuel combustion for various designs of oil-steam burners

The paper presents a comparative analysis of experimental data on combustion of liquid hydrocarbon fuels in the presence of superheated steam in two designs of the developed burners. By the example of diesel fuel burnt in a spray burner it is shown that lower values of nitrogen oxide contents in the exhaust gases are achieved in comparison with an evaporative burner. At that, the content of carbon monoxide in some regimes is lower for the evaporative burner. The regimes with the minimum content of toxic combustion products are found for both designs of the burners.

Increasing the tribological properties of the sur-face layer of cast iron by treatment in the envi-ronment of overheated steam of aqueous solution

The formation of the surface layer of cast iron during the processing of cast iron in the environment of superheated steam of an aqueous solution of salts is considered. An ecologically cleaner method of chemical-thermal treatment is offered. The article considers the surface layer obtained in the environment of superheated steam of an aqueous solution of water-soluble salts of ammonium molybdic acid. The layer is formed on the surface of the matrix and around the graphite inclusions. The impact of temperature on the formation of a multilayer coating by increasing the temperature in contact with the metal surface is the dissociation of chemical compounds in solution, with the formation of atomic oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, molybdenum. The formation of the surface layer occurred not only on a metal base, but also on the boundaries of graphite, both lamellar and globular, coming to the surface of the metal without breaking the solid layer. It is established that as a result of interaction of technological parameters of temperature, holding time and concentration of saturated medium graphite in the surface layer changes its shape, becoming spherical, although in the matrix it had a lamellar shape. It is multiphase and contains soft and hard structural components. Comparative studies have shown that the wear rate of untreated cast iron is much higher than that of treated cast iron, and reaches 0.8 ∙ 10-4 μm/km at a load of 400 N. This increases the wear resistance of cast iron and at the same time improves the workability reducing the coefficient of friction. The effect of the coating on the workability show that the stabilization of the friction moment occurs faster in samples with a multilayer coating. Thus, for gray cast iron with lamellar graphite, the stabilization time of the friction moment in a multilayer coating is 0.6 h compared with 2 h for a single layer coating; in high-strength cast iron it is, respectively, 5.2 and 6.3 hours.

Effects of superheated steam processing on the physicochemical properties of sea rice bran

Sea rice bran powder is a new type of instant food additive. Currently, its solubility is low, and its flavor is not pleasant. Superheated steam cooking is a promising treatment in cellulose-rich substances, which essentially improves quality. To gain better sea rice bran powder, physicochemical properties of sea rice bran were investigated using 100 °C, 110 °C, 120 °C, and 130 °C superheated steam treatments for 10, 20, 30, and 40 min. After the treatment, these samples were cooled down, dried, and milled to assess sea rice bran powder's product qualities. Profiles of odor, taste, aroma, and aliphatic acids were determined using e-nose, e-tongue, and gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. Results revealed that superheated steam brought new profiles of odors and tastes for consumers. Superheated steam treatment was found to decrease swelling capacity. Methane (2,2,4,6,6-pentamethyl, heptane) was seen as a significant odor component, whereas umami and bitterness were considered considerable taste components. Superheated steam treatment retained higher content of aliphatic acids: saturated fatty acids 218–204 mg/100 g and unsaturated fatty acids 830–781 mg/100 g. This study discovered that superheated steam is suitable for processing rice bran as food ingredients; 100 °C-120°C and 10-30 min could be suggested for suitable cooking sea rice bran.

Determination of the Effects of Superheated Steam on Microstructure and Micromechanical Properties of Bamboo Cell Walls Using Quasi-Static Nanoindentation

In this paper, quasi-static nanoindentation was applied for investigating the influence of superheated steam on microstructure and micromechanical properties of Moso bamboo cell walls. The changes of mico-morphology, chemical composition, cellulose crystallinity index, micro-mechanical properties of bamboo were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and nanoindentation. As expected, the content of hemicellulose and cellulose showed a downward trend, whereas the relative lignin content increased. Elastic modulus and hardness of the cell wall increased compared with that of the untreated sample. The elastic modulus and hardness of bamboo increased from 11.5 GPa to 19.5 GPa and from 0.35 GPa to 0.59 GPa. Furthermore, results showed that the creep resistance positively correlated to treatment severity.

The Effect of Combined Superheated Steam Roasting and Smoking on the Quality Characteristic of Alaska Pollack (Gadus chalcogrammus) Roe

Alaska pollack roe (APR) is a protein source that is usually salted and fermented, containing a high salt content. Using a combination of superheated steam roasting and smoking, we developed a new low-salt ready-to-eat APR variant, whose quality characteristics we analyzed. The optimal conditions for roasting (216 °C for 4 min) and smoking (64 °C for 14 min) were obtained from sensorial attributes using response surface methodology. Under the optimal conditions, smoke-roasted APR had an overall acceptance (OA) score of 8.89. The combination of roasting and smoking significantly increased volatile basic nitrogen (VBN, 18.6%) and decreased the total bacterial count (TBC, 38.6%), while thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were not affected. Smoke-roasting APR also increased its nutritional content to 30% protein with 44% essential amino acids, and more than 40% DHA and EPA in 4.3% fat. During 30 days of storage, the OA, VBN, TBARS, and TBC values significantly changed with time and storage temperature (p < 0.05). The shelf life of the product was estimated to be 24 d. In conclusion, the combination of roasting and smoking APR could improve product quality and may be an alternative to diversify processed APR.

Study of dispersed composition of spray during atomization of water-fuel emulsion with a superheated steam jet

Using the method of direct shadow photography the dispersed composition of fuel spray was studied when water-fuel emulsion is sprayed with the superheater steam jet. For emulsions with a mass water content of 5 and 10%, the characteristic droplet size in the flow is 1–2 μm and sufficient for effective combustion.