Cool–Warm Temperature Stratification and Simulated Bird Digestion Optimize Removal of Dormancy in Rosa rugosa Seeds

Rosa rugosa Thunb. has been explored multi-function in medicinal, edible, cosmetic, ornamental and ecological etc. However, R. rugosa natural populations have recently declined substantially in China, besides of global climate change, this species also has the defect of limiting the reproduction of itself such as the hard-to-release seed dormancy. In this study, only 30% of R. rugosa seeds were viable, and the others were incompletely developed or diseased seeds. Without stratification, morphologically complete viable seeds imbibed water but those seeds could not germinate even after seed husk removal under suitable condition to exhibit a physiological dormancy. After cold (4°C) and warm (18 ± 2°C) stratification, macromolecular substances containing carbon or nitrogen accumulated, and respiration, antioxidant enzyme activity, and gibberellin (GA3) /abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin (IAA)/ABA ratios increased significantly in seeds. Water absorption also increased as endocarps softened. Thus, physiological dormancy of seed was broken. Although warm and cold stratification increased separation between endocarp and embryo, the endocarp binding force was removed insufficiently, because only 10.20% of seeds germinated. Therefore, stratified seeds were treated with simulated bird digestion. Then, folds and cracks in loosened endocarps increased permeability, and water absorption rate increased to 64.43% compare to 21.14% in cold and warm stratification treatment. With simulated digestion, 24.20% of radicles broke through the endocarp with plumules and cambiums to develop into seedlings. Thus, the seed dormancy type of R. rugosa is physiological as seeds imbibed water and possessed fully developed embryos with a low growth potential in combination with a mechanical constraint from the endocarp. Cold stratification helped remove physiological dormancy, and additional warm stratification accelerated the process. The optimal stratification treatment was 4°C for 45 days followed by 18 ± 2°C for 15 days. After warm and cold stratification, simulated bird digestion broke the mechanical constraint from the seed covering layers. Based on this research, production of R. rugosa seedlings can be greatly increased to help protect the species from further declines.

Characteristics of product complementary feeding with fortified fish protein hydrolysate (FPH)

Malnutrition is still a major problem in Indonesia, particularly stunting and acute malnutrition due to protein deficiency. In contrast, Indonesia is rich in protein sources such as fish but they are poorly utilized. Biologically processed fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) has proven to be highly nutritious and digestible. Our preliminary study in developing the High Protein Complementary Food (HPCF) formula for infant enriched with FPH, showed that of 17 formulas, 3 formulas was the best. This study was aimed to analyzing sensory analysis using the hedonic test, physical analysis and absorption protein. The result shows that the hedonic test of FPH-enriched HPCF infant food revealed that the product was acceptable in term of colour, aroma and texture. In comparison to the commercial product, FPH-enriched instant HPCF infant product had higher bulk density. The highest Water Absorption Index (WAI) was F1-C, the highest Water Solubility Index (WSI) was F1-P, and the lowest rehydration was F2-P. Compared to commercial products, the instant FPH-enriched HPCF baby porridge has a bulk density that is greater than that of commercial products. The highest Water Absorption Index (WAI) was F1-C, the highest Water Solubility Index (WSI) was F1-P and the lowest time for Rehydration was at F2-P. HPCF enriched with FPH showed the best protein absorption significantly in the P2 treatment group

Fly Ash as an Ingredient in the Contaminated Soil Stabilization Process

Fly ash is the main by-product of coal combustion characterized by a large specific surface area. In addition to oxides, it also contains unburned coal and trace elements. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of using fly ash from pit-coal combustion (CFA) for the treatment of benzene-contaminated soil (S). The CFA was used as a mixture with Portland cement (PC) (70% PC + 30% CFA). The soil was treated with a PC-CFA mixture in amounts of 40, 60, and 80% of soil mass. During the process, the concentration of benzene was monitored with the flame-ionization detector. Produced monoliths (S+(PC-CFA)x) were tested for compressive strength and capillary water absorption. The experiment confirmed that the PC-CFA mixture limited benzene emission. The highest reduction in benzene concentration (34–39%) was observed for samples treated with the PC-CFA mixture in an amount of 80% (S+(PC-CFA)80). The average compressive strength of monoliths S+(PC-CFA)40, S+(PC-CFA)60, and S+(PC-CFA)80 was 0.57, 4.53, and 6.79 MPa, respectively. The water absorption values were in the range of 15–22% dm.

Utilization of Waste Glass in Autoclaved Silica–Lime Materials

This paper aims to investigate the possibility of using waste glass of different colours as a complete substitute for quartz sand in autoclaved silica–lime samples. On the one hand, this increases the possibility of recycling waste glass; on the other hand, it allows obtaining autoclaved materials with better properties. In this research, reference samples with quartz sand (R) and white (WG), brown (BG), and green (GG) waste container glass were made. Parameters such as compressive strength, bulk density, and water absorption were examined on all samples. The samples were examined using a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectroscopy detector (SEM/EDS) and subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The WG samples showed 187% higher compressive strength, BG by 159%, and GG by 134% compared to sample R. In comparison to the reference sample, volumetric density was 16.8% lower for sample WG, 13.2% lower for BG, and 7.1% lower for GG. Water absorption increased as bulk density decreased. The WG sample achieved the highest water absorption value, 15.84%. An X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of calcite, portlandite, and tobermorite phases. Depending on the silica aggregate used, there were differences in phase composition linked to compressive strength. Hydrated calcium silicates with varying crystallisation degrees were visible in the microstructure image.

Effect of Water Absorption on Flexural Properties of Kenaf/Glass Fibres Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Hybrid Composites Rod

This study investigates the effect of water absorption on the flexural strength of kenaf/ glass/unsaturated polyester (UPE) hybrid composite solid round rods used for insulating material applications. Three volume fractions of kenaf/glass fibre 20:80 (KGPE20), 30:70 (KGPE30), and 40:60 (KGPE40) with three different fibre arrangement profiles of kenaf fibres were fabricated by using the pultrusion technique and were aimed at studying the effect of kenaf fibres arrangement profile and its content in hybrid composites. The fibre/ resin volume fraction was maintained constant at 60:40. The dispersion morphologies of tested specimens were observed using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The findings were compared with pure glass fibre-reinforced UPE (control) composite. The water absorption results showed a clear indication of how it influenced the flexural strength of the hybrid and non-hybrid composites. The least affected sample was observed in the 30KGPE composite type, wherein the kenaf fibre was concentrated at the centre of a cross-section of the composite rod. The water absorption reduced the flexural strength by 7%, 40%, 24%, and 38% of glass/UPE (control), 20KGPE, 30KGPE, and 40KGPE composites, respectively. In randomly distributed composite types, the water absorption is directly proportional to the volume fraction of kenaf fibre. At the same time, flexural properties were inversely proportional to the volume fraction of kenaf fibres. Although the influence of water absorption on flexural strength is low, the flexural strength of pultruded hybrid composites was more influenced by the arrangement of kenaf fibre in each composite type than its fibre loading.

The effect of adding natural materials waste on the mechanical properties and water absorption of epoxy composite using grey relations analysis

Recently, there has been a tendency for scientific studies to deal with natural materials as fillers and reinforcement for polymer composites, which are used in many different applications due to their environmentally friendly properties when compared to synthetic materials. The current study aims to preserve the environment by dealing with natural materials and their influence on the mechanical properties and water absorption property of the polymer composites. In this study, epoxy composites were produced from local natural sourced non-hazardous raw natural materials using grey relational analysis (GRG). The materials used for fabrication include micro-filler of pollen palm 50 μm, seashell 75 μm and epoxy resin. Nine different composites were prepared using pollen palm and seashell as reinforcement material by varying the wt % of the micro-filler. Rule of the mixture was used for formulation and wt % of (0.5, 1 and 1.5) % reinforcement and 99.5, 99 and 98.5 % epoxy (binder) were used for composites. Grey relational analysis was conducted in order to scale the multi-response performance to a single response. The results indicate that optimum performance can be achieved with the addition of 1.5 wt % micro-filler of seashell, which achieved the first rank, while the second rank achieved by 0.5 wt % micro-filler of palm pollen and seashell when compared to other composites. The addition of micro-fillers has improved greatly the mechanical properties of epoxy composites. The loading of micro-fillers has influenced the water absorption property of composites based epoxy in ascending order

Durability Performance of Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Crumb Rubber, Fly Ash and Calcium Carbide Waste

Waste tire disposal continues to pose a threat to the environment due to its non-biodegradable nature. Therefore, some means of managing waste tires include grinding them to crumb rubber (CR) sizes and using them as a partial replacement to fine aggregate in concrete. However, the use of CR has a series of advantages, but its major disadvantage is strength reduction. This leads to the utilization of calcium carbide waste (CCW) to mitigate the negative effect of CR in self-compacting concrete (SCC). This study investigates the durability properties of SCC containing CR modified using fly ash and CCW. The durability properties considered are water absorption, acid attack, salt resistance, and elevated temperature of the mixes. The experiment was conducted for mixes with no-fly ash content and their replica mixes containing fly ash to replace 40% of the cement. In the mixes, CR was used to partially replace fine aggregate in proportions of 0%, 10%, and 20% by volume, and CCW was used as a partial replacement to cement at 0%, 5%, and 10% by volume. The results indicate that the mixes containing fly ash had higher resistance to acid (H2SO4) and salt (MgSO4), with up to 23% resistance observed when compared to the mix containing no fly ash. In addition, resistance to acid attack decreased with the increase in the replacement of fine aggregate with CR. The same principle applied to the salt attack scenario, although the rate was more rapid with the acid than the salt. The results obtained from heating indicate that the weight loss was reduced slightly with the increase in CCW, and was increased with the increase in CR and temperature. Similarly, the compressive strength was observed to slightly increase at room temperature (27 °C) and the greatest loss in compressive strength was observed between the temperature of 300 and 400 °C. However, highest water absorption, of 2.83%, was observed in the mix containing 20% CR, and 0% CCW, while the lowest water absorption, of 1.68%, was found in the mix with 0% CR, 40% fly ash, and 10% CCW. In conclusion, fly ash is recommended for concrete structures immersed in water, acid, or salt in sulphate- and magnesium-prone areas; conversely, fly ash and CR reduce the resistance of SCC to heat beyond 200 °C.