Numerical Study of Cylindrical Tropical Woods Pyrolysis Using Python Tool

In this paper, the thermal behavior of large pieces of wood pyrolysis has been modeled. Two mathematical models coupling heat transfer equations to chemical kinetics were used to predict the pyrolytic degradation of a 25 mm radius wood sample, assumed to be dry in the first model and wet in the second, when heated to 973.15 K. The reactions involved in the pyrolysis process are assumed to be endothermic. The diffusion of bounded water during the process is taken into account in the second model, where the heat transfer equation has been coupled to that of the diffusion of moisture. This model, although simple, provides more information on the drying and pyrolysis processes during the heating of wood, which is its originality. It can therefore be advantageously used to calculate the temperature distribution in a pyrolysis bed. The equations of the two models, discretized by an explicit finite difference method, were solved numerically by a program written in Python. The validation of both models against experimental work in the literature is satisfactory. The two models allow examination of the temperature profile in the radial direction of wood samples and highlighting of the effect of temperature on some thermal, physical and physicochemical characteristics.

Women in Gabon

Gabon, a small oil-rich country straddling the equator on the west coast of Africa, is the wealthiest of France’s former colonies. An early period of colonization in the 19th century resulted in disease, famine, and economic failure. The creation of French Equatorial Africa in 1910 marked the beginning of the sustained lucrative exploitation of Gabon’s natural resources. Gabon began off-shore oil production while still a colony of France. Uranium was also discovered in the last decade of the French Equatorial African empire. Coupled with rich reserves in tropical woods, Gabon has achieved, since independence in 1960, a higher level of export revenue per capita of population than any other country in sub-Saharan Africa in the postcolonial era. However, significant inequality has characterized access to wealth through paid employment throughout the recorded history of monetized labor. While fortunes have been amassed by a minute proportion of the female population of Gabon associated with the ruling regime, and a professional female middle-class has emerged, inequalities of opportunity and reward continue to mark women’s experience of life in this little-known country of West Central Africa. The key challenge facing scholars researching the history of women in Gabon remains the relative lack of historical resources. While significant strides have been made over the past decade, research on women’s history in Francophone Africa published in English or French remains embryonic. French research on African women began to make a mark in the last decade of colonization, notably with the work of Denise Paulme, but then remained a neglected area for decades. The publication in 1994 of Les Africaines by French historian Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch was hailed at the time as a pioneering work in French historiography. But even this new research contained no analysis of and only a passing reference to women in Gabon.

TRACE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF TROPICAL WOODS USING PARTICLE INDUCED X–RAY EMISSION (PIXE) METHODS FROM WESTERN NIGERIA

Trace element investigation and its corresponding concentration level in selected tropical woods from western Nigeria was done using PIXE-particle induced X-ray emission methods. Fifteen selected tropical woods were analyzed and twenty-seventrace elements were identified and quantified. The identified trace elements are Na,Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, Pb and Bi. Calcium concentration were2835, 3195, 4923, 5608, 7770, 5110, 2743, 5092 and 3451ppm in samples 2, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, respectively. Potassium recorded2838, 4811, 3184, and 2021ppm in samples 1, 3, 8 and 9, respectively. Silicon recorded5206ppm for sample 4 and 5253ppm for sample 7. Calcium and potassium were observed to have concentration level that is greater than 1000ppm in all the studied samples, hence it can be said that calcium and potassium are major trace element of wood. The concentrations of the elements identified have no immediate health concern on environment and human, therefore the studied tropical woodssafe for use as fuel and other purposes.

Physico-mechanical properties of the wood of freijó, Cordia goeldiana (Boraginacea), produced in a multi-stratified agroforestry system in the southwestern Amazon

ABSTRACT Agroforestry systems (AFSs) integrate, through sustainable practices, agricultural and forest crops for the production of wood and food, providing environmental services, and conserving biodiversity. The freijó (Cordia goeldiana) has potential for cultivation in the Amazon for timber purposes, but data on the characteristics of its wood produced in AFSs are scarce. Our objective was to determine the physical-mechanical properties and suggest technological applications of freijó wood produced in a multi-stratified AFS established in the state of Rondônia, Brazil in 1996. Agricultural and forest species were established in the AFS in double rows with 5.0-m x 2.5-m spacing. Three 19-year-old freijó trees were harvested for chemical, physical (density and dimensional stability), and mechanical (compression, static bending, Janka hardness, and shear strength) characterization of the wood. The wood presented a chemical composition similar to tropical hardwoods, was moderately heavy (582.63 kg m-3), and had high dimensional stability in comparison with other consecrated woods on the market (longitudinal, radial, and tangential retraction = 0.25, 4.27, and 6.83%, respectively). The values determined for parallel (32.32 MPa) and perpendicular compression (8.02 MPa), specific strength (55.32 MPa kg-1 m-3), parallel (2373.33 N) and perpendicular Janka hardness (2326.67 N), strength to static bending (63.5 MPa), and shear (5.94 MPa) were similar to the values observed in other high-density tropical woods grown in either monoculture plantations or natural forests. The wood under study is suitable for manufacture of high-value-added products, such as fine furniture, residential floors, musical instruments and structural pieces.

Mechanical Characterization of Iroko Wood Using Small Specimens

Despite their favorable physical and mechanical properties for structural use, tropical woods, such as Iroko (Milicia excelsa), present knowledge gaps to be filled mainly about their mechanical characterization, which currently limit their use or result in under- or overdimensioned structural elements. Visual classification, one of the most used methods for characterizing wood, is inaccurate in the case of Iroko due to the wide variety of geographical locations in which this species can be found. In addition, mechanical characterization using test pieces with structural dimensions leads to high and impractical costs. In this context, this study aims to verify the mechanical properties of Iroko (imported from the Republic of the Congo) from small size specimens, a process that is currently standardized only for softwoods, and to verify the correlation of different properties through bending properties and ultrasound tests. Prior to the bending tests, the speed of propagation of ultrasonic waves was measured using the direct method. The results obtained show a good correlation between density and bending properties and the velocity of propagation of ultrasonic waves.

Non-Isothermal Thermogravimetry of Selected Tropical Woods and Their Degradation under Fire Using Cone Calorimetry

For selected tropical woods (Cumaru, Garapa, Ipe, Kempas, Merbau), a relationship was established between non-isothermal thermogravimetry runs and the wood weight loss under flame during cone calorimetry flammability testing. A correlation was found for the rate constants for decomposition of wood in air at 250 and 300 °C found from thermogravimetry and the total time of sample burning related to the initial mass. Non-isothermal thermogravimetry runs were assumed to be composed from 3 theoretical runs such as decomposition of wood into volatiles itself, oxidation of carbon residue, and the formation of ash. A fitting equation of three processes was proposed and the resulting theoretical lines match experimental lines.

DENSIDADE BÁSICA E ESTABILIDADE DIMENSIONAL DE MADEIRAS TROPICAIS MODIFICADAS POR TRATAMENTOS TÉRMICOS

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as modificações de propriedades físicas das madeiras de três espécies tropicais de interesse comercial por tratamentos térmicos conduzidos com diferentes temperaturas e tempos de exposição ao calor. Amostras de madeira de Pouteria caimito, Protium altissimum e Jacaranda copaia foram submetidas a modificações térmicas a 180 e 240 °C, ambas por 1 e 2 h. Foram avaliadas redução de massa, densidade básica e contração volumétrica das madeiras. O tratamento de 2 h a 240 °C causou maior redução de massa para todas as espécies. Pouteria caimito e Protium altissimum não apresentaram diferença significativa na densidade básica e contração volumétrica entre os tratamentos térmicos. A redução de massa, que confirma a efetividade dos tratamentos térmicos, aliada à manutenção da densidade é básica, é benéfica para a qualidade das madeiras. Jacaranda copaia apresentou maior estabilidade dimensional, mas foi mais afetada pelas variações dos tratamentos com diminuição da densidade básica da madeira quando submetida a 180 ºC por 1 h e 240 ºC por 2 h. A secagem das madeiras não tratadas, assim como os tratamentos térmicos, diminui a capacidade de adsorção de água e o volume saturado, resultando em contrações volumétricas similares às das madeiras termicamente tratadas. Palavras-chave: secagem da madeira; hornificação; densidade básica; contração volumétrica. Basic density and dimensional stability of tropical woods modified by thermal treatments ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the wood physical properties’ modifications from three commercially interesting tropical species by thermal treatments carried out with different temperatures and heat exposure times. Wood samples of Pouteria caimito, Protium altissimum, and Jacaranda copaia were submitted to thermal modifications at 180 and 240 °C, both for 1 and 2 h. The mass reduction, basic density, and volumetric contraction were evaluated. The treatment of 2 h at 240 °C caused the highest mass reduction for all species. Pouteria caimito and Protium altissimum did not significantly differ in basic density and volumetric contraction of wood among thermal treatments. The mass reduction, which confirms the effectiveness of thermal treatments, allied to the maintenance of basic density, benefits the wood quality. Jacaranda copaia showed the greatest dimensional stability, but it was the most affected species by the variations of thermal treatments with decreases in basic wood density when submitted to 180 ºC for 1 h and 240 ºC for 2 h. The drying of the samples, as well as the thermal treatments, may decrease the water adsorption and saturated volume, resulting in volumetric contractions similar to those of thermally treated samples. Keywords: wood drying; hornification; basic density; volumetric contraction.