Assessment of Noise Exposure of Sawmill Workers in Southwest,Nigeria

Economic wood processing employs the use of industrial machines for cutting, shaping, milling, and sawing timber, thereby leading to the generation of high levels of noise. Published data from empirical studies have categorized noise as an environmental hazard of global significance. Furthermore, noise exposure limits for different industries and all the industrial machines available has not been formally established as it presently exists in developed nations around the world. Therefore, this study assessed the daily exposure of sawmills workers to noise in Southwestern Nigeria. Reconnaissance surveys were first carried out in Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, and Ogun States to select sawmills that were fully operational and fit for the study. Two fully functional sawmills in two cities of each State were eventually selected for data collection, making a total of 24 sawmills, while the Circular Machines (CM), Planer Machines (PM), and Band-saw Machines (BM) were the machines in each sawmill considered. Two machines each of CM, PM, and BM were considered in each sawmill, making a total of forty-eight (48) machines each of CM, PM, and BM. Sound data were collected between 7 am and 7 pm each day for six days (between Monday and Saturday) using Extech 407732 sound level meter and all stabilized measurements were taken three times at different intervals. The data collected were in three different periods: Machine No-work Period (NP_m), Machine Idle Period (IP_m), and Machine Working Period (WP_m). A two–way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was carried out at P < 0.05 to determine whether there is a significant difference in the sound level average before and after the break, for both the idle and working periods of the three machines considered. This was also done to determine whether there is a significant difference between the sound level average of the results collected during idle and working periods of the three machines. Noise Pollution Levels (L_np) ranged from 83.20 dB (PM) to 107.65 (BM) and 93.42 (CM and PM) – 116.00 (BM) respectively, while IP_m also gave the least noise pollution level of 95.79 dB and WP_m gave the highest level of 102.88 dB. The results revealed that all the machines’ L_np values in the working period are more than the 90 dB acceptable limit the recommendation value of 90 dB while 89.6% of CMs, 75% of PMs, and 89.6% of BM had their L_np above 90 dB in the idle period respectively. The minimum and the maximum noise dose levels for IP_m, WP_m and overall are 0.09 (BM) and 2.37 (CM), 0.50 (CM), and 4.77 (PM) and 0.69 (BM) and 6.64 (PM) respectively. The study found out that the fundamental contributing factors to the high noise levels in sawmills are poor machine maintenance, use of old and obsolete machines, poor housekeeping strategy, limited space, workers’ negligence, lack of PPE, and lack of occupational safety training. The study recommends that proper workplace practices such as use of personal protective equipment, new and modern machines, training, and occupational safety programmes be implemented in the considered sawmills.     

Lignin and Lignin-Derived Compounds for Wood Applications—A Review

Improving the environmental performance of resins in wood treatment by using renewable chemicals has been a topic of interest for a long time. At the same time, lignin, the second most abundant biomass on earth, is produced in large scale as a side product and mainly used energetically. The use of lignin in wood adhesives or for wood modification has received a lot of scientific attention. Despite this, there are only few lignin-derived wood products commercially available. This review provides a summary of the research on lignin application in wood adhesives, as well as for wood modification. The research on the use of uncleaved lignin and of cleavage products of lignin is reviewed. Finally, the current state of the art of commercialization of lignin-derived wood products is presented.     

Adsorption of cationic methylene blue dye using microwave-assisted activated carbon derived from acacia wood: Optimization and batch studies

This study assesses the performance of optimized acacia wood-based activated carbon (AWAC) as an adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) dye removal in aqueous solution. AWAC was prepared via a physicochemical activation process that consists of potassium hydroxide (KOH) treatment, followed by carbon dioxide (CO₂) gasification under microwave heating. By using response surface methodology (RSM), the optimum preparation conditions of radiation power, radiation time, and KOH-impregnation ratio (IR) were determined to be 360 W, 4.50 min, and 0.90 g/g respectively, which resulted in 81.20 mg/g of MB dye removal and 27.96% of AWAC’s yield. Radiation power and IR had a major effect on MB dye removal while radiation power and radiation time caused the greatest impact on AWAC’s yield. BET surface area, mesopore surface area, and pore volume of optimized AWAC were found to be 1045.56 m²/g, 689.77 m²/g, and 0.54 cm³/g, respectively. Adsorption of MB onto AWAC followed Langmuir and pseudo-second order for isotherm and kinetic studies respectively, with a Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity of 338.29 mg/g. Mechanism studies revealed that the adsorption process was controlled by film diffusion mechanism and indicated to be thermodynamically exothermic in nature.     

生物质热解制备木醋液及其性质研究

对杉木屑、棉杆、竹屑三种生物质热解制得的木醋液产率、基本理化性质及其有机成分进行了分析研究。结果表明,三种生物质原料在350℃下热解制得的粗木醋液、精制木醋液产率相差不大,相同条件下氯化钾浸渍处理后的杉木屑热解所得的粗木醋液、精制木醋液的产率有所降低。三种原料制得的精制木醋液的理化性质不同,杉木屑木醋液的pH值最小,密度最大,竹屑和棉杆木醋液的有机酸含量相对较高。采用GC-MS对精制木醋液中的有机成分进行了分析,结果表明,杉木屑木醋液中的主要组分为酸类、酚类和酮类化合物,棉杆和竹屑木醋液中的主要组分除这三类有机物质外,还含有相对含量较高的醇类化合物。酸类和酚类化合物在三种木醋液中的相对含量依次是竹屑 >棉杆 >木屑;酮类的相对含量依次是木屑 >棉杆 >竹屑。氯化钾处理后的木屑热解所得的木醋液中主要组分酚类和酮类化合物的相对含量有所降低,酸类化合物的相对含量增加,主要表现为乙酸相对含量的增加。与杉木屑木醋液相比,KCl处理后的杉木屑木醋液中的醇类化合物相对含量增加了1倍左右。     

裂解-气相/质谱法分析木屑物证

木屑是一种在各种案件现场中出现几率较高的微量物证,但由于其化学组成复杂、难溶,高分子组分之间的差异不显著,所以一直未建立有效的鉴定方法.采用裂解-气相/质谱技术(PY-GC/MS)对不同树种木屑难溶物进行分析,结果发现:不同树种木屑难溶物的总离子流图特征相似,即每种木屑难溶物的总离子流图中都有一组特征峰.但个别组分有差异.     

On physical criteria for the selection of wood for soundboards of musical instruments

In order to develop criteria for the physical evaluation of wood for soundboards of musical instruments, measurements were made of dynamic Young's modulusE, static Young's modulusE, internal frictionQ ^–1 in longitudinal direction, and specific gravity for numerous species of broad-leaved wood. From the results obtained, including those of our previous paper on coniferous wood [1], it was found that the suitability of wood for soundboards could be evaluated by the quantity ofQ ^–1/(E/), and that there were very high correlations betweenQ ^–1/(E/) andE/, and betweenE andE, regardless of wood species. Consequently, it becomes possible to select practically any wood suitable for soundboards by using the value ofE/, which can be measured easily, and it was derived that the relation betweenE/ andQ ^–1 of wood could be expressed by an exponential equation regardless of wood species.     

多胞材料的力学行为

多胞材料具有独特的力学性质,其工程应用日益增加.人造多胞材料可以分为蜂窝材料和泡沫材料两类.本文介绍了这两类材料在不同载荷条件下力学行为的研究概况.对于某些天然材料(木材和松质骨)的多胞结构及其模型也作了简要介绍.     

Characterization of the materials used in Chinese ink sticks by pyrolysis-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Chinese ink stick has a long history and a special importance in Chinese culture. Its main components are soot (normally pine wood soot and lamp soot) and animal glue; however, additives were added from time to time for different purposes. In order to see whether the two types of soot can be differentiated and the other constituents in Chinese ink sticks can be identified or not by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and GC-MS techniques, an initial study has been carried out. The main polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soot could be identified, which are anthracene, fluoranthene, triphenylene and benz[e]acephenanthrylene. The main difference between those two types of soot is that the detectable amount of PAHs in lamp soot is much lower than in pine wood soot. In addition to this, the relative concentration of the main polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons including anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, triphenylene and its isomer, benzo[k]fluoranthene and its isomers are different in the two types of soot. The relative content of benzo[k]fluoranthene is higher in pine soot than in lamp soot, which could be used to as a criterion to differentiate the two types of soot. Py-GC-MS technique is a very effective method to identify the main components of Chinese ink sticks, including the PAHs of soot, binding media and the additives of camphor and borneol in one analysis.     

Benefits of Anthocyanin-Rich Black Rice Fraction and Wood Sterols to Control Plasma and Tissue Lipid Concentrations in Wistar Kyoto Rats Fed an Atherogenic Diet

Background: This study reports on the relative effects of administrating a cyanidin-3-O-glucoside-rich black rice fraction (BRF), a standardized wood sterol mixture (WS), and a combination of both to lower plasma and target tissue lipid concentrations in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats fed atherogenic diets. Methods: Male WKY (n = 40) rats were randomly divided into five groups, which included a nonatherogenic control diet and atherogenic diets that included a positive control and atherogenic diets supplemented with BRF or WS, respectively, and a combination of both BRF + WS. Plasma and target tissue liver, heart and aorta cholesterol, and triacylglycerides (TAG) content were also measured. Results: Rats fed atherogenic diets exhibited elevated hyperlipidemia compared to counterparts fed nonatherogenic diets (p < 0.001); this effect was mitigated by supplementing the atherogenic diets with BRF and WS, respectively (p < 0.05). Combining BRF with WS to enrich the supplement lowered cholesterol similar to the WS effect (p < 0.05) and lowered TAG characteristic to the BRF effect (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Rats fed diets containing BRF or WS effectively mitigate the hypercholesterolemia and elevated TAG induced by feeding an atherogenic diet. The benefit of adding BRF + WS together is relevant to the lipid parameter measured and is target tissue-specific.     

Characterisation of archaeological waterlogged wood by pyrolytic and mass spectrometric techniques

Two techniques based on analytical pyrolysis and mass spectrometry, direct exposure-MS (DE-MS) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), were used to characterise waterlogged archaeological wood and to study degradation patterns of wood in aqueous environments. The two techniques were applied to samples from the excavation of the Site of the Ancient Ships of Pisa San Rossore in Pisa (Italy), and data were compared to those relative to native sound wood of the same species (pine, elm, beech). Both the methods result valuable in the analysis of ancient wood artefacts, avoiding the long wet-chemical procedures that are commonly used in wood analysis, and allowing us to use a minimal sample size. DE-MS achieves a global mass spectral fingerprint of lignin and polysaccharides pyrolysis compounds in few minutes, and the results have been interpreted with the support of principal component analysis (PCA) of mass spectra. Py-GC/MS permits detailed molecular analysis of pyrolysis compounds and highlights some chemical modifications of lignin in archaeological samples, as demethylation of both guaiacyl and syringyl lignin units. Both the techniques demonstrate consistent loss of polysaccharides in archaeological wood.