Search results for "conifer needles"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Spatial Variation of Leaf Optical Properties in a Boreal Forest Is Influenced by Species and Light Environment
2017
Leaf Optical Properties (LOPs) convey information relating to temporally dynamic photosynthetic activity and biochemistry. LOPs are also sensitive to variability in anatomically related traits such as Specific Leaf Area (SLA), via the interplay of intra-leaf light scattering and absorption processes. Therefore, variability in such traits, which may demonstrate little plasticity over time, potentially disrupts remote sensing estimates of photosynthesis or biochemistry across space. To help to disentangle the various factors that contribute to the variability of LOPs, we defined baseline variation as variation in LOPs that occurs across space, but not time. Next we hypothesized that there wer…
Conifer Needles as Thermoplastic Composite Fillers: Structure and Properties
2016
This study describes the properties of thermoplastic polymer composites based on polyethylene (of low and high density) and ethylene-propylene copolymers using various types of conifer needles (pine, spruce, fir, and cedar) as fillers. For the needles, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and TGA/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA/FTIR) were performed to investigate their structures and thermal resistance, as required for the composite processing methods. Moreover, structural differences were studied for the analyzed fillers and composite materials (FTIR). The results were compared with the values obtained for composites with conifer wood flour. Composites with conifer needles (pine) …
Resistance of Conifer Needle Polyolefin Composites (CNPCs) Against Biodecomposition Caused by Fungi
2017
This study describes the resistance of composites filled with conifer needles to biodecomposition processes caused by a single strain of Aspergillus niger as well as by a consortium of microorganisms present in the compost substrates (forest or spent mushroom composts). The impact of various types of conifer needles on the growth of A. niger was studied to determine whether the filler can show the fungistatic effect. The changes in chemical composition of the composites surfaces were examined using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR/ATR). The results showed that the fungistatic effects of conifer needles polyolefin composites (CNPCs) were associated w…
Conifer needles as thermoplastic composite fillers: structure and properties
2016
This study describes the properties of thermoplastic polymer composites based on polyethylene (of low and high density) and ethylene-propylene copolymers using various types of conifer needles (pine, spruce, fir, and cedar) as fillers. For the needles, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and TGA/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA/FTIR) were performed to investigate their structures and thermal resistance, as required for the composite processing methods. Moreover, structural differences were studied for the analyzed fillers and composite materials (FTIR). The results were compared with the values obtained for composites with conifer wood flour. Composites with conifer needles (pine) …