As a fundamental step towards creating a new class of cellulose engineering materials, the proposed research investigated swelling and dissolution of cellulose in NaOH aqueous solvent systems (NaOH/H2O, NaOH/thiourea/H2O and NaOH/thiourea/urea/H2O). The dependence of swelling and dissolution behavior of cellulose fibers on the quality of the solvent was investigated in detail. For the two cellu...

Steeping milled sorghum in up to 0.4% NaOH was investigated as a method of tannin inactivation. NaOH steeping substantially reduced assayable total phenols and tannins in both Type III and Type II sorghums and with Type III sorghum caused a 60-80% reduction in α-amylase inhibition compared to a 20% reduction by water steeping. NaOH treatment also reduced starch liquefaction time and increased f...

Bi2WO6 nanostructures were synthesized by a hydrothermal route, where the effect of various experimental parameters on the products was investigated. It is demonstrated that the sample morphology and size is highly dependent on the NaOH content (or pH value). At C NaOH = 0-0.0175 mol (pH range of 1-4), the prepared samples present flower-like hierarchical microspheres which are constructed from...

This research studied the effect of berry size and dipping pretreatment in hot sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution on the drying characteristics of blueberries under infrared radiation (IR) heating. Changes in the microstructure and diffusion coefficient of the berries after the NaOH pretreatment were also determined using scanning electronic microscopy and dynamic vapor sorption (DVS), respective...

Negative interactions of the acidity and S content of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) have not been quantified. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of dietary S, dietary acidity, and their interactions on growth, feed efficiency, ruminal H2S concentration, and apparent nutrient digestibility in lambs fed DDGS-based diets. To neutralize acidity, the DDGS was u...

We evaluated the effect of dilute sodium hydroxide (NaOH) on wheat straw at boiling temperature for removing lignin and increasing the yield of reducing sugar. Various concentrations of NaOH (0.5% to 2%) were used for pretreating wheat straw at 105 °C for 10 min. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies revealed that the 2% NaOH-...

The bulk etch rate for CR-39 in NaOH/ethanol was faster than those in aqueous solution of NaOH (NaOH/H2O). Furthermore, a layer of precipitate always accumulates on the surface of CR-39 detector during etching in NaOH/ethanol, which is absent during etching in NaOH/H2O. In the present work, mass spectrometry results have shown that the same etched products are present in the etchants of NaOH/H2...

It was hypothesised that compared to rolled rye grain, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment of whole rye grain would reduce the starch digestibility in the rumen whereas the small intestinal starch digestibility would be unaffected. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether rolled and NaOH treated rye grain has digestive patterns similar to rolled and NaOH treated wheat in lactating ...

Osseointegration, in terms of the bone apposition ratio (BAR) and the new bone area (NBA), was measured by backscattered electron imaging. The results were compared for four implant types: grit-blasted and NaOH-treated Ti-6Al-4V (Uncoated-NaOH), electrodeposited with hydroxyapatite without alkali treatment (ED-HAp), electrodeposited with hydroxyapatite after alkali treatment (NaOH-ED-HAp), and ...

The presence of photosynthetic zooxanthellae (dinoflagellates) in the tissue of many cnidarians is the main reason for their ecological success (i.e. coral reefs). It could also be the main cause of their demise, as the worldwide bleaching of reef-building coral is nothing less than the breakdown of this symbiotic association. The stability of this relationship is the principal marker for the b...