The abundance of cellulosic wastes make them attractive source of energy for producing electricity in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, electricity production from cellulose requires obligate anaerobes that can degrade cellulose and transfer electrons to the electrode (exoelectrogens), and thus most previous MFC studies have been conducted using two-chamber systems to avoid oxygen contamination of the anode. Single-chamber, air-cathode MFCs typically produce higher power densities than aqueous catholyte MFCs and avoid energy input for the cathodic reaction. To better understand the bacterial communities that evolve in single-chamber air-cathode MFCs fed cellulose, we examined the changes in the bacterial consortium in an MFC fed cellulose over time. The most predominant bacteria shown to be capable electron generation was Firmicutes, with the fermenters decomposing cellulose Bacteroidetes. The main genera developed after extended operation of the cellulose-fed MFC were cellulolytic strains, fermenters and electrogens that included: Parabacteroides, Proteiniphilum, Catonella and Clostridium. These results demonstrate that different communities evolve in air-cathode MFCs fed cellulose than the previous two-chamber reactors.

This paper aims at the influence of drilling conditions (feed rate and material type) upon the coordinates deviation (deviation from the nominal location) of holes in wood-based materials: high-density fiberboard (HDF), medium-density fiberboard (MDF), and hard fiberboard (HB). These were tested with drill bits of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mm. Coordinates deviation was measured with computer vision-based scripts. The conclusion obtained is as follows: drill coordinates deviation increases with feed rate and material hardness. Tool diameter influence is less obvious due to two factors: its slenderness and difficultness in the hole initiation process. The results obtained are generally in line with other works on micro-drilling and can be used as references for other wood-related works.

The development of computers and technology allows for the production of increasingly detailed and more accurate products, including those produced on a mass scale. This applies to wood as well as wood-based products. While scientific tools are becoming more precise and sophisticated, they only provide raw data that must be processed and analyzed. The aim of this work was to create and verify a complex, economically feasible tool that allows assessing whether the hole of a small dimension (0.5–3.0 mm) is made in the designed place. To achieve this goal, home-use flatbed scanner and free source software were utilized. The work was divided into three parts: (1) identifying the most favorable analysis parameters, (2) developing scripts and evaluating their effectiveness in marking known offset of 0.127 mm, (3) verifying the ability to distinguish groups of holes between which the difference in position differs by as much as 0.0254 mm. The developed tool does not allow for the determination of the absolute displacement of the holes, but it is characterized by high efficiency and effectiveness, allowing the comparison of groups of holes with diameters from 0.5 to 3.0 mm. It can be used to determine the influence of cutting parameters on the quality of the location of the created hole with high statistical significance.

Raw materials used in particleboard production may have different chemical properties as they have different origins, nature, and storage histories. One of the most important factors is the acidity of the wood which affects the process of bond line formation. Thus, determination of the acid buffering capacity (ABC) of a raw material helps to adjust the optimal amount of hardener in the adhesive. In the present study, three methods for pH-metric ABC determination in the presence of lignocellulosic material were compared. Models that correlate the hardener amount with the internal bonding of particleboards were built from the ABC results. The approach was tested on three materials of different acidity—pine, oak, and ammonia-treated oak. The developed models allowed the prediction of the optimal amount of hardener for the maximized internal bond of the boards. The experimental verification of the models showed a high convergence of the calculated and empirical results.