Refined fibers

Early diffraction photographs of such DNA fibers taken by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins in London and interpreted by James Watson and Francis Crick in Cambridge revealed two types of DNA structures A-DNA and B-DNA. The B-DNA form is obtained when DNA is fully hydrated as it is in vivo. A-DNA is obtained under dehydrated nonphysiological conditions. Improvements in the methods for the chemical synthesis of DNA have recently made it possible to study crystals of short DNA molecules of any selected sequence. These studies have essentially confirmed the refined fiber diffraction models for A- and B-DNA and in addition have given details of small structural variations for different DNA sequences. Furthermore, a new structural form of DNA, called Z-DNA, has been discovered. 

Grain legumes have also been processed into refined starch (10,11) and protein isolates (12,13,14) by procedures derived from the traditional corn starch and soybean protein industries (15). However, comparative data on product yields, composition and losses have not been published. A commercial plant for the wet processing of field pea into refined starch, protein isolate and refined fiber has been established in Western Canada. Little is known about the characteristics of the protein isolate or refined fiber product. Water-washed starch prepared from the air-classified starch fractions of field pea (16,17) and fababean (6) have been investigated for certain physico-chemical and pasting properties. Reichert (18) isolated the cell wall material from soaked field pea cotyledons and determined its fiber composition and water absorption capacity. In addition, the effects of drying techniques on the characteristics of pea protein Isolates have been determined (14). 

On the basis of proteinate yields (Table II) and their protein contents (Table I), the recoveries of protein during wet processing were about 73% for both legumes, which was only slightly below the efficiency of the dry process. However, the losses of starch in the whey and wash solids were substantial, and starch recoveries averaged 77.5%. The yields of refined fiber were about 8% of the raw materials. Almost 30% of the dry matter from wet processing would have to be recovered from whey and wash extracts to make the process economical. 

Product Colours. Both legume flours showed creamy-yellow colours under the Hunter Color Difference Meter but fababean flour was also slightly greenish (Table V). Pin milling improved the lightness of the flour and this colour was retained by the protein and starch fractions at the expense of the yellow values. The proteinates were light brown in appearance whereas the refined starches were essentially white. The refined fiber retained only a light shade of yellow as compared to the other products. 

Two major approaches have been used to study the effects of fiber on humans 1) to replace low-fiber foods with higher fiber foods and 2) to add refined fibers to self-selected or controlled diets. High pectin foods or refined pectin have been fed to man and animals alone or in combination with other fiber sources to investigate the effect of pectin on metabolic parameters. 

Fibers are delivered as pulps, which are chopped and refined fibers with a high surface area. The pulps are used as specialty additives that enhance performance by providing excellent reinforcement. Lightweight strength reinforcement can be achieved with continuous filaments. Honeycomb cores are available for aerospace industries. Spun yam is used for protective coatings [99]. 

Slay J R, Short P H, Wright D C 1980 Catalytic effects of extractives from pressure-refined fiber on gel time of urea-formaldehyde resin. For Prod J 30(3) 22-23... 

Prior to this work, dietary fiber, of which ceUulose is oae of the more important constituents, was considered important primarily as a means of preventing or overcoming constipation. Otherwise, dietary fiber was considered to be a metaboHcally iaert substance. A large variety of diseases such as appendicitis, hiatus hernia, gallstones, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, obesity, dental caries, and duodenal ulcers are now suspected to be associated with the consumption of a highly refined diet (42). 

The slurry is pumped iato another stock chest, where wax ia emulsion form, usually about 0.5—1.0% wax-to-fiber weight, and 1—3% PF resia are added. PF resia is also added on the basis of resia soHds-to-dry fiber. Thea a small amouat of alum is added, which changes the pH (acidity) of the slurry, causiag the resia to precipitate from solutioa and deposit on the fibers. Resia is required ia greater quantity than ia the Masonite process because only light bonding occurs between fibers prepared ia a refiner. The fiber slurry is thea pumped to the headbox of a Fourdrioier mat former, and from this poiat the process is similar to the Masonite process. 

Dry-Process Hardboard. Dry-process hardboard is produced by a dry—dry system where dry fiber is formed iato mats, which are thea pressed ia a dry coaditioa. A flow diagram of this process is showa ia Figure 6. Ia this process, wood chips, sawdust, or other residues are refiaed to fiber ia pressurized refiners. Wax and PF resia may be added ia the refiner or ioimediately outside of the refiner, ia the fiber-ejectioa tube or "blowliae." It is also aoted that a small amouat of dry-process hardboard is made with UF resia biaders. UF resias, because of their inherent faster curing at lower temperatures, can be added only at the blowline or ia a bleader located after the dryer. 

The Textile Eiber Product Identification Act (TEPIA) requires that the fiber content of textile articles be labeled (16). The Eederal Trade Commission estabhshed and periodically refines the generic fiber definitions. The current definition for a polyester fiber is "A manufactured fiber ia which the fiber-forming substance is any long-chain synthetic polymer composed of at least 85% by weight of an ester of a substituted aromatic carboxyUc acid, including but not restricted to terephthalate units, and para substituted hydroxyben2oate units."... 

Germanium tetrachloride refined for use in making optical fibers is usually specified to contain less than 0.5 to 5 ppb of each of eight impurities vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, and zinc. Limits are sometimes specified for a few other elements. Also of concern are hydrogen-bearing impurities therefore, maximum limits of 5 to 10 ppm are usually placed on HCl, OH, CH2, and CH contents. 

Other routes for hydroxybenzaldehydes are the electrolytic or catalytic reduction of hydroxybenzoic acids (65,66) and the electrolytic or catalytic oxidation of cresols (67,68). (see Salicylic acid and related compounds). Sahcylaldehyde is available in drums and bulk quantities. The normal specification is a freezing point minimum of 1.4°C. 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde is available in fiber dmms, and has a normal specification requirement of a 114°C initial melting point. More refined analytical methods are used where the appHcation requires more stringent specifications. 

Up to 0.4 g/L of the iodine stays in solution and the rest precipitates as crystallized iodine, which is removed by flotation (qv). This operation does not require a flotation agent, owing to the hydrophobic character of the crystallized element. From the flotation cell a heavy pulp, which is water-washed and submitted to a second flotation step, is obtained. The washed pulp is introduced into a heat exchanger where it is heated under pressure up to 120°C to melt the iodine that flows into a first reactor for decantation. From there the melt flows into a second reactor for sulfuric acid drying. The refined iodine is either flaked or prilled, and packed in 50- and 25-kg plastic-lined fiber dmms. 

The highest purity (>99.99%) oxygen is obtained through further refinement. At 99.99% the impurities total only 100 ppm. This grade of oxygen is used in the manufacture of electronic components, fiber optics (qv), etc, or for gas chromatograph calibration or research appHcations. 

Rosin sizing usually involves the addition of dilute aqueous solutions or dispersions of rosin soap size and alum to a pulp slurry (44—46). Although beater addition of either coreactant is permissable, addition of both before final pulp refining is unwise because subsequently exposed ceUulose surfaces may not be properly sized. The size and alum should be added sufficiendy eady to provide uniform distribution in the slurry, and adequate time for the formation and retention of aluminum resinates, commonly referred to as size precipitate. Free rosin emulsion sizes, however, do not react to a significant degree with alum in the pulp slurry, and addition of a cationic starch or resin is recommended to maximize retention of size to fiber. Subsequent reaction with aluminum occurs principally in the machine drier sections (47). 

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