compound for molding items? I realise it wouldn't be as practical as polymers. But the basic idea behind steaming and bending wood for furniture is that they become more flexible when steamed. What would be suitable as a solvent for them? Would it require heat, pressure, what? And could the separated cellulose fibers be used for something else, like paper?
This is for some fiction I'm writing, but I'd rather have realistic details than making stuff up. I don't want to have people say "That's impossible! it can't work!"
Serious answers only, please. If the question isn't clear, say so, and I'll provide more details. Thanks!
25 SEPT 07, 0047 hrs, GMT
2007-09-24 12:44:57 · 1 answers · asked by cdf-rom 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Well, I don't think that hemi-cellulose would work well. First, removing it from the cell wall would involve breaking covalent (strong) bonds betwen it and cellulose. If you got it off, which would require an enzymatic reaction in the first place, (and I would recommend Methanol as a solvent), you would have another structural problem. Cellulose already provides most of the structure for hemi-cellulose, which is not as structurally sound. So at the minimum, you'd have to re-crosslink the hemi-cellulose with itself, so that it would have some structural qualities.
Though not as familiar with lignin, I did find that there are some patents for making polymers from them. They apparently make a glue, but there is no indication that these polymers can't be structural. They state how they make them in the description.
Here's the link to the patent:
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/4769434-description.html
Good luck with the writing, and thanks for caring about accuracy. I've all but stopped reading sci-fi now that I'm a grad student. It's just too annoying.
2007-09-28 09:14:20 · answer #1 · answered by BECCA 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋