This study investigated a new adhesive system, consisting of soy protein isolate (SPI) and Kymene ® 557H (simply called Kymene) (a commercial wet-strength agent for paper), that was prepared by mixing SPI and Kymene. Wood composites bonded with SPI-Kymene adhesive preparations had shear strengths comparable to or higher than those bonded with commercial phenol formaldehyde resins. Wood composites bonded with the new adhesive system had high water resistance and retained relatively high strength even after they had undergone a boiling-water test. The new adhesive system is formaldehyde-free, easy to use, and environmentally friendly. Kymene was proposed to serve as a curing agent in SPI-Kymene adhesives.

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Pretreatment plays an important role in the efficient enzymatic hydrolysis of biomass into fermentable sugars for biofuels. A highly effective pretreatment method is reported for corn stover which combines mild alkali-extraction followed by ionic liquid (IL) dissolution of the polysaccharides and regeneration (recovery of the polysaccharides as solids). Air-dried, knife-milled corn stover was soaked in 1% NaOH at a moderate condition (90°C, 1 h) and then thoroughly washed with hot deionized (DI) water. The alkali extraction solublized 75% of the lignin and 37% of the hemicellulose. The corn stover fibers became softer and smoother after the alkali extraction. Unextracted and extracted corn stover samples were separately dissolved in an IL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C(4) mimCl), at 130°C for 2 h and then regenerated with DI water. The IL dissolution process did not significantly change the chemical composition of the materials, but did alter their structural features. Untreated and treated corn stover samples were hydrolyzed with commercial enzyme preparations including cellulases and hemicellulases at 50°C. The glucose yield from the corn stover sample that was both alkali-extracted and IL-dissolved was 96% in 5 h of hydrolysis. This is a highly effective methodology for minimizing the enzymatic loading for biomass hydrolysis and/or maximizing the conversion of biomass polysaccharides into sugars.