A method for manufacturing a closure constructed to be inserted and securely retained in a neck of a product-retaining container includes intimately combining a plurality of coated particles (each comprising a cork material core and a first plastic material) with a second plastic material, and other optional constituents; heating the composition to form a melt; extruding or molding a closure precursor from the melt; and optionally cutting and/or finishing the closure precursor. A composition for use in manufacturing a closure includes a plurality of coated particles (each comprising a cork material core and a first plastic material) with a second plastic material, and one or more blowing agents. Methods for producing particulate material, cork composite material, and additional method for producing closures are also provided.

A method for producing a shaped article comprising: a) providing a binder, which has been produced by a process of: (i) mixing (A) fungi or glucan and (B) starch with an alkaline agent to form an alkaline composition; and mixing the alkaline composition with an acidic agent to form the binder; or (ii) mixing (A) fungi or glucan and (B) starch with an acidic agent to form an acidic composition; and mixing the acidic composition with an alkaline agent to form the binder; (b) forming a binder composition by mixing the binder with filler material; (c) shaping the binder composition into a three-dimensional shape; and (d) curing the binder composition to form a shaped article having said three-dimensional shape, wherein steps c) and d) can be carried out simultaneously or separately, and wherein during one or both of steps c) and d) pressure is applied to the binder composition.

A flame-retardant, waterproof and formaldehyde-free board is disclosed. The board includes raw material and a coagulant agent. The mass ratio of the raw material to the coagulant agent is 1:1-5. The coagulant includes Agent (A), Agent (B) and magnesium oxide at a mass ratio of 15:2:8-12. In addition, a method of manufacturing the flame-retardant, waterproof and formaldehyde-free board is disclosed.

A method for producing a biofuel by continuous or discontinuous steam cracking of lignocellulosic biomass, comprises: —recording a digital model of the optimal steam cracking parameters as a function of the typology of the plant constituents of the biomass; —supplying the steam cracking reactor with heterogeneous biomass; —measuring at least once during the treatment the typology of the plant constituents of the biomass; and —controlling the adjustment of the steam cracking parameters as a function of the typology of the plant constituents of the measured biomass and of the digital model.

A wood chip material, especially a fireproof water resistant wood chip material, especially a fireproof water resistant wood chip material to make oriented strand boards which consists of a mixture containing 30 to 43 weight percent of wood chips, 53 to 61.9 weight percent of an aqueous solution of silicate, 2 to 5 weight percent of aluminium hydroxide, 1 to 3 weight percent of water, 0.1 to 1 weight percent of a stabilizer of the aqueous solution of silicate, and a hardener of the aqueous solution of sodium silicate in the concentration of 0.5 to 5 weight percent to the pure aqueous solution of sodium silicate providing always that the density of the aqueous solution of sodium silicate ranges from 1370 to 1400 kg/m.sup.3 and the SiO.sub.2 to NA.sub.2O molar ratio in the aqueous solution of sodium silicate ranges from 3.2 to 3.4. A method of production of a wood chip material, especially method of production of a fireproof water resistant wood chip material, especially method of production of a fireproof water resistant wood chip material to make oriented strand boards according to which, as the first step, the aluminium hydroxide is mixed with water, then wood chips are added into the mixture and everything is stirred thoroughly in such a manner that a wood chip mixture is formed, then the stabilizer of the aqueous solution of sodium silicate is added in the aqueous solution of silicate and after that the hardener of the aqueous solution of sodium silicate is admixed in this solution. Then the solution is stirred for 1 to 10 minutes until a binding solution is formed. Then the wood chip mixture is poured, at continuous stirring, in the binding solution and everything is stirred thoroughly again. Then the resulting mixture is poured in the place of application.

An engineered wood based siding, cladding or panel with a microstrand interface layer (MIL) applied to the top of the main strand matrix layers to minimize telegraphing, add rigidity and strength, and provide an improved surface appearance. The MIL comprises microstrands applied to the surface of the strand matrix or mat during production, prior to deposition of a fines layer. The MIL prevents the loss of fines into the strand matrix, and helps prevent or eliminate strand telegraphing.

A method for producing material boards in a production plant in which apparatuses form a material into a mat that is pressed to obtain the material board which has specific quality parameters. The production plant and/or the apparatuses are controlled in an open- or closed-loop manner by a controller, which preferably includes a programmable logic controller, and input parameters are received, processed and/or output by the controller. The input parameters are formed at least from settable product parameters for the material board to be produced, from settable and/or recorded plant parameters of the production plant and/or the apparatuses and/or from recorded material parameters. A quality value of at least one quality parameter of the material board to be produced is determined based on the input parameters by an algorithm based on artificial intelligence. The algorithm is trained or formed by a database which has at least one quality parameter and input parameters correlating with the quality parameter.

A woody material, where a ratio (HB/HA) between a height (HA) of an absorption peak derived by C−H stretching vibration detected at a wavenumber from 2850 cm-1 to 2950 cm-1 and a height (HB) of an absorption peak derived by skeletal vibration of an aromatic ring detected at a wavenumber from 1480 cm-1 to 1540 cm-1 is 1.10 or less in an ATR spectrum of an inside or a surface of the woody material by an infrared spectroscopic analysis method.

A sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a defibrating unit that defibrates a material containing fibers into a defibrated material, and a deposition unit that deposits a defibrated material defibrated by the defibrating unit. The deposition unit includes a material supply port through which the defibrated material from the defibrating unit is supplied, a plurality of opening ports through which the supplied defibrated material passes, and a dwell area disposed between the material supply port and the opening ports so that the defibrated material temporarily dwells in the dwell area. The dwell area allows the defibrated material to temporarily dwell in the dwell area so that a variation amount of the defibrated material that passes through the opening ports becomes smaller than a variation amount of the defibrated material supplied through the material supply port.

Coconut husk and coconut shells are primarily considered agricultural waste. Therefore, coconut shells are often burned, which is terrible for the environment and contributes significantly to CO2 and methane emissions. Thus, the present invention provides an eco-friendly use for coconut waste by turning coconut fibers into thermo-acoustic insulation. The present invention also describes methods of producing said insulating compositions.