Decay resistance and dimensional stability improvement of wood by low melting point alloy heat treatment

Wood has no inherent natural resistance against agents of biodegradation. We evaluated the effects of metal bath heat treatment(MBHT) on decay resistance and dimensional stability of Chinese parasol(Firmiana simplex) and Chinese fir(Cunninghamia lanceolata) wood. A low melting point alloy was used as heating medium in the treatment of the wood samples at 150, 180, and 210 °C for2, 4, and 8 h. Heat-treated and control samples were exposed to brown rot fungus(Poria placenta) and white rot fungus(Coriolus versicolor) for decay resistance testing and anti-swelling efficiency(ASE). The improved decay resistance with increase temperatures with low mass losses of 7.3 and 7.3% for F. simplex, and 3.9 and 3.6% for C.lanceolata at 210 °C for 8 h against Coriolus versicolor and Poria placenta, respectively. ASE indicated that MBHT contributed to improved dimensional stability of both wood species after treatment. Scanning electron micrograph results indicate that metal bath-treated samples showed strong decay resistance. Therefore, our approach to thermally modify wood should be explored to overcome the energy utilization by using low melting point alloy for the heat treatment of wood.

Decay Resistance of Particleboards Manufactured with Four Agro-Forest Residues Using Cassava Starch and Urea Formaldehyde as Adhesives

Many factors including depletion of the forest, environmental awareness, and generation of large quantities of agro-forest residues have increased the need to partially or wholly replace wood with agro-forest residue for particleboard production. This study assessed the decay resistance of particleboards produced from four agro-forest residues using cassava starch and urea formaldehyde as adhesives. Musa paradisiaca pseudostem, Theobroma cacao stem and pod, and sawdust of Ceiba pentandra were used for the study. Properties determined were: Weight loss, decay resistance rating and decay susceptibility index. These properties were evaluated after 12 weeks of exposure to Coriolopsis polyzona in accordance with ASTM D 2017-05. The results indicate that the weight loss for Musa paradisiaca pseudostem particleboard was least for both urea formaldehyde and cassava starch adhesives. Even though almost all the particleboards produced were classified as resistant or highly resistant to fungi attack, those produced with urea formaldehyde had better decay resistance properties than that of cassava starch. Furthermore, particleboards coated with synthetic polyvinyl lacquer had better resistance to fungi attack than the uncoated ones. At 5% level of significance, the agro-forest residue, adhesive and surface finish as well as their interactions had significant effects on decay resistance of the particleboards produced. It is recommended that further studies which aim at determining the effect of combination of the agro-forest residues and that of urea formaldehyde and cassava starch be conducted to determine their effects on decay properties of particleboards.

Natural Resistance of Two Plantation Woods Populus × canadensis cv. and Cunninghamia lanceolata to Decay Fungi and Termites

Natural durability of two plantation woods, Chinese fir and I-214 poplar, was investigated thoroughly by three test- ing methods, namely an accelerated laboratory decay test, a fungus cellar test and a field test. After the decay test using Postia pla- centa and Trametes versicolor, Chinese fir and the I-214 poplar showed 34% and 69% of mass loss, respectively, indicating they should be classified as slightly durable and non-durable wood. This conclusion was confirmed by the fungus cellar test and the field test. Like the performance in the decay test, I-214 poplar showed no resistance to termites either in the laboratory or in the field, whereas Chinese fir would be classified as moderately resistant.

Study on Decay Resistance Performance of CuAz Preservative for Bamboo

Blocks of Moso bamboo were used as experimental materials to test the toxicity of CuAz preservative on decay fungi by the lab test in this paper. The result showed that the natural decay resistance of 4-year-old Mao bamboo is moderate, and the resistance to brown fungi is stronger than that to white fungi. The anti-fungi properties of CuAz preservative at the retention of 3.3 kg/m3 are equal to those of CCA-C and ACQ-B at the retention of about 4.0 kg/m3 , and obviously superior to those of organic acids preservatives.