Improvement of Grevillea robusta durability using heat treatment

IRG/WP 06-40333

F Mburu, S Dumarçay, F Huber, M Petrissans, P Gérardin

Heat treatment of Grevillea robusta was carried-out under inert conditions to improve its durability. Resistance of heat treated samples was evaluated by malt agar block tests after three months of exposure to several wood rotting fungi. Results showed that the fungal durability was greatly improved after treatment. There was a good correlation between fungal resistance and mass loss which is a factor of time when the treatment temperature is held constant. Microscopic, FTIR and 13C MAS NMR analysis were performed to characterize wood chemical and anatomical modifications that occur after treatment to understand the reasons of the durability improvement.


Keywords: chemical composition, durability, Grevillea robusta, heat treatment, rotting fungi

Conference: 06-06-18/22 Tromsoe, Norway


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