IRG Documents Database and Compendium


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Water sprinkled pine wood: A microscope study on boards showing streaking
1993 - IRG/WP 93-10033
Boards sawn from the outer sapwood of pine lumber previously water sprinkled for periods of 10-18 weeks and kiln dried, showed streaking after staining. Two types of enhanced stain uptake were noted: 1) a more concentrated and localized form after 10 weeks and 2) a more diffuse type which developed in later stages of water sprinkling. Areas showing enhanced stain uptake were examined using light a...
G F Daniel, T Elowson, T Nilsson, A P Singh, K Liukko


The effect of low molecular weight chelators on iron chelation and free radical generation as studied by ESR measurement
2000 - IRG/WP 00-10367
The focus of this work was to improve our current knowledge of the non-enzymatic mechanisms involved in brown-rot decay. Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), also known as Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), is an attractive technique for the identification and study of chemical species containing unpaired electrons (such as radicals and certain transition metal species). ESR spin-trapping techniques...
Yuhui Qian, B Goodell


Life cycle analysis of utility poles. A Swiss case study
1995 - IRG/WP 95-50040-05
Use of preservative-treated wood products faces increasing public and political pressure because of environmental concerns regarding the chemicals used to protect the wood. However, critics usually focus only on one single aspect of the whole life cycle of treated wood products, disregarding other environmental effects of timber utilization. To evaluate the ecological consequences of wooden utilit...
T Künniger, K Richter


Ultrastructural aspects of bacterial attacks on an archaeological wood
1993 - IRG/WP 93-10007
Transmission electron microscopy of wood from a Chinese ship submerged in the mud for over 900 years showed bacteria to be the main factor for its deterioration. The micromorphology of degraded wood cell walls was similar to that observed during the attacks of wood by erosion bacteria. Other bacterial forms, previously considered lo be scavenging bacteria, were also abundant in degraded areas of t...
Yoon Soo Kim, A P Singh


Isolation and identification of bacteria from CCA-treated eucalypt power transmission poles
1987 - IRG/WP 1317
Bacteria have been isolated from CCA treated Eucalyptus maculata poles which possessed characteristic bacterial decay patterns. Cultures were isolated on a number of different media which had been inoculated with a splinter of degraded wood. Primary tests indicated that most isolates belonged to the genera Pseudomonas and Bacillus. The species Pseudomonas cepacia was most frequently isolated....
G A Willoughby, A C Hayward, L E Leightley


Immunogold localisation of catalytic domain of endocellulase in the cellulosic substrates
1997 - IRG/WP 97-10205
The reaction of catalytic domain of endocellulase on the cellulosic substrates was visualised by using immunogold labelling procedures to obtain a better understanding of the mechanism of enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis. Polyclonal antibody was produced against the catalytic domain of endo-l, 4-ß-glucanase (EGI) from a ruminal anaerobic bacterium Ruminococcus albus F-40. Immuno-TEM works showed th...
Yoon Soo Kim, Seung-Gon Wi, Kyu Ho Myung, K Ohmiya, S Karita


The use of immunofluorescence labelling for detecting Ophiostoma piceae in radiata pine
1998 - IRG/WP 98-10268
The primary objective of the current investigation is to understand fungal interactions of dominant sapstaining fungi in radiata pine using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). In the current paper, an immunofluorescence labelling technique was developed for detection of Ophiostoma piceae using a monoclonal antibody. The primary antibody was labelled with Oregon green 514 Goat anti-mouse Ig...
Ying Xiao, B Kreber, C Breuil


Ultrastructure of degraded, CCA-treated Pinus radiata wood from a marine pile
1990 - IRG/WP 1461
During an inspection of marine piles, 12 years after installation, severe degradation was noted on one of them in the vicinity of a corroded eye-bolt. The wood was dark brown in colour and tended to crumble easily. Wood fragments were examined by light microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy and were also analysed for carbohydrates and lignin. Light microscopy showed numerous ...
A P Singh, M E Hedley


The evaluation of the occurrence of soft rot in creosoted wooden poles
1988 - IRG/WP 1368
The occurrence of soft rot decay in creosoted wooden poles for overhead power lines was investigated by collection of field samples, their subsequent microscopic examination and statistical analysis of the data collected. Examination of samples collected from 296 poles revealed that approximately 15% of the pole population studied (Eastern Electricity Board) showed the presence of soft rot decay. ...
A Wylde, D J Dickinson


Sampling variation in a copper chrome arsenic treated power transmission pole
1990 - IRG/WP 2351
The Queensland Forest Service routinely samples poles treated at all treatment plants throughout the State. Each treatment plant is issued with a Certificate of Registration and the accompanying documents list the different levels of preservative retention required for performance in various service conditions. The posted levels represent the.minimum permissible, and it is to these concentrations ...
J Norton


Soft rot studies on CCA treated eucalypt power transmission poles
1981 - IRG/WP 1132
Initial results found for sixty CCA treated eucalypt poles, from a soft-rot survey are discussed. Retentions of CCA within above and below ground pole samples were variable. The variation was attributed mostly to biodegradation and effect of soil environment, rather than leaching. Bacterial decay was found in many poles and was severe in some cases. Although found in the presence of soft-rot decay...
L E Leightley


EELS (Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy) - a technique for quantification of nitrogen and other light elements in the cell wall
1999 - IRG/WP 99-20163
A literature survey was performed to find progress in techniques for monitoring penetration of synthetic resins in wood cell walls. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in combination with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was successfully applied for the high resolution examination of the distribution of a partly methylated hydroxymethyl melamine resin in Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst...
A O Rapp, H Bestgen, W Adam, R-D Peek


The rate of losses of creosote from power transmission poles during storage
1998 - IRG/WP 98-50101-24
The purpose of this work was to study the rate of losses of creosote from power transmission poles and its consequences on the expected life of the poles stored for a long period in horizontal position. Apart from this main target of the study, the results could allow a rough estimate of the load of creosote substances on the soil especially when the poles are stored and this load accumulates over...
Z Vassou, A Satanakis, C Koutsikopoulus, J Petinarakis


An electron spin resonance study of manganese changes in wood decayed by the brown-rot fungus, Postia placenta
1988 - IRG/WP 1359
Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry was used to examine wood decay by the brown-rot fungus, Postia placenta. Wood slivers of Douglas-fir, white fir, redwood, sweetgum and yellow poplar were incubated for 4 weeks in custom-made quartz ESR tubes with or without Postia placenta. In all wood species without fungus, a weak partially resolved signal (about g=2, presumably due to manganese) was de...
B Illman, D C Meinholtz, T L Highley


Butt-end incising to improve penetration and retention of creosote in Eucalyptus saligna power transmission poles in Kenya. Preliminary results
2002 - IRG/WP 02-40249
Incising as a possible technique to improve penetration and retention of creosote in the butt end of Eucalyptus saligna power transmission poles in Kenya was investigated. Debarked, butt-end samples from whole poles were seasoned (15% MC), incised using four patterns of incisions, sealed at the top or small diameter end, and pressure treated with a mixture of creosote-furnace oil (60/40 mix) at a...
R Venkatasamy


A light and electron microscopic study of decayed CCA-treated radiata pine (Pinus radiata) wood from a cooling tower
1994 - IRG/WP 94-10056
An inspection of an industrial cooling tower in New Zealand showed surface decay of 12 year old Pinus radiata wood panels treated with CCA preservative to a retention of around 15 kg/m³ of salt. Wood decay micromorphology typical of that caused by soft rot fungi, white rot fungi, 'stripy' and 'v-shaped' erosion bacteria and cavitation bacteria were all commonly...
A P Singh, R N Wakeling, D R Page


Microbial decay of an archaeological wood
1994 - IRG/WP 94-10053
A light and transmission electron microscopic investigation of an archaeological wood was undertaken to determine the cause of its deterioration. The wood came from a bulwark constructed in early 1100 in the lake Tingstäde Träsk on the island Gotland in Sweden. The samples of the wood, which was identified as Pinus sylvestris, were taken from a depth of 0.85 m below the bottom level. The wood wa...
A P Singh, T Nilsson, G F Daniel


Preliminary modelling of methylisothiocyanate movement through Douglas fir transmission poles
1988 - IRG/WP 3466
Methylisothiocyanate is a volatile solid that is the active ingredient of several registered and experimental wood fumigants. Information on the sorption and diffusion of this chemical in Douglas-fir heartwood and sapwood was used to develop a two-dimensional model of fumigant movement within a single horizontal cross-section of a transmission pole. The model indicated that dry wood (14% MC) stron...
A R Zahora, P E Humphrey, J J Morrell


Distribution of copper/chrome/boron preservative in light red meranti (Shorea leprosula) before and after exposure test for 72 months
1995 - IRG/WP 95-20073
Copper/chrome/boron (CCB) preservative at 6% w/w was impregnated into light red meranti (Shorea leprosula) by full cell process. The quantitative analysis for copper, chrome and boron contents in treated wood samples was carried out by Inductive Couple Plasma (ICP). Electron Probe Microanalyser (EPMA) was used to monitor the distribution of copper, chrome and boron in the various treated wood tiss...
S Salamah, S Ani


Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) of decayed wood
1998 - IRG/WP 98-10273
Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is currently being used to examine biodegraded wood and is proving to be a useful new technique in this area of work. Non-invasive optical sectioning within a thick specimen (20 - 50 µm), coupled with post image processing techniques allows manipulation of images and 3-D reconstruction from serial sections. Glutaraldehyde can cause cell autofluorescence,...
Ying Xiao, R N Wakeling, A P Singh


Field Liners™ prevent creosote migration from transmission poles to soil during service
1996 - IRG/WP 96-40067
A full scale trial utilised 150 12m Eucalyptus grandis transmission poles treated with standard retentions of creosote according to SABS Method 457. One hundred poles had Field Liners™ applied while 50 did not. The 150 poles were used to complete an electricity transmission line in Southern KwaZulu-Natal. After 18 months service, incremental cores were taken from 15 cm below the ground lines of ...
M R Behr, G D Shelver, A A W Baecker


A novel solvent penetration assessment technique for wood preservativation treatments using waterborne systems
1990 - IRG/WP 2346
Solvent and hence solute (a.i.) penetration during any wood preservation treatment cycle and the flow pathways taken by the solvent in the wood are crucial elements in determining the adequacy of any treatment. Inadequate solvent penetration into specimens or an inappropriate tissue throughflow pattern during impregnation will markedly affect the distribution pattern achieved by many non-diffusibl...
A J Pendlebury, J Coetzee, E Sorfa, A Botha


The use of spruce for transmission poles
1973 - IRG/WP 326
A series of preservative treatments with creosote using Lowry and Rueping schedules was undertaken. From these treatments the most suitable impregnation conditions for water stored Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) transmission poles were determined. Preservative distribution and permeability values for poles of both species were used to decide the optimum season and ...
J A Dunleavy, D J Balfe, J P Prendergast


Soft Rot Decay of Cengal (Neobalanocarpus heimii) Heartwood in Ground Contact in Relation to Extractive Microdistribution
2003 - IRG/WP 03-10501
The heartwood of cengal (Neobalanocarpus heimii, fam. Dipterocarpaceae) is naturally durable. A square-sawn utility pole specimen of cengal heartwood, after 30 years in ground contact, showed 10-15 mm surface decay all around the ground line position, accompanied with isolated surface termite attack at the decayed region. Light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the decayed regions prov...
A P Singh, A H H Wong, Yoon Soo Kim, Seung-Gon Wi, Kwang Ho Lee


Advances in understanding the mode of action of methylene bisthiocyanate against Sphaeropsis sapinea
2002 - IRG/WP 02-30284
The importance of arresting sapstain pre-infection in radiata pine in New Zealand, to prevent downstream sapstain in both logs and sawn timbers has been clearly demonstrated. Efforts are being made to improve the efficacy of diffusible antisapstain agents through improved understanding wood/fungicide/fungus interactions. The mechanism of action of methylene bisthiocyanate (MBT) was investigated u...
T Singh, R N Wakeling, B Kreber, A Stewart


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