Your search resulted in 673 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.
Outdoor termite resistance performance of zinc borate (Borogard® ZB) treated parallel strand lumber (PSL) – 15 years field test results
2024 - IRG/WP 24-40999
This report discloses the outdoor termite resistance performance of PSL samples treated with zinc borate at a dosage of 0.85% BAE and 1.72% BAE in Wuxi, China. The outdoor field trial lasted for 15 years and observations were made after 6 months, 3 years, 5 years 1 month, 6 years 6 months and 15 years. The retaining rates of B2O3 and ZnO in the final samples were also tested, and the hypothesis wa...
S Shi, E Laval, K Lung, F Ascherl, R Williams, W Li, X Li
Changes in decay risk of wood in ground contact over Europe, from analysis of historic climate conditions
2024 - IRG/WP 24-41008
Changing climate conditions will affect global temperature and precipitation patterns, shifting some geographical areas into states that are more suitable for fungal wood decay. Climate normals, which are taken over a 30-year period, capture vast spatial and temporal variations in these conditions and comparing these can show changes over time. Importantly, being able to identify locations that ha...
P B van Niekerk, B N Marais, G Alfredsen, C Brischke
Durability of Malaysian plybamboo to mold
2024 - IRG/WP 24-41014
Durability of 3-layer plybamboo fabricated from two Malaysian bamboo species, Gigantochloa levis (beting) and Gigantochloa scortechinii (semantan) using three different adhesives - urea formaldehyde (UF), melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) and phenol resorcinal formaldehyde (PRF) was evaluated in this study. Samples were exposed to the mold, Aspergillus brasiliensis for 4-week following the ASTM D44...
S Lipeh, A Mustapha, A S Yusoh, M K A Uyup
Analysis and performance of spruce alternative species and discarded wood for windows production
2024 - IRG/WP 24-50386
Climate change is having a significant impact on European forestry, particularly on the softwood species used for window frames. This study investigates potential replacement tree species for spruce (Picea abies), the predominant material for window frames. We evaluate Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), thermally modified poplar (Populus nigra) and discarded silver...
B Lesar, J Levanič, M Humar, A Treu
Structural health assessment of wood - A comparison of methods for determining the spatial spread of fungal infestation in beams and rafters
2025 - IRG/WP 25-11051
Wood decay in buildings can cause severe economic losses, require comprehensive refurbishment, and removal of decayed wooden elements from the building. The latter aims at restoring the structural integrity of the component or the entire building through replacement, and at preventing the infestation from spreading further. In practice, components are cut out of the structure to such an extent tha...
C Brischke, N Sommerfeld, E Flohr, A K Mayer, S Bollmus
Xerophilic mould fungi on new and historic wood
2025 - IRG/WP 25-11056
An examination of mould fungi in 35 medieval and ten 18th Century buildings shows mould growth to varying degrees on different surfaces. The analyses also show a rapid development of mould fungi on certain wooden surfaces in recent years.
A significant difference in the growth between new and old wood is the clearly more extensive growth and different species composition of mould fungi on new wo...
J Mattsson, M S Austigard
Screening of fungi capable of degradation of β-aryl ether bond from lignin model compounds by using highly fluorescent-emitting detection
2025 - IRG/WP 25-11081
Lignin is an aromatic polymer and composed of phenylpropane units polymerized by dehydrogenases in cell walls. Lignin has a complex chemical structure with C-C and C-O-C bonds, and it is difficult to decompose lignin structure by microorganisms in natural conditions. For the microbial degradation of lignin structure, wood decay fungi can non-specifically degrade the lignin polymeric structure by o...
A Ishikawa, Y Mori, Y Ota, M Kiguchi
Enhancing the Fire Resistance of Spruce Wood through Treatment and Additive Application: Small Flame Test Method
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20737
Spruce panels treated by spraying with Burnblock® spray, were tested using “Small flame test method” according to EN ISO 11925-2:2011. The fire retardant product from Burnblock ApS is reported by the Danish company to be bioderived and non-toxic. The results for the untreated planed spruce showed moderate flammability whereas the Burn Block treated panels exhibited exceptional fire resistance...
E S Mujanic, R Hasanagic, E Kerzic, L Fathi, M Humar
Securing Flame Retardancy in Wood: Durability After Artificial and Natural Weathering Test
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20738
The outdoor use of wood is often limited by challenges such as dimensional instability, vulnerability to fungal decay, and high flammability. Traditional flame retardant treatments improve fire resistance but suffer from significant leaching under environmental exposure, reducing their long-term effectiveness. This study introduces an innovative solution by integrating flame retardants with DMDHEU...
M Wu, L Martin, H Militz
Functionalization of wood with nano-sized titanium dioxide – Efficacy against mould growth and effect on cell wall integrity
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20740
Nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano TiO2) is a photocatalytic compound that generates reactive radicals under UV radiation, which can inhibit microbial growth and impart self-cleaning properties. This effect has been widely utilised on materials such as glass or tiles. This study investigates the potential of nano TiO2 treatments to prevent mould growth on wood and their impact on cell wall integrit...
U Hundhausen, S Bollmus, L Ross
CIOL Wood - Scientific Innovations in Wood Modification for Enhanced Performance and Usage
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20743
CIOL® is a wood modification technology designed as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional wood preservatives. Utilising a biobased formulation based on sorbitol and citric acid, CIOL® enhances wood's chemical structure, improving its durability, stability, and resistance to decay. This paper provides an overview of the advancements made in CIOL® technology, including its improv...
E Larnøy, A Treu, M Diraison, M Smith, A Audouin, P T Lewandowski, J Biørnstad
A novel anti-fungal wood crack repairing agent based on CQDs/PVA
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20744
Wood is a sustainable material, but its tendency to crack and decay poses a challenge for its applications. In this study, we developed a combination system of nitrogen-doping carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to repair wood cracks. Rather than employing the conventional repairing methods such as filling cracks with sawdust and petroleum based-adhesives, this technique can m...
X Zhao, Z Zhang, Y Peng, W Wang, J Cao
The iTrussT project – Advancements in timber bridge design, preservation, and monitoring
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20751
The Norwegian research project iTrussT (2025–2028) aims to advance timber bridge design and unlock wood’s full potential as a sustainable solution for modern infrastructure. It addresses three critical challenges: First, fatigue testing of glued laminated timber lamellae will provide deeper insights into shear failure mechanisms, supporting the development of safer, more efficient structures a...
K-C Mahnert, U Hundhausen
Predicting weather resistance of Recoated Outdoor Wood by Near Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20757
Wood exposed to the outdoors causes slow degradation. One wood treatment to retain this degradation is paints and stains, and recoating is essential process for these coated wood products to achieve a long service life. We investigated that possibility of using near infrared spectroscopy to estimate repair condition and weather resistance of recoated outdoor wood. The specimens used for recoating ...
M Murai, M Itani, K Isoda
Decay resistance of thermally modified Eucalyptus grandis in closed and open systems
2025 - IRG/WP 25-30815
Thermal modification has been successfully used to improve the durability of Eucalyptus wood from fast-growing forests. Although it is the most common type of modification process, there are some fields for studies on thermally modified wood, particularly about the comparison between processes in closed and open systems. This work aimed to analyse the effect of thermal modification in closed and o...
D C Batista, A C Oliveira Rupf, M Wentzel, C Brischke, H Militz
Enhanced Termite Resistance of Low Durability Fast Growing Teak Wood by Non-Biocide Treatments Based on Chemical and Thermal Modification
2025 - IRG/WP 25-30818
Short rotation teak as a fast-growing tree can be considered as a renewable material resource for the future green economy. However, short rotation teak wood is susceptible to biodeterioration, particularly to termite attack. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of chemical and thermal treatment on resistance of sapwood, transition wood, and heartwood of short rotation teak aga...
R Martha, K Candelier, M-F Thévenon, B George, I S Rahayu, W Darmawan, P Gérardin
Properties of plasma etched super black wood
2025 - IRG/WP 25-30825
Super-black materials have very low reflectivity due to structural absorption of light. They are attracting considerable scientific and industrial attention because of their important applications in many fields including astronomy, photovoltaics, and optical science, amongst others. We have developed the first super-black material from wood by etching transverse basswood (Tilia americana L.) surf...
K J Cheng, X Xu, V A Hernandez, P D Evans
Enhancing strength, fire and biological resistance of wood through structural and chemical modification
2025 - IRG/WP 25-30831
Wood, a renewable and versatile biopolymer, has been a fundamental material to construct traditional and advanced composites for building construction, furniture, transparent composites, and various other applications. Despite its many advantages, including its aesthetic appeal, workability, and relatively low cost, wood possesses inherent limitations such as susceptibility to biological, flame an...
R Abouzeid, M S Koo, Q Wu
Evaluation of oak bark extracts as bio-based preservative agents in wood protection
2025 - IRG/WP 25-30833
Bark represents a major by-product of the forestry sector and is often referred to low value uses such as combustion for energy, soil mulching or animal bedding. Nevertheless, bark contains a wide array of bioactive constituents, offering considerable potential for transformation into value-added wood protection agents. Developing sustainable wood treatments based on these natural compounds aligns...
R Herrera, A Selmanovic, F Poohphajai, C Peña, A Sandak
Performance Verification of Water-Based Outdoor Wood Protection Coatings Based on Weather Resistance Evaluation
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41015
Recent trends in wood protective coatings: Concerns over volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and the need to reduce maintenance costs have increased demand for environmentally friendly and highly durable coatings. While conventional solvent-based paints are superior in durability, they have been associated with problems such as environmental impact and odour during application. As an alterna...
N Ikemoto
Moisture uptake in CLT during the construction phase: real construction conditions versus specimens exposed to environment
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41019
The rapid growth in the use of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) in construction highlights the need to address durability concerns, particularly in regions with less experience in Mass Timber Construction and favourable climatic conditions for the biological degradation of wood, such as Mediterranean countries. A lack of awareness and deficient construction management can negatively impact the public ...
D Lima, S Duarte, J M Branco, L Nunes (†)
Timber reuse and circularity: Insight from Norway's SirkTre and CircWOOD initiatives
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50409
Timber is central to the EU’s decarbonisation strategy, particularly in the building sector, which faces challenges related to climate adaptation, resource constraints, and rising costs. The four-year SirkTRE project aims to improve circularity in the timber industry by developing standards, promoting reuse, and expanding market opportunities. A key focus of SirkTRE is to increase the longevity ...
K Nore, L Ross
Probing nanoscale protection mechanisms with x-rays and neutrons
2025 - IRG/WP 25-11083
While it is known that exposing wood to high levels of moisture, fire, or decay agents such as fungi can be detrimental for its performance, what is often missing in literature is a holistic understanding of how wood nanostructure changes due to these exposures. This is of particular interest since treatments that are meant to impart resistance can alter these length scales and/or modify their hyg...
N Z Plaza, K M Ohno, J E Jakes, J B O’Sullivan, L Yang