Your search resulted in 524 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.
End-of-life options for engineered wood products / Treated timber in a circular economy
2023 - IRG/WP 23-50383
Australians are excellent consumers of products. These products ultimately end up as waste materials and need to go somewhere. Australia produces around 28 million tons of waste per year with around 50% currently ending up in landfill, including a significant amount of timber, engineered wood products (EWP’s), and preservative treated wood (PTW). Limited landfill capacity, increasing costs, and ...
H Brooke
Australian timber durability research needs
2023 - IRG/WP 23-50385
Australia was once a world leader in timber durability research, but prolonged disinvestment resulted in a gradual decline in capacity. Forest and Wood Products Australia recognized this problem and supported the development of the Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life to help reverse this decline and begin to educate the next generation of Australian researchers. The Centre is a collabor...
J J Morrell
On the use of miniaturized wood specimens in fungal decay experiments – mini-blocks versus EN 113 test specimens
2024 - IRG/WP 24-11044
Preliminary evaluation and classification of wood durability against decay fungi using laboratory monoculture experiments has been a longstanding practice because these tests offer quicker results than field tests. Various methods, including miniaturized specimen formats and different incubation periods, have been explored to expedite decay processes and assess wood preservation efficacy. The 'min...
C Brischke, G Alfredsen
X-ray micro-computed tomography of copper distribution in CA, ACQ and MCA treated wood and changes in microstructure of ACQ-treated southern pine following natural weathering
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20707
We hypothesized that X-ray micro-CT would be able to visualize: (a) the distribution of copper in CA-treated southern pine; and (b) microstructural changes in ACQ-treated southern pine exposed to natural weathering. Small blocks were removed from southern pine samples treated with CA and also southern pine treated with ACQ and MCA. Small blocks were also removed from ACQ-treated boards (flat and p...
D Feng, M Turner, P D Evans
The potential of Wacapou (Vouacapoua americana) extracts to develop new biobased protective solutions for white woods
2024 - IRG/WP 24-20724
The valorisation of Amazonian wood residues into active chemical compounds could be an eco-friendly, cost effective and valuable way to develop wood preservatives formulations in order to enhance the decay and termite resistances of low durable wood species, by impregnation processes. Wacapou (Vouacapoua spp., Fabaceae) is a well-known Guianese wood species for its use in local wood construction ...
E Kieny, K Candelier, L Milhe, Y Estevez, C Sophie, R Lehnebach, J Damay, D Florez, E Hoël, M-F Thevenon, J Bossu
Exploring bio-based chemicals in the residual stream from the thermal wood modification process
2024 - IRG/WP 24-30799
Numerous chemical-free processes have emerged in the wood processing industry to enhance the durability and optimize the service life of wooden elements exposed to exterior conditions. One such method, the hygrothermolytic modification process, patented as FirmoLin®, represents an industrial treatment for thermal modification of wood. This involves subjecting solid wood to a pressurized unsaturat...
R Herrera, W Willems, W Pajerski, A Selmanović, A Sandak
Natural weathering of modified pine and Eucalyptus woods by surface charring
2024 - IRG/WP 24-30801
Within various wood modification techniques, surface charring is anticipated to extend the lifespan of wooden components in building facades; however, visual deterioration of charred cladding materials has become a notable concern. This study, conducted through international collaboration, aimed to assess the resistance of bio-based facade materials to weathering in the Turkish climate. The natura...
E E Soyturk, E N Kavakli, S N Kartal, C M Ibanez
Influence of the substitution of phenol with lignin cleavage products in phenol-formaldehyde impregnation resins for wood modification on the fungal decay resistance and impregnation depth
2024 - IRG/WP 24-30805
The impregnation modification of wood with phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins increases the woods dimensional stability and resistance against fungal decay. However, to decrease the usage of non-renewable resources, the substitution of phenol has been a topic of scientific interest. Lignin is a currently underutilized resource with a chemical structure that contains phenolic units. For adhesive appli...
J Karthäuser, L Tarentino, A Treu, H Militz, G Alfredsen
Shelling of flat and profiled western larch deck-boards exposed to natural weathering
2024 - IRG/WP 24-40997
Shelling is a severe type of raised grain that occurs at the surface of deck-boards made from wood species that have growth rings with pronounced differences in density between earlywood and latewood, for example southern pine (Pinus spp.). Shelling is more severe in deck-boards fixed with their growth rings oriented pith-side-up (concave) rather than bark-side-up (convex). Far less is known about...
L H Leung, P D Evans
Evaluation of the water exclusion ability and inherent bioactivity of heartwood against decay in Japanese and European wood species via above-ground exposure and water absorption tests
2024 - IRG/WP 24-40998
The natural durability of wood has been thought to mainly depend on bioactive extractives and the water exclusion ability. To clarify the contribution of each factor to wood durability, above-ground exposure tests were conducted on Japanese and European wood species. A double-layer test was carried out using heartwood specimens of four wood species, i.e., Japanese cedar, Japanese cypress, Scots pi...
T Osawa, R Noda, K Yamamoto
Service life of poplar, a low durability hardwood
2024 - IRG/WP 24-41007
Hybrid poplar is the most common plantation hardwood of the temperate climate zone and is complementary to natural stands of aspen with mainly plantations in Europe and China. Poplar wood has been considered as a valid alternative for many of the construction applications of softwoods especially when considering engineered wood products.
The natural durability of hybrid poplar is low and for a ra...
J Van Acker, X Jiang, L De Ligne, J van den Bulcke
Quantitative assessment of wood preservative emissions to waterways
2024 - IRG/WP 24-50393
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Emission Scenario Document (ESD) for Wood Preservatives provides methods to quantify the release of active substances from treated wood for various scenarios including sheet pilings in a flowing waterway (OECD 2013). The ESD is used for environmental risk assessment of wood preservatives according to the Biocidal Products Regulation...
K J Rader, R Carbonaro, C Mackie
Multifactorial analysis of the reasons behind wood natural durability
2025 - IRG/WP 25-11065
Physical, chemical and biological properties of several wood species were investigated in order to highlight the main factors involved in wood natural durability and wood characteristic using a principal component analysis. Interaction of wood with water were evaluated using contact angle measurements to determinate wood wettability by water and wood impregnability tests with water allowing to cal...
L-F E Nkogo, M S M Mouendou, S Dumarçay, P E Engonga, F Zannini, E Gelhaye, P Gérardin
Natural and enhanced durability of wood exposed above ground
2025 - IRG/WP 25-11079
Understanding and predicting the durability of wood is essential for ensuring its effective use, long-term reliability, and sustainability in various applications. To address this need, the "Wood Above Ground" project was initiated in 1999 at the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) to investigate the natural durability of wood species under a wide range of above-ground exposure scenarios. This ex...
R Digaitis, J Stenbaek, A W Christof, N Morsing, B Lindegaard
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
Transmission poles - Analysis of causes of premature failure in Slovenia
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20745
The study focuses on analysing the causes of the premature collapse of wooden transmission poles in Slovenia, where there have been several cases of rapid fungal decomposition of poles despite the planned lifespan of 30 to 50 years. The poles were made of Scots pine wood and impregnated with a copper-ethanolamine wood preservative. The research aimed to assess the condition of standing poles and e...
M Humar, B Lesar, N Kregar, S Drnovšek
Influence of incising methods and wood moisture content on ‘deep penetration treatment’ in Japanese cedar and larch
2025 - IRG/WP 25-20749
To expand applicability of ‘deep penetration treatment’, a solvent-borne and non-pressure treatment that is commonly coupled with roller-type incising using a flat blade, we investigated drill and laser machining as alternative incising methods and examined the influence of wood moisture content on the preservative penetration. Various incising methods were applied to heartwood of Japanese ced...
S Taira, T Miyauchi, S Isaji, H Matsunaga
CIOL Wood – Industrialization of Sustainable Wood Products: Progress and Prospects
2025 - IRG/WP 25-30820
CIOL® is an innovative, low-cost, non-toxic wood modification system designed to replace traditional, non-sustainable treatments used for wood protection. Since our last contribution in 2023, significant progress has been made in the development of CIOL® towards industrial-scale production. This update presents new results on fire protection, mechanical properties, and the continued scaling of t...
J Biørnstad
The impact of common fire retardancy salts and minerals on further properties of wood
2025 - IRG/WP 25-30821
Wood has become an increasingly important construction material. To ensure fire safety, fire retardants are widely applied. Recent research focuses on environmentally friendly fire retardants with strong fixation. Phosphate-based salts like diammonium hydrogen phosphate show high fire protection potential but are highly leachable due to their good water solubility. As a newer trend mineralisation ...
T Franke, T Volkmer
Evaluation of moisture exclusion ability of wood using double-layer outdoor exposure tests
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41021
The material resistance of wood to decay must be due to the combined effects of heartwood extractives and the moisture content state. Evaluating the moisture exclusion ability of wood is important for assessing its durability in outdoor use. We conducted previously double-layer outdoor exposure tests and investigated the relationship between moisture content over time and the progress of decay usi...
T Osawa, R Noda, K Yamamoto
Bio-Based but Toxic? The Neglected Ecotoxicity of Leachates from Wood Preservatives—A mini-review
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50403
Bio-based Wood preservatives, derived from renewable biomass, are emerging as promising alternatives to traditional synthetic wood preservatives. Research groups all around the world are studying the development of bio-based – environmentally friendly – wood preservatives and their fixation to wood finding natural compounds with very promising wood preserving potential. However, there is a ver...
A Barbero-Lopez, A Haapala
Proposal for New Evaluation Criteria for Exterior Products to Achieve a Circular Economy
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50408
In recent years, the development of laws related to the promotion of wood use in buildings in Japan has led to a significant increase in wood demand, resulting in the widespread use of various wood materials in construction. In this context, the use of preservative-treated wood, selected based on the principle of using the right material in the right place, has been emphasized. However, a systemat...
K Murakami, T Fujii, Y Iijima, T Hikiji
Contribution of naturally durable wood use to Circular Economy - Understanding the classification system of natural durability and its variation within wood species
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50411
Total wood demand is shown by FAO to increase 49 percent between 2020 and 2050, regardless of deteriorating conditions such as deforestation and degradation due to fire and biological damages. Demand for wood as a building material is also projected by UNEP to increase significantly to 300 Gt in 2040. To address this situation, extension of the service life and re-use of wood are expected to make ...
K Yamamoto, T Osawa, R Noda
Wood Protection in the Tropics: A Necessity in the Face of Climate Change and Rising Demand for Wood Products Consumption
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50413
With the rising demand for forest products due to population growth and continuous expansion of tropical countries’ economies. Therefore, the need for judicious use of forest products in the advent of climate change to meet the needs of the people cannot be downplayed but serve as a clarion call to conserve and improve the use of forest products for longer services. My talk will highlight the st...
M Nurudeen Iddrisu