Your search resulted in 153 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.
Non-destructive methods for field assessment of wood biodeterioration in hardwood trailer decks exposed to tropical environments
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41039
Apitong (Dipterocarpus spp.), an increasingly rare tropical hardwood from the rainforest in Southeast Asia, has long been used as decking materials for open-bed trailers and trucks across North America. As the natural population of Apitong trees steadily declines, there is an urgent need to find sustainable, domestically sourced alternatives for trailer decking. A recent project evaluated the perf...
X Wang, X Xie, G Kirker, C A Senalik
Considerations on how different preservation processing methods of logs would have different effects on wood structures
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41040
Azekura-zukuri style wood structures (hereinafter referred to as azekura-style structures) have been utilized in forest conservation projects in Japan as substitutes for concrete structures. We estimate that making use of thinned and small logs for azekura-style structures has positive impact on circular economy and carbon fixation and contributes to the biodiversity within their areas. In additio...
Y Iijima
Colorimetric performance of temperate wood species under tropical weathering
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41041
The appearance of wood, including its color and texture, is one of the most important features for its application as solid products, such as furniture, cladding, and terrace decking. Weathering can cause significant changes in the color of wooden products in outdoor applications, influencing their market acceptance and long-term performance. This study evaluated the colorimetric performance of fo...
K da Silva Pereira, S J da Costa Lima, M F C Santos, L Emmerich, C Brischke, D C Batista
Investigation of the Correlation between Blue-Light and Transparent Wood and Its Impact on Eye cells
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41042
The widespread use of LED blue light (400–480 nm) in modern life has raised concerns due to its potential risks to eye health, including retinal cell damage and vision degradation. Transparent wood, a renewable material with unique optical properties and environmental benefits, shows promising potential for blue light protection applications. This study investigates the modulation of lignin cont...
J-Y Jiang, C W Lin, P-Y Kuo
Preliminary assessment of imidazole as an adhesion system for particleboards
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41043
Particleboards with different combinations of adhesive mixtures containing imidazole, citric acid, and sorbitol were produced. Softwood sawdust from a Swedish sawmill was mixed with an aqueous solution of the chemicals and then dried to 0% moisture content prior to pressing. The boards were pressed to a target density of 700 kg m−3 at either 200 °C or 220 °C for 10 min. The hygroscopic and mec...
A Scharf, H Dernagård, J Oja, G Ormondroyd, S Medved, D Jones
Investigation of Impregnation Factors for Biomass-Based Phenol-Formaldehyde Resins
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41044
This study investigates the impregnation factors affecting the treatment of wood with biomass-based phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins, such as impregnation methods, resin properties, and setting parameters like time and pressure. The goal is to ensure effective resin penetration into the wood cell wall structure, thereby enhancing wood durability and mechanical properties. Previous literature has la...
Y-C Huang, T-H Lin, P-Y Kuo
Towards Sustainable Wood Protection: PF resins-impregnated Paper Honeycombs and the role of Processing Parameters analysis by Response Surface Methodology
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41045
Honeycomb paperboard is an important wood-derived product and also an emerging new material to combine with wood panels. It is commonly applied as cushioning materials with excellent mechanical performance, and high demands in packaging market. The aims of this study were to enhance the durability of honeycomb paperboard using PF resins of various molecular weights (Mw 200, Mw 500, Mw 700), partic...
Y-C Wu, P-Y Kuo
Developing a Novel Bio-based PF Resin as Wood Preservative and Explore its Synthesis Route Using RSM Methodology
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41046
Phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin treatment has long been recognized as one of the most effective and widely used wood preservation methods, offering exceptional durability, dimensional stability, and resistance against biological degradation. However, traditional PF synthesis relies heavily on petroleum-derived phenol, raising concerns about environmental impact and resource sustainability. To date,...
H-C Ye, Y-C Wu, T-H Lin, P-Y Kuo
Development of an Early Degradation Diagnosis Technology for Wood Coatings Using Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy and Machine Learning
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41047
Accurately predicting the degradation state of wood coatings is challenging, and as the coating deteriorates, it becomes a major factor accelerating the degradation of the wood itself. In this study, we aimed to develop a diagnostic technology that combines mid-infrared spectroscopy and machine learning to assess latent coating degradation, which cannot be detected visually, and to enable appropri...
K Nishimura, T Ito, S Isaji, T Takano, H Ohki, Y Teramoto
Durability Enhancement of US Hardwoods for Use in Open Trailer Decks
2025 - IRG/WP 25-41048
Apitong, a tropical hardwood derived from endangered species within Dipterocarpus genus, has long been used as a decking material for open flat-bed and lowboy trailers in the U.S. However, as more Dipterocarpus species are classified as endangered and critically endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to the declining population of Apitong trees, there is a growing ...
X Xie, X Wang, G Kirker, C A Senalik
Recycling wood treated with copper-based preservatives to produce hard carbon materials for energy storage applications
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50401
In this study, we explored the possibility of recycling wood treated with copper-based preservatives to produce hard carbon materials for use in energy storage devices. We pyrolsed both untreated and copper-treated wood into hard carbon, conducted microstructural and physicochemical characterisation, prepared electrode materials, and evaluated their electrochemical performance in sodium-ion batter...
D Huo, J-P Bonnet, A Jamali
Investigation of Pressure-Treated Foundations with Wood Preservative and Termite Control in Existing Wooden Houses in Japan
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50402
Japan has extremely limited natural resources. Therefore, it is necessary to build a circular economy in which waste and other recyclable resources are effectively utilized in order to achieve sustainable development. This study aims to investigate the degradation of existing wooden houses and to contribute to the reuse of existing houses and the reuse of building materials during demolition. We i...
K Usami, T Kawada, H Ishiyama
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
Migration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil from creosote-treated Douglas-fir and southern pine posts in the first 12 months since installation
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50404
Creosote is a widely used industrial wood preservative largely used for infrastructure-related applications such as utility poles, railway ties, and in marine pilings for protection against fungi, insects, and marine wood borers. Creosote is a coal tar distillate consisting of a complex mixture of organic compounds that together function as a biocide. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are th...
K Quigley, G Presley
WoodStock: Empowering climate-smart, circular, and zero-waste use of underutilized wood from the forest and building stock in the construction sector to support the New European Bauhaus
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50405
There is a clear need for enhanced contribution of the forest-based sector to decarbonisation strategies for buildings, both in terms of operational emissions, embodied emissions, and carbon removals. WoodStock is a multifaceted project dedicated to advancing climate-smart wood construction practices in alignment with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative. A primary focus is the quantification...
L De Ligne, J Van Acker, J Van den Bulcke
Hyperspectral imaging in qualitative and quantitative assessment of biocide treated timber
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50407
A hyperspectral camera operating in the shortwave infrared light range between 1000 – 2500 nm was used to collect spectral profiles of timber treated with different biocides and varying concentrations of a copper-ethanolamine based wood preservative. The spectra were analysed using statistical methods like principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis, and partial least squares to a...
J Levanič, E Keržič, B Lesar, M Humar
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
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
Leveraging Geospatial Mapping for Timber Circularity in Australia
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50410
Timber, renowned for its low embodied carbon and renewable characteristics, is a prime candidate for integration into the circular economy. However, challenges arise in the reuse, repurposing, and recycling of chemically treated materials. The National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life (NCTDDL) at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) is leading a collaborative initiative with Fo...
T Singh, P Mitchell, M Strandgard, M Harris
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
A Study on the Damage and Conservation of Wood in Dense Areas of Wooden Buildings
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50412
One of the key threats to timber buildings in large parts of the world is the risk for damage by termites. Therefore, effective preservation strategies need to be developed. The study presented here is focussing on the current condition of wooden houses in the Seocho area, a densely built wooden residential area in Jongno-gu in Seoul, Korea. This study has been conducted to explore the proactive a...
N-C Ko, Y-J Lee, H-D Kim
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
Physical and chemical characterization of post-consumer wood chips for recycling
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50414
Post-consumer wood (PCW) is a valuable resource that can partially substitute virgin wood in material applications. This communication paper presents key findings from a study that analysed PCW collected from three recycling facilities in southeastern Norway over eight months. A total of 20 mixed and 4 pre-sorted PCW samples were evaluated regarding their material composition, particle geometry, a...
M Altgen, K Bringdal Gedde, L Ross, E Larnøy
Valorisation of bark extractives for wood and plant protection: the Extrabark project
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50415
The Extrabark project is an Interreg collaborative project between Lorraine in France, Wallonia in Belgium, the Saarland in Germany and Luxembourg. The objectives of the project are to develop a complete value chain of valorisation of bark generated by wood industry via the utilization of extracts or molecules for the protection of plants and wood material as a bio-sourced alternative to petrochem...
P Gérardin, C Gérardin-Charbonnier, S Dumarçay, F Obounou Akong, E Fredon, R Martha, J V Dorini Falavinha, W Donck, Z Nys, A Lepretre, L Taguimjeu, M-L Fauconnier, J Renaut, K Sergeant, S Saker, E Strilin, J Tchoumtchoua, M C Detroz, G Beauchamp
Addressing Climate Challenges through the Valorisation of Calamity Wood in the Alps-Adriatic Region
2025 - IRG/WP 25-50416
The WoodInnovate project addresses pressing challenges facing the forest-wood value chain in the Alps-Adriatic region, which are intensifying due to climate change. Rising temperatures and frequent natural disasters are degrading wood quality and increasing pest outbreaks, particularly from bark beetles. These environmental shifts jeopardize forest ecosystems, reduce the economic viability of timb...
M Humar, E Keržič, B Lesar, J Gričar, B Likar, E Beltramini, S Silvestri