IRG Documents Database and Compendium


Search and Download IRG Documents:



Between and , sort by


Displaying your search results

Your search resulted in 188 documents. Displaying 25 entries per page.


Toxic wood preserving chemicals in the environment: Kenya - a cause for concern
1998 - IRG/WP 98-50101-17
The uncontrolled release of wood preserving chemicals into the environment, in most African countries, is discussed. Kenya has some 25 wood preservation plants, 23 of which use formulations of Copper- Chrome-Arsenate (CCA). The bulk of treated timbers consists of poles and posts used in ground contact. Poor fixation of CCA elements are associated with the species used, Eucalyptus saligna and Acaci...
R Venkatasamy


Protection of hard and softwood through Neem leaves extracts and oil - A direction towards development of eco-friendly wood preservatives
2006 - IRG/WP 06-30394
Conventional wood preservatives like CCA and CCB are facing lot of criticism all over the world. It is essential to address the problem in view of environment protection. Eco-friendly wood preservatives may be considered as one option. The present study is an expolartion of neem leaves and seed oil against wood decaying fungi and termites. Azadirachta indica A. Juss, commonly known as neem is one ...
S Dhyani, S Tripathi


The Development of a novel method to preserve reeds using an environmentally friendly timber preservative and a unique engineering design.
2006 - IRG/WP 06-40335
Reeds are used in the construction of bush lodges in Northern Kwa- Zulu Natal, South Africa. Fungal, insect and ultra-violet damage to these reeds is posing a severe problem. Within a space of two years, the reeds are attacked and have to be subsequently replaced; a time consuming and costly exercise. A novel method has been used to successfully preserve these reeds with an environmentally friendl...
K Govender, K G Moodley


Leaching of CCA from Paraserianthus falcataria panels exposed to field conditions at Krishnapatnam harbour, Andhra Pradesh
2006 - IRG/WP 06-50241
This study assessed the leaching of copper, chrome and arsenic (CCA) from Paraserianthus falcataria (=Albizia falcataria) panels exposed to marine condition at Krishnapatnam harbour on the east coast of India. Metal loss was assessed in test panels after 6, 12, 24 and 36 months of exposure using Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The metal loss was found slightly higher in panels treated ...
B Tarakanadha, K S Rao


Gypsum effects on ‘dry rot’ wood degradation as a function of environment
2007 - IRG/WP 07-10624
‘Dry rot’ fungi are a unique group of brown rot fungi that can degrade wood away from ground contact where other fungi fail to colonize. Successfully occupying this niche is partially due to efficient water and nutrient transport, but mobilizing elements, notably calcium (Ca) and iron (Fe), from adjacent building materials has also been implicated in their success. Here we report a series of t...
J Schilling, J Jellison


Silver as a Wood Preservative Environmental Requirements and Concerns
2007 - IRG/WP 07-30420
The pesticide uses of silver and its compounds fall under the jurisdiction of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) under the US Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. In addition, many other national and international organizations maintain close observance of the effects of silver in different environments. The US EPA has also issued a specific announcement that t...
J R Ellis


Reduction of Environmental Toxicity Through Eco-friendly Wood Biopreservative
2007 - IRG/WP 07-50243
Many chemicals are used today to enhance the durability of wood and wood-derived products that are very important in our life. Such chemicals are copper, chromium, arsenate, zinc, etc. Though these preservatives are useful to protect wood from biodeterioration, but environmental toxicity is also related with them. The present study is to investigate the fungitoxic activities of Dalbergia sissoo le...
A Humayan Kabir, M Firoz Alam


Efficacy of Neem (Azadirachta indica) Leaves Against Wood Decay Fungi
2008 - IRG/WP 08-30450
Many plant-derived substances have fungitoxic, pecticidal and insecticidal ability. Neem leaves are very popular in this respect since the ancient time. The present study is to investigate the fungitoxic activities of neem leaves extractives against wood decay fungi. Three different solvents, i.e. acetone, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, were used to isolate the extract of neem leaves. The extracti...
A Humayan Kabir, M A Rahman, M Firoz Alam


The effect of different foundation systems against fungal flora in the crawl space of a new wooden Japanese house
2009 - IRG/WP 09-10700
In order to establish novel preventive measures against damage of wooden houses by decay fungi with less-use or no-use of chemicals, we periodically monitored the fungal flora in the crawl space of a new wooden Japanese house build with recyclable and low-environmental load materials at the Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University. We employed either a layer of concrete or...
A Toyoumi, S Horisawa, T Yoshimura, S Doi,Y Imamura


Eco-Friendly Composites from Bagasse and Soy-based Resin
2009 - IRG/WP 09-40462
In this study, bagasse and soy-based resin were used for producing composite materials. The objective of this study was evaluation of some physical and mechanical properties of boards made of various ratios (100:0, 60:40, 40:60 and 0:100) of bagasse to wood fiber mixtures (wt: wt) with addition of Soy/PF resin at three levels (4, 8 and 10%) and 1.5% wax. All properties were tested according to AST...
G Rassam, B Jamnani


Extensive review of fire-retardant wood composites researches
2009 - IRG/WP 09-40471
The increased demand for public safety has led to greater interest in fire retardant materials in the recently years. Legislation relating to safety in the home, in work locations, on transport facilities and in public places continues to produce new regulation. There is average 524 thousand structure fires occurred every year in US, 3757 civilian in death, about 20 thousand civilian in juries, di...
Zhilin Chen, Zhiyong Cai, Feng Fu


Towards designing eco-friendly buildings with in-built termite protection
2010 - IRG/WP 10-50273
The increase in greenhouse gases, leading to global warming, is considered by a consistent scientific worldview not due to natural variation, but due to the growing concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and other atmospheric pollutants. Global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion and cement production rose from 22.6 billion tons in 1990 to an estimated 31.2 billio...
J R J French, B M Ahmed Shiday, B Maggiolo, D Maggiolo


Fire performance of the wood treated with retardant
2012 - IRG/WP 12-40591
To prepare the eco-friendly fire retardant wood, Japanese red pine (Pinus Densiflora), hemlock (Tsuga Heterophylla), and radiate pine (Pinus Radiata) were treated with inorganic chemicals, such as sodium silicate, ammonium phosphate, and ammonium boric acid. Different combination and concentration of those chemicals were injected by pressure treatment methods. The electron-beam treatment was used ...
Jong In Kim, Mi-ran kang, Sang bum Park, Dong won Son


Treating Bambusa vulgaris with neem seed oil against basidiomycetic biodegradation
2012 - IRG/WP 12-30608
Realising maximum benefits from bamboo stems/culms in Nigeria are presently constrained by their almost non-acceptance for applications in most structural and construction purposes, except in comparatively low quality and some temporary applications, such as scaffolding, owing to their susceptibility to easy destruction by agents of biodegradation as a result of their poor inherent natural durabil...
A A Erakhrumen


Bio-based thermoset resins for bonding and eco-friendly preservation in the wood industry
2013 - IRG/WP 13-40650
Yellow dextrins and tannins were used in wood adhesives formulation to substitute resins based on formaldehyde. Several formulations were carried out in alkaline aqueous media by varying the weight fraction of two compounds from 10% to 30%. The cross-linking was performed using epichlorohydrin as a reticulant agent. Rheological behaviours and initial adhesion of three liquid formulations, before r...
C Motillon, A Allal, A Visse, F Charrier, B Charrier, A Baldé


Performance classification of wood in construction – drafting a user friendly European standard
2014 - IRG/WP 14-20545
The performance classification for wood products in construction is an extremely important topic in Europe and beyond – warranty providers and end users demand service life and performance information in the face of competition with other materials. The European project PerformWOOD has formalised and drawn together the on-going research to focus on generation of a material resistance factor for ...
E Suttie, C Brischke, L Meyer, J Van Acker, M Kutnik, E Heisel, F Englund, J Jermer, S Thelandersson, M Polášek, D Lorenzo


Bio-friendly preservative systems for enhanced wood durability - the first periodic report on DURAWOOD
2015 - IRG/WP 15-30677
The objective of the paper is the DURAWOOD scientific project carried out within Polish-Norwegian Research Programme, which lasts from September 2013 till August 2016. The aim of the project concentrates on the developing of a new, eco-friendly and biocide-free wood protective systems as an alternative to traditional, commonly used preservatives or coatings, containing biocides. Several wood prese...
B Mazela, M Broda, W Perdoch, L Ross Gobakken, I Ratajczak, G Cofta, W Grześkowiak, A Komasa, A Przybył


Decay resistance of wood treated with bio-friendly preservative systems
2016 - IRG/WP 16-30698
Due to more restrictive toxicological requirements and increased ecological awareness of consumers, wood preservatives containing biocides are no longer desired on the market. Therefore, research on new environmentally friendly formulations is of great importance. One of the possible solutions is to develop new preservatives based on natural substances, which are harmless to humans, animals and th...
B Mazela, G Cofta, W Perdoch, L Ross Gobakken, P Kwaśniewska-Sip


Environmentally Sustainable Method of Termite Management using a baiting system: A case study in the Philippines
2016 - IRG/WP 16-50317
Environment and sustainability are key words for achieving product and business success. Use of chemicals in human vicinity such as homes and buildings are on the increase, thanks to a growing consciousness on pests. Using chemical insecticide is the main stay to counter these pests, but its role in environment is being scrutinized.Insect baiting technology has proven its success around the world ...
P Dhang


Novel wood treatments improve resistance to the wood-boring marine isopod Limnoria quadripunctata
2017 - IRG/WP 17-10899
The marine isopod Limnoria quadripunctata degrades wooden structures in the sea and causes significant economic damage. Broad-spectrum biocides and naturally resistant tropical hardwoods have failed to prevent feeding by Limnoria and have caused ecological damage. Wood modification is now the favoured method, and resin-based modifications have been effective, while the efficacy of silica-based mod...
H Bowen, M Montibus, M Kutnik, S M Cragg


Efficacy of Erythropleum suaveolens (potrodom) and Distemonanthus benthamianus (bonsamdua) water extractives on the durability of five Ghanaian less used timber species of varying perviousness and retentiveness
2017 - IRG/WP 17-30705
Conventional wood preservatives are not only toxic to target bio-deterioration organisms but also to humans, other organisms and the environment. In an effort to find preservatives that are less toxic or non-toxic to man, other organisms and the environment, efficacy of branch bark and heartwood water extracts (0.65 g/ml) of Erythropleum suaveolens (potrodom) and Distemonanthus benthamianus (bonsa...
A Asamoah, K Frimpong-Mensah, C Antwi-Boasiako


Copolymers of tannin extracts as wood protection agents
2017 - IRG/WP 17-30709
Wouldn´t be a dream to preserve wood with the substances which the nature already synthesizes for protecting itself? The idea we would like to pursue is simple: Increase the concentration of these substances, the tannins, trying to fix them properly in wood. It appears easy but it is not. Sensibility against leaching, fungal decay and weathering were observed. In this paper new flavonoid co-polym...
G Tondi, L Sommerauer, A Oberle, A Petutschnigg, M-F Thevenon


Bio-friendly wood protection systems - resistance to mould and blue-stain fungi
2017 - IRG/WP 17-30713
With stricter restrictions on the use of biocides and increasing environmental awareness there is a pronounced need for effective bio-friendly protection systems in the wood preservative and wood coating industry. One of the possible pathways is to exploit and utilize natural substances with active biological effects. Silanes, caffeine, natural oils and potassium carbonate were chosen as compounds...
L Ross Gobakken, W Perdoch, B Mazela, P Kwaśniewska-Sip, G Cofta


Hibernation or spring awakening? – The research on wood durability and protection in marine environment
2018 - IRG/WP 18-10929
Wooden structures in marine applications are exposed to severe degradation conditions caused by mechanical loads and wood degrading organisms. The present paper presents the use of wood in marine environments in Europe from a wood protection perspective and gives an overview over relevant research topics. It compiles the most relevant literature with an emphasis on new wood protection methods and ...
A Treu, K Zimmer, C Brischke, E Larnøy, L R Gobakken, F Aloui, S M Cragg, P-O Flæte, M Humar, M Westin


Long-term performance of DMDHEU-treated wood exposed in ground, above ground and in the marine environment
2018 - IRG/WP 18-40825
Chemical wood modification with N-methylol compounds such as 1.3-dimethylol-4.5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) has been studied intensively since the 1990s. Research of the past years focused on treatment of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) and was shown to be applicable to improve specific material properties. A high resistance against wood-destroying ...
L Emmerich, H Militz, C Brischke


Previous Page | Next Page