Assessment of biodeterioration of rubber wood exposed to field conditions

Abstract

Rubber wood (Hevea brasiliensis) can be used commercially for the construction of fishing boats, which are subjected to biodegradation in the water, and on land both with and without soil contact. In order to obtain data on the natural durability of this wood, the extent of biodeterioration was assessed through visual observation, changes in the specific gravity of the wood and loss in the compressive strength of wood panels after 90 and 150 days in field tests. Changes in wood chemistry due to biodeterioration under field conditions were also characterized through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Test samples in soil burial tests (graveyard tests) were more severely damaged than panels exposed to atmospheric weathering or immersed in sea water below the low tide mark. Strength losses in panels exposed to the marine and atmospheric conditions were not commensurate with the weight losses.