Influence of duration of FA resin preservative treatment on Heartwood of Eucalyptus camaldulensis

Abstract

A study was taken up to find out the influence of Furfuryl Alcohol resin preservative on the wood quality in heartwood of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, called as River Red Gum, is a medium to large hardwood found adjacent to most of the inland rivers of mainland Australia. Heartwood is red to reddish brown with a durability of 5-15 years. The pre-weighed wood samples were subjected to soaking in Furfuryl Alcohol (FA) resin preservative for two duration of soaking namely two hours and four days. The results indicated that the uptake of FA resin was 13.5 l m-3 treated for four days and 7.2 l m-3 treated for two hours, indicating a significant difference. The maximum values of 7.87 GPa and 63.8 MPa for MOE and MOR, respectively were recorded by wood samples that were treated for four days. However, FA resin treatment for four days has reduced the hardness of wood compared to two hours soaking. From the study it may be inferred that the strength properties of heartwood of Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) could be enhanced by treating with Furfuryl Alcohol resin for four days, which will help to increase the durability of the wood.