Abstract
This study focuses on the effect on wood strength and natural durability of Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus botryoides when subjected to heat treatments with low energy consumption. The objective was to improve the wood durability, without negatively impacting the strength properties. Six-year-old trees from Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus botryoides were used. The samples were heat treated for 4 h conditioned to very low oxygen availability. A field test for assessing the resistance to termites and fungal degradation was conducted according to EN 252:1989/AC1:1989 Inspections were made every six months for 3 years. All the samples of Eucalyptus globulus showed signs of termite and microorganisms attack, most showing extensive galleries. Eucalyptus botryoides wood showed no sign of termite attack and only few traces of microrganisms presence. The wood bending strength was smaller upon thermal treatment for both species, decreasing 3.8% and 4.8% for Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus botryoides, respectively. Overall the results are promising regarding some common utilizations, mainly floor coverings, decks, doors and door and window frames, fences (only for Eucalyptus botryoides), decorative arbors and pergolas (only for Eucalyptus botryoides), but excluding structural beams for building roofs or bridges due to the fragility of the wood treated thermally towards impacts.
Highlights
Wood is a biological material vulnerable to several biotic agents such as fungal degradation and termite attacks that are a major threat to the service-life of wood
Various woods differ in their susceptibility to termite attack; the differences are attributed to factors such as moisture content, hardness, and resin and lignin content (Cruz et al 2015)
The heat-treated wood showed a decrease of radial and tangential shrinkage, for both species but the difference was higher for E. botryoides, especially for the tangential shrinkage
Summary
Wood is a biological material vulnerable to several biotic agents such as fungal degradation and termite attacks that are a major threat to the service-life of wood. Wood durability depends on species, heartwood and sapwood distribution, chemical composition e.g. extractives and lignin content and composition, density, moisture content, and conditions of use (Panshin and de Zeew 1980). Termites are one of the most successful groups of insects that feed on dead plant material and cellulose, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung (Cruz et al 2015). Various woods differ in their susceptibility to termite attack; the differences are attributed to factors such as moisture content, hardness, and resin and lignin content (Cruz et al 2015).
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