The influence of physical and chemical properties of 20 species of imported wood on degradation of the wood by termites under field conditions was studied. The wood species studied were: Sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus L. (Sapindales: Sapindaceae) (from two countries), Camphor, Dryobalanops aromatic C.F.Gaertner (Malvales: Dipterocarpaceae), Beech, Fagus grandifolia Ehrhart (Fagales: Fagace...

The objective of this study was to investigate the color and chemical changes of thermo-vacuum treated larch wood. Specimens were heat treated in a vacuum at various temperatures for 4 h. The color parameters of untreated and heat-treated samples were measured using the CIELab color system. Changes in the chemistry of larch wood were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), el...

In spite of the great importance of cellulose the lignin is considered the second most abundant substance of the wood. However, little attention has been given it, mainly to wood properties. The lignin as well as other structural compounds (cellulose and hemicelluloses), has obviously an important role on the wood properties, probably due its composition and existent bonds. In general lignins h...

Twenty 70-year-old longleaf pine trees from a spacing, thinning, and pruning study were harvested, from which samples were analyzed for gross calorific value (GCV). A strong correlation was found between GCV and extractive contents for the unextracted wood samples. Although lignin content should impact GCV, no correlation was found between the variation in GCV with lignin content for the extrac...

This paper examines the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) during oxidative pyrolysis of wood. Model lignocellulosic compounds and fractions isolated from wood serve to generate volatiles which then interact with copper-loaded surrogate ash to produce PCDD/F. The measurements indicate a preference for the formation of PCDF over PCDD in all ...

propane units, is an agglutination element in the cell wall of vascular plants. These units are referred to as guaiacyl (a), syringyl (b), and p-hydroxyphenyl, (c) phenyl-propane units (Fig. 1). They are connected in three-dimensional space by C–C and C–O–C bonds. Softwood lignin consists of (a), hardwood lignin of (a) and (b), and herb lignin of (a), (b) and (c). Lignin is taken up as a “dieta...

The macromolecular organization of the secondary wall of the cells from tree xylem is in large part responsible for the mechanical and physiological properties of wood. Modeling secondary walls of wood is difficult because information about their macromolecular architecture at the ultrastructural scale is missing. Numerous microscopic studies have provided views of the lignocellulosic composite...

Fourteen strains of Grifola frondosa (Dicks.) S. F. Gray, originating from different regions (Asia, Europe and North America) were tested for lignin degradation, ligninolytic enzyme activities, protein accumulation and exopolysaccharide production during 55 days of cultivation on oak sawdust. Lignin degradation varied from 2.6 to7.1 % of dry weight of the oak sawdust substrate among tested stra...

The lipid and lignin compositions of woods from the eucalypt species Eucalyptus globulus, E. nitens, E. maidenii, E. grandis, and E. dunnii have been characterized. The lipid composition was analyzed by GC and GC/MS using shortand medium-length high-temperature capillary columns, which allowed the detection of intact highmolecular-weight compounds. Similar lipid compositions were observed in al...