Biografi

Dr. Andreas Treu is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (formerly the Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute) since 2006 and is working in the Department of Wood Technology. He graduated from the University in Göttingen, Germany, with a doctoral degree in Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology. After his studies he moved to Norway where he is currently working on wood protection, wood modification and wood anatomy.

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Modifying natural polymers with silicones gives new possibilities for packaging products and waste management. In this study, the innovative papers produced were altered following the reaction of polysaccharides and organosilicon compounds. The susceptibility of the studied material to biodegradation caused by a brown-rot fungus was assessed. Strength properties by tensile strength and dynamic mechanical analysis and hydrophobic properties by water uptake test and water contact angle analysis were evaluated. Moreover, elemental analysis by ICP method was controlled. The durability against fungi and the hydrophobic properties were increased by the modification. The fungal decay resistance of the silanized paper was reduced by water storage, which allows for managing paper waste. Cellulose-based paper treated with starch-modified methyltrimethoxysilane showed potential as a packaging material due to its reduced water uptake. Possible application areas could be corrugated boxes, cellulose thermoformed products for electronics, and food packaging. However, the water-repellent effect is limited to short-term exposure in humid conditions.

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Wood modification using polyesterification of sorbitol and citric acid is a novel environmentally friendly strategy for wood protection improving its dimensional stability and acts against fungal deterioration. Inelastic Raman scattering is sensitive to the molecules of high polarizability and both lignocellulose and aliphatic esters formed during the treatment are polar. Therefore, in the present study, the quality control of the treatment using a handheld Raman spectrometer equipped with 830 nm laser is suggested as a rapid and reliable approach. Raman spectra from six wood modification levels (resulting in different weight percent gain, WPG) of three different wood species (Silver birch, Scots pine and Norway spruce) as well as three sample preparation strategies (intact, sanded and milled wood samples) were collected, and further analyzed using a chemometric method. Best performing models based on Powered Partial Least Squares Regression predicted the WPG level at R2 = 0.85, 0.95 and 0.98 for birch, pine and spruce, respectively. In addition, a clear separation between hard and soft wood species was also captured. Especially for softwood species, the sample preparation method affected the model accuracy, revealing the best performance in milled material. It is concluded that by using handheld Raman spectrometer it is possible to perform accurate quality control of wood modified by polyesterification of citric acid and sorbitol.

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Scots pine exhibits variations in ray anatomy, which are poorly understood. Some ray parenchyma cells develop thick and lignified cell walls before heartwood formation. We hypothesized that some stands and trees show high numbers of lignified and thick-walled parenchyma cells early in the sapwood. Therefore, a microscopic analysis of Scots pine sapwood from four different stands in Northern Europe was performed on Safranin — Astra blue-stained tangential micro sections from outer and inner sapwood areas. Significant differences in lignification and cell wall thickening of ray parenchyma cells were observed in the outer sapwood between all of the stands for the trees analyzed. On a single tree level, the relative lignification and cell wall thickening of ray parenchyma cells ranged from 4.3% to 74.3% in the outer sapwood. In the inner sapwood, lignification and cell wall thickening of ray parenchyma cells were more frequent. In some trees, however, the difference in lignification and cell wall thickening between inner and outer sapwood was small since early lignification, and cell wall thickening was already more common in the outer sapwood. Ray composition and number of rays per area were not significantly different within the studied material. However, only one Scottish tree had a significantly higher number of ray parenchyma cells per ray. The differences discovered in lignification and cell wall thickening in ray parenchyma cells early in the sapwood of Scots pine are relevant for wood utilization in general and impregnation treatments with protection agents in particular.

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Timber structures in marine applications are often exposed to severe degradation conditions caused by mechanical loads and wood-degrading organisms. This paper presents the use of timber in marine environments in Europe from a wood protection perspective. It discusses the use of wood in coastline protection and archeological marine wood, reviews the marine borer taxa in European waters, and gives an overview of potential solutions for protection of timber in marine environments. Information was compiled from the most relevant literature sources with an emphasis on new wood protection methods; the need for research and potential solutions are discussed. Traditionally, timber has been extensively utilized in a variety of marine applications. Although there is a strong need for developing new protection systems for timber in marine applications, the research in this field has been scarce for many years. New attempts to protect timber used in marine environments in Europe have mainly focused on wood modification and the use of mechanical barriers to prevent colonization of marine wood borers. The importance of understanding the mechanisms of settlement, migration, boring, and digestion of the degrading organisms is key for developing effective systems for protecting timber in marine environments.

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Modifying natural polymers with silicones gives new possibilities for packaging products and waste management. In this study, the innovative papers produced were altered following the reaction of polysaccharides and organosilicon compounds. The susceptibility of the studied material to biodegradation caused by a brown-rot fungus was assessed. Strength properties by tensile strength and dynamic mechanical analysis and hydrophobic properties by water uptake test and water contact angle analysis were evaluated. Moreover, elemental analysis by ICP method was controlled. The durability against fungi and the hydrophobic properties were increased by the modification. The fungal decay resistance of the silanized paper was reduced by water storage, which allows for managing paper waste. Cellulose-based paper treated with starch-modified methyltrimethoxysilane showed potential as a packaging material due to its reduced water uptake. Possible application areas could be corrugated boxes, cellulose thermoformed products for electronics, and food packaging. However, the water-repellent effect is limited to short-term exposure in humid conditions.

Sammendrag

Wood modification using polyesterification of sorbitol and citric acid is a novel environmentally friendly strategy for wood protection improving its dimensional stability and acts against fungal deterioration. Inelastic Raman scattering is sensitive to the molecules of high polarizability and both lignocellulose and aliphatic esters formed during the treatment are polar. Therefore, in the present study, the quality control of the treatment using a handheld Raman spectrometer equipped with 830 nm laser is suggested as a rapid and reliable approach. Raman spectra from six wood modification levels (resulting in different weight percent gain, WPG) of three different wood species (Silver birch, Scots pine and Norway spruce) as well as three sample preparation strategies (intact, sanded and milled wood samples) were collected, and further analyzed using a chemometric method. Best performing models based on Powered Partial Least Squares Regression predicted the WPG level at R2 = 0.85, 0.95 and 0.98 for birch, pine and spruce, respectively. In addition, a clear separation between hard and soft wood species was also captured. Especially for softwood species, the sample preparation method affected the model accuracy, revealing the best performance in milled material. It is concluded that by using handheld Raman spectrometer it is possible to perform accurate quality control of wood modified by polyesterification of citric acid and sorbitol.

Sammendrag

Scots pine exhibits variations in ray anatomy, which are poorly understood. Some ray parenchyma cells develop thick and lignified cell walls before heartwood formation. We hypothesized that some stands and trees show high numbers of lignified and thick-walled parenchyma cells early in the sapwood. Therefore, a microscopic analysis of Scots pine sapwood from four different stands in Northern Europe was performed on Safranin — Astra blue-stained tangential micro sections from outer and inner sapwood areas. Significant differences in lignification and cell wall thickening of ray parenchyma cells were observed in the outer sapwood between all of the stands for the trees analyzed. On a single tree level, the relative lignification and cell wall thickening of ray parenchyma cells ranged from 4.3% to 74.3% in the outer sapwood. In the inner sapwood, lignification and cell wall thickening of ray parenchyma cells were more frequent. In some trees, however, the difference in lignification and cell wall thickening between inner and outer sapwood was small since early lignification, and cell wall thickening was already more common in the outer sapwood. Ray composition and number of rays per area were not significantly different within the studied material. However, only one Scottish tree had a significantly higher number of ray parenchyma cells per ray. The differences discovered in lignification and cell wall thickening in ray parenchyma cells early in the sapwood of Scots pine are relevant for wood utilization in general and impregnation treatments with protection agents in particular.

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Research activities in the field of wood protection in the marine environment in Europe have been limited and do not yet satisfy the need for new approaches to the problem of biodegradation of Wood in seawater. Alternatives to creosote treatment were tested in the marine environment in Moss harbour. Most of the treated products showed high potential as a successful treatment in this use class in the short-term, such as acetylation of wood, treatment with sorbitol and citric acid and encapsulation of wood poles with a plastic envelope. Long-term studies need to determine the service life of these products.

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There is a need for new solutions in wood protection against marine wood borers and termites in Europe. A new solution could be the esterification of wood with sorbitol and citric acid (SCA) since these are inexpensive and readily available feedstock chemicals and have shown protective properties against fungal wood degradation in earlier studies and prevented macrobiological degradation, as shown in this study. Protection of wood products in the marine environment lacks available wood preservatives that are approved for marine applications. Termite infestation is opposed mainly by biocide treatments of wood. Several wood modification systems show high resistance against both marine borers and subterranean termites. However, the existing commercialized wood modification products are costly. Both macrobiological forms of degradation represent a great threat for most European wood species, which are rapidly and severely degraded if not properly treated. This study investigated esterified wood in standard field trials against marine wood borers, and against subterranean termites in laboratory trials in a no-choice and choice test. The treatment showed good resistance against wood borers in the marine environment after one season and against subterranean termites in the laboratory after eight weeks. The low termite survival rate (SR) in the no-choice test during the first week of testing indicates a mode of action that is incomparable to other wood modification treatments.

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Timber structures in marine applications are often exposed to severe degradation conditions caused by mechanical loads and wood-degrading organisms. This paper presents the use of timber in marine environments in Europe from a wood protection perspective. It discusses the use of wood in coastline protection and archeological marine wood, reviews the marine borer taxa in European waters, and gives an overview of potential solutions for protection of timber in marine environments. Information was compiled from the most relevant literature sources with an emphasis on new wood protection methods; the need for research and potential solutions are discussed. Traditionally, timber has been extensively utilized in a variety of marine applications. Although there is a strong need for developing new protection systems for timber in marine applications, the research in this field has been scarce for many years. New attempts to protect timber used in marine environments in Europe have mainly focused on wood modification and the use of mechanical barriers to prevent colonization of marine wood borers. The importance of understanding the mechanisms of settlement, migration, boring, and digestion of the degrading organisms is key for developing effective systems for protecting timber in marine environments.

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Acetylated wood is a durable and dimensionally stable product with many potential applications in exterior timber structures. Research has shown that acetylated wood can be effectively bonded by various adhesive types. However, one of the most commonly used adhesives for timber constructions, melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF), shows poor performance in combination with acetylated wood in delamination tests based on cyclic wetting and drying. The hydrophobic acetylated wood surface leads to reduced adhesion due to poorer adhesive wetting and fewer chemical bonds between the resin and the wood polymers. The use of a resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF)-based primer on the acetylated wood surface prior to the application of MUF leads to positive gluing results with both acetylated radiata pine and beech, providing significantly improved resistance to delamination. Radial penetration of the primer and MUF in acetylated wood shows higher penetration compared with untreated wood. In addition, a phenol resorcinol-formaldehyde adhesive system showed high resistance against delamination and can be used for gluing of acetylated wood.

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When exposed to moisture, wood undergoes swelling and is susceptible to fungal degradation. Chemical modification via oligomeric lactic acid (OLA) treatment has been found to be a promising environmentally friendly solution to this disadvantage. In this study, wood was impregnated with OLA and then variously heat treated to polymerize the OLA in situ. The effect of curing temperature and time on OLA polymerization has been determined chemically. Dimensional stability was examined by water immersion and hygroscopicity measurements and biological decay resistance also evaluated. OLA impregnation followed by heat treatment enhanced wood properties. OLA cure at 160 °C for 48 h resulted in treated wood with greater dimensional stability and biological resistance.

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Holdbarhet og bruk av tre Det finnes flere prinsipper for trebeskyttelse, slik som utnyttelse av trevirkets naturlige holdbarhet, konstruktiv trebeskyttelse, bruk av impregnerte trematerialer, bruk av modifiserte trematerialer og overflatebehandling.

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Within the Slovenian region of Istria, the olive growing and oil production industry is strong. This industry has a long history and the olives grown here have high levels of biologically active compounds including a variety of phenolic compounds. Using residual materials generated by this industry in potential wood protection systems would not only valorise low-value materials and stimulate rural economies but would also provide an alternative to currently used oil-based protection systems. The objective of this study was to produce an oil treatment for wood protection and assess its efficacy in reducing leaching, weathering effects, and fungal decay. Two maleinisation techniques were used to chemically modify low-value lampante oil in an attempt to limit leaching when impregnated in wood. Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) and Fagus sylvatica (European beech) were treated with the modified oils and underwent leaching, accelerated weathering, and decay tests. Leaching of the treatment oils was relatively low compared with other experiments and beech wood specimens treated with a direct maleinisation treatment showed improvement in performance compared to control specimens. In addition, it was found that the modified oils were not completely removed from the wood after solvent extraction indicating that they could potentially be used as an immobilisation agent in combination with other treatments thereby reducing the amount of active component of the protective agent.

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Creosote is commonly used as a wood preservative for highway timber bridges in Norway. However, excessive creosote bleeding at various highway timber bridge sites lead to complaints, and a potentially bad reputation for wooden timber bridges. Macro-and microanatomical factors such as the amount of heartwood, annual ring width, annual ring orientation, ray-height and composition and resin canal area were investigated in order to classify seven timber bridges in Norway into bleeding- and non-bleeding bridges. A classification into bleeding and non-bleeding was possible for discriminant categories based on three anatomical factors analysed on wood core samples. The amount of heartwood content dominated the influencing factors, even obscuring the significance of other factors. Classification with a low amount of variables was done preferably on sample level instead of bridge level, due to the restricted number of 17 core samples per bridge.

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The aim of cell wall modification is to keep wood moisture content (MC) below favorable conditions for decay organisms. However, thermally modified, furfurylated, and acetylated woods partly show higher MCs than untreated wood in outdoor exposure. The open question is to which extent decay is influenced by the presence of liquid water in cell lumens. The present paper contributes to this topic and reports on physiological threshold values for wood decay fungi with respect to modified wood. In total, 4200 specimens made from acetylated, furfurylated, and thermally modified beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Scots pine sapwood (sW) (Pinus sylvestris L.) were exposed to Coniophora puteana and Trametes versicolor. Piles consisting of 50 small specimens were incubated above malt agar in Erlenmeyer flasks for 16 weeks. In general, pile upward mass loss (ML) and MC decreased. Threshold values for fungal growth and decay (ML ≥ 2%) were determined. In summary, the minimum MC for fungal decay was slightly below fiber saturation point of the majority of the untreated and differently modified materials. Surprisingly, T. versicolor was able to degrade untreated beech wood at a minimum of 15% MC, and growth was possible at 13% MC. By contrast, untreated pine sW was not decayed by C. puteana at less than 29% MC.

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Utstillingen «Det fantastiske treet» forteller om hvordan treet blir til, og at fotosyntesen er grunnlaget for alt liv. Bladene er verdens beste solfangere, og vi forteller hvordan fotosyntesen skjer i bladet. Trærnes magiske evne til å forvandle luft til sukker forklares på en ny og spennende måte. For å vise hvor spektakulær fotosyntesen er har vi lagd en 9 meter lang lysende akrylvegg som viser snittet av et blad. Midt i utstillingen står en 7,5 meter høy treskulptur laget av 10 km aluminiumsrør – selve Det fantastiske treet. Det fantastiske treeter et godt eksempel på forskningsformidling og et fruktbart samarbeid mellom to institusjoner. Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi (NIBIO) ved Skog og utmarksdivisjonen (tidligere Skog og landskap) har gjort et stort og omfattende arbeid med å tilgjengeliggjøre forskning og kvalitetssikre innholdet i utstillingen. NIBIO har vært en uvurdelig støttespiller i den faglige kvalitetssikringen. Vi har lagd en utstilling som skal overbevise publikum om hvilken spektakulær prosess fotosyntesen er og at det ikke er «bare bare» å bli et stort tre. Publikum skal både fascineres, og de skal få ny kunnskap. Den skal også vekke nysgjerrigheten for spennende forskning og alle ubesvarte spørsmål vi har rundt skogen og treet – det er fremdeles mye vi ikke vet!

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Wood protection against fungal decay is mainly based on chemical protection. Nontoxic protection methods have become more important in Europe due to environmental concerns. A method using electric fields to inhibit wood decay by fungi has been investigated in laboratory trials and wood mass loss and moisture content after exposure to fungal attack were determined. The results show significantly reduced mass loss for wood samples exposed to a low pulsed electric field (LPEF), while wood samples connected to alternating and direct current displayed higher mass loss compared to LPEF. Changing the electrode material reduced the mass increase due to metal ion transfer into the wood samples for LPEF-exposed samples. The use of conductive polymer instead of metal electrodes and carbon fibers was preferable as no ions were transferred and the integrity of the material persisted. Decay of pre-exposed wood samples to white rot could be stopped or slowed down by means of LPEF.

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Treatability of wood is a function of anatomical properties developed under certain growing conditions. While Scots pine sapwood material normally is considered as easy to impregnate, great variations in treatability can be observed. In order to study anatomical differences in the structural elements of transverse fluid passage, wood material with contrasting treatability has been compared. Ray composition and resin canal network, membrane areas of fenestriform pits in the cross-field as well as dimension and properties of bordered pits were investigated. The results showed large anatomical differences between the two contrasting treatability groups. Refractory Scots pine sapwood samples developed more rays per mm2 tangential section, while they were on average lower in cell numbers than rays found in easily treatable material. Easily treatable material had more parenchyma cells in rays than refractory material. At the same time, a larger membrane area in fenestriform pits in the cross-field was observed in the easily treatable sample fraction. Differences in the composition of resin canal network were not observed. Refractory samples developed on average smaller bordered pit features, with relatively small formed pit apertures compared to the easily treatable samples. In refractory Scots pine sapwood material, the structural elements of fluid passage such as bordered pit dimensions, fenestriform pits in the cross-field and parenchyma cells were altogether developed in smaller dimensions or number. Wood samples from better growing conditions and sufficient water supply showed a better treatability in this study.

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New wood protection technologies should be effective against biodeterioration and at the same time minimize environmental impact. The present study investigates the effect of polyaniline modification of wood and the effect of a pulsed electric field on fungal protection. The effect of fungi and a pulsed electric field on the conductivity of the modified wood was also measured. It was found that it is possible to polymerize polyaniline particles in-situ homogeneously throughout the wood specimens. The polyaniline particles themselves were not found to be anti-fungal, however when in contact with water they affected the pH drastically and inhibited fungal growth. The wood treatment with polyaniline and the connection to a pulsed electric field were found to be effective in protecting the wood from deterioration when exposed to Postia placenta. The unmodified samples that were connected to a pulsed electric field lost under 10 wt% due to fungal degradation. The combination of polyaniline treatment with the connection to a pulsed electric field showed a slight synergistic effect which resulted in less weight loss due to fungal degradation. However, a more brittle wood structure was observed. Leached and fungal exposed samples showed a significant drop in the conductivity, indicating that the network has broken down slightly.

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I Norge har vi en lang tradisjon for å bygge i tre. Fra vikingskip og stavkirker til moderne høyhus i massivtre: Treteknologisk kunnskap danner grunnlaget for estetisk og funksjonell bruk av tre som byggemateriale. Riktig bruk av trematerialer og treprodukter, fra et bærekraftig norsk skogbruk, er en forutsetning for lang levetid. Treprodukter med lang levetid er både klimavennlig og smart ressursbruk, det gir lengre karbonbinding, og kan erstatte andre materialer med negativ miljø- og klimaeffekt. Økt levetid på treprodukter får vi ved å utnytte den naturlige holdbarheten til utvalgte treslag, ved å unngå konstruksjonsmessige feil, og/ eller ved å behandle trevirket med en form for trebeskyttelse. I denne brosjyren presenterer vi de ulike typene trebehandling som finnes i Norge – både gamle og nye metoder. Med denne brosjyren ønsker vi å informere om riktig bruk av tre, og vi håper at brosjyren blir et godt hjelpemiddel til deg som er interessert i tre, som bygger med tre eller som på en eller annen måte arbeider med dette fantastiske materialet. Brosjyren «Trebehandling – Innovasjon, metoder og trender» er laget med støtte fra Landbruks- og matdepartement gjennom satsningen «Økt trebruk». Innholdet er basert på en serie artikler som har stått på trykk i magasinet SKOG.

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Det finnes ulike trebehandlinger på markedet som kan beskytte tre og forlenge treproduktenes levetid. En helt ny metode bruker et pulserende elektrisk felt for å beskytte tre mot råtesopp.

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Når man bruker tre utendørs, i jordkontakt eller i innstallasjoner over bakken, vil trykkimpregnert trevirke beskytte mot sopp- og insektangrep og dermed øke trevirkets levetid. Impregnerte treprodukter til bruk som utvendig kledning, terrassedekk og gjerdestolper kan kjøpes i byggevarehandelen. Hva bør du som huseier vite når du kjøper og bruker impregnert tre?

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En overflatebehandling gir trekledningen en ønsket struktur og farge, og i tillegg beskytter den treoverflaten mot ytre påkjenninger. Faktorer som værpåkjenning, konstruksjonsdetaljer, tradisjon, husets egenart, type trekledning, miljøprofil, vedlikeholdsintervall og estetiske preferanser er avgjørende for valg av type overflatebehandling.

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Tre er nå blitt så moderne og etterspurt at diskusjonen og de politiske avgjørelsene rundt bruken av tre stiller nye krav til forskere og krever høy rekruttering av studenter i fremtiden.

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Å beskytte tre mot vær og vind er meget viktig når det skal benyttes utendørs, siden de fleste norske treslagene er lite motstandsdyktige mot nedbrytning. Ulike trebehandlinger kan forbedre den naturlige holdbarheten til tre ved å beskytte mot sopp og insekter, og øker dermed treets levetid.

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Wood protection by means of electro pulsing Electric fields have been evaluated for the protection of wood against attack by wood-destroying fungi. We could show that a low-pulsed electric field (PLEOT) had an inhibiting effect on wood destroying fungi compared with the tested reference power sources alternating and direct current. The study examined the suitability of PLEOT for use in wood preservation and evaluated the use of different wood and fungi species, different wood dimensions, the use in ground contact, as well as the test setup in the laboratory and the installation of the technology in the field. Different wood species could be protected by means of PLEOT against degradation by white and brown rot. Additionally, the degradation of wood could be stopped after four weeks establishment of the fungi. The use of PLEOT in ground contact resulted in lower weight loss of PLEOT-protected samples compared with untreated samples.

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Overview of the chemical suppliers' perspectives and impact on innovation in the wood treating industry Methods: Personal Interviews Data Source: 14 interviews of managers in three chemical companies and three of their customers Key Findings: 1) Managers of companies manufacturing wood preservatives see their customer base as highly conservative and lacking innovation. 2) Big box retailers have an important impact on innovation in the wood treating sector. 3) Chemical suppliers are important for both product

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Utendørs trekonstruksjoner må beskyttes mot vær og vind. Hovedutfordringen er at de fleste norske treslag er svært lite motstandsdyktige mot nedbrytning.

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Impregneringsmidler beskytter mot sopp- og insektangrep og øker trevirkets levetid. Sammensetningen av impregneringsmidlene påvirker produktegenskapene til de ulike treproduktene.

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Improving wood preservation techniques can contribute substantially to reducing waste and avoiding negative environmental impacts. Dr Andreas Treu outlines a promising technique to dramatically reduce or even stop wood degradation altogether by using electro-osmosis. International Innovation is the leading global dissemination resource for the wider scientific, technology and research communities, dedicated to disseminating the latest science, research and technological innovations on a global level. More information and a complimentary subscription offer to the publication can be found at: www.researchmedia.eu

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The objective of the project Winfur (within WoodWisdomNet) was the industrial application of furfurylated wood in the window market. Because of promising results concerning the wood species European beech, common ash, radiata pine and Southern yellow pine it was decided to evaluate material from these species.The material exhibits promising wood water related behaviour. Coating tests showed the coatability with selected commercial products. Additionally, outdoor weathering tests were performed. It is also possible to produce 3-layer scantlings with common gluing systems like PVAc. The resistance against wood destroying fungi increased in a way that the material is suitable for the window application. Different investigations were performed to test the furfurylated material and the results are satisfying.The last step in the project was the production of prototypes for different investigations. The window companies reported no differences between using furfurylated wood compared to untreated wood within the production of the windows. The tests of full scale window prototypes according to seven test standards, e.g. repeated opening and closing and water tightness against driving rain were performed.The production and standardised testing of full-scale window prototypes indicates that the use of furfurylated wood will not cause any problems with fulfilling the criteria for the Scandinavian P-mark and the German RAL certificate. The overall conclusion is that furfurylated wood material is suitable for the window production.

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In this study, natural polymers were tested as possible alternatives for conventional wood preservative in a two-step process. Scots pine sapwood blocks were impregnated with chitosan, tannin, propiconazole and Wolmanit and oil-treated afterwards with a modified linseed oil. Two different fixation parameters were performed. The treated samples were leached according to EN84. The outcome of trials shows that a two-step process reduces the leaching of the main active components. After leaching, the samples were exposed to fungal attack by Coniophora puteana and Trametes versicolor according to EN113. Mycological tests showed that most of oil treated samples were effective against wood decay.

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Wood protection in the last century has mainly been based on chemical treatments. Additionally, the type of construction of wooden buildings and the choice of wood species play an important role. Degradation of wood is not only caused by fungi or bacteria but also by insects. Termites have been a potential risk to wooden structures not only in the warmer regions of our continents but also beyond the regions of their natural habitat due to transport of wood. A new treatment, Electro osmotic pulsing technology (PLEOT), has been tested in lab termite tests and fungi tests. The two choice and non-choice termite tests were carried out using different duration of exposure and different initial wood moisture content. The results show growth of mould fungi on untreated wood samples with high initial wood moisture content after 4 weeks of termite testing whereas PLEOT treatment strongly reduced the development of moulds. Termite mortality was high on untreated wood samples with high initial moisture content but not on wood samples with low initial moisture content. This is explained by mould growth on the wetter samples, which termites don\"t tolerate in large amounts. The loss of wood mass due to termite attack could be reduced by using PLEOT. The mortality of termites was higher in test systems with protected wood samples than untreated samples. PLEOT could be used successfully against fungal attack. The treatment reduced on the one hand mould growth in a termite test and on the other hand reduced strongly the attack of brown rot fungi in a lab test.

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A combined wood impregnation process including impregnation with a chromium-free wood preservative and oil treatment was evaluated with regard to leaching of copper during the oil process. Two different experimental setups make up the balance of copper content in oil, wood samples and condensate water, also taking different fixation times and process durations into account. Copper is sufficiently fixed after 24 hours, and leaching of copper into the oil is low. Increasing the oil process time does not lead to increased leaching. The hot oil treatment of impregnated wood under vacuum atmosphere is a fast drying method without major negative consequences for the impregnated copper.

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Timber constructions are often built in combination with other materials such as concrete. These materials can influence the timber construction. Moist concrete can e.g. lead to development of molds which creates an unhealthy living area for people. Furthermore, moisture in wood buildings can negatively affect the wood material, which can lead to negative biological activity in timber and possible reduction of strength properties of timber constructions. The present paper introduces a new innovative method of timber protection and describes the influence of moisture on wood and concrete. The new environmental friendly system for protection of timber has been tested on wood destroying fungi and termites. It can be shown that wood protection by means of electro osmotic pulsing technology can preserve wood in laboratory trials. The wood moisture content is reduced when the protection system is installed. Trials on protected wood against subterranean termites showed lower wood moisture content after test of protected samples compared to untreated samples. However, termite activity could not be reduced to a larger extend as the termite living surroundings were not included. It could be shown that humidity in pores of concrete in cellar walls is reduced using electro osmotic pulsing. The drying of concrete when combined with timber constructions can additionally help to reduce timber degradation as all protection measures that lead to a drier building are positive for fungi and subterranean termite control.

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This paper focuses on the improvement of a combined impregnation process (CIP, also known as the Royal process). This treatment combines the protective properties of a wood protection agent and the hydrophobic properties of a subsequent oil treatment in a wood product. Copper-based wood preservatives, which are traditionally used in CIP, are very effective but their long-term future use is questionable because of environmental concerns, especially the toxicity against water-living organisms. There is a need for new environmentally friendly wood preservative systems for a use in CIP. The substitutes for copper used in this study are natural polymers and organic biocides. The aim of this research is to describe the fixation effectiveness of the following compounds: Chitosan, Propiconazole, Wolmanit CX-8, Tannin, fire protection agent, Alginate. The scots pine sapwood samples (50´25´15) mm were impregnated and oil treated. The treated products were analysed for their preservative-and oil-retention. Preservative fixation time influence on oil treatment was tested. The treated samples were leached according to EN84. Water samples were analyzed for the amount of active ingredient.

Sammendrag

A new protection system has been tested which protects wood without treating it - by installing a low pulsing electric field. This electro-osmotic pulsing technology on wood, called PLEOT, has been tested in lab trials. Wood has a low specific conductivity and is considered as a dielectric material. Water plays therefore an important role. With increasing wood moisture content, a favorable environment for fungi development is created. At the same time, increasing wood moisture content increases the conductivity in wood and PLEOT can protect the material. Wood can be considered as naturally protected against fungal attack at a wood moisture content <20 %. It could be shown in lab tests, that a protection by means of PLEOT can be achieved at higher wood moisture content....

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Modification of wood with furfuryl alcohol or furfuryl alcohol prepolymer leads to a wood product with increased decay resistance, hardness and dimensional stability. In normal application, i.e. under Use Class 3 conditions, furfurylated wood can be regarded as non-toxic. This has earlier been demonstrated by toxic hazard tests on water leachates using relevant leaching procedures, e.g. the OECD Guideline 313 or the Dutch shower test procedure. These leachates showed slight to no toxicity towards standard aquatic test organisms. However, when using forced leaching procedures with limited amount of water such as the EN 84 procedure, slight to moderate toxicity to the same test organisms was observed, depending on furfurylation process. Furthermore, earlier studies have shown that leachates from wood treated with furfuryl alcohol pre-polymers have higher toxicity to Vibrio fischeri (luminescent marine bacterium) than leachates from wood treated with furfuryl alcohol monomers and that this probably is attributed to differences in leaching of chemical compounds. The ambition of the present study, was to investigate which chemical compounds in the leachates causes toxicity to the aquatic organisms V. fischeri and Daphnia magna (water flea). In this study five different wood species, both hardwoods and softwoods, treated with three different furfurylation processes, were leached according to two different leaching methods. The study shows that this difference in toxicity of leachates towards V. fischeri most likely cannot be attributed to maleic acid, furan, furfural, furfuryl alcohol or 2-furoic acid. However, the difference in toxicity might be caused by the substance 2,5-furandimethanol. Leachates from furfurylated wood still need to be investigated further in order to identify the chemical differences between wood furfurylated with furfuryl alcohol monomers and furfuryl alcohol prepolymer causing differences in toxicity to different organisms.

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Trebaserte produkter bidrar til å redusere klimautslipp, både ved å lagre karbon, ved å erstatte produkter som krever mye fossil energi ved produksjon og ved at det benyttes som fornybar energi. Forskningen ved Seksjon treteknologi omfatter en rekke disipliner som mykologi, treteknologi, kjemi og molekylærbiologi. Den nyeste forskningen på seksjonen bruker pulserende likestrøms elektro-osmoseteknologi (PLEOT) til å beskytte treprodukter mot soppangrep.

Sammendrag

Trebeskyttelse er hovedsakelig basert på konstruktiv og kjemisk beskyttelse av tre. Avhending eller gjenbruk av treprodukter som inneholder trebeskyttelsesmidler, kan skade miljøet og skape problemer i økosystemet. Et nytt beskyttelsessystem, pulserende elektro osmose teknologi (PLEOT), har blitt testet med hensyn på sopp, både muggsopp og råtesopp. Tørrstofftap og fuktighetsinnhold i prøver av furu yteved ble beregnet etter testing, og elementanalyse ble foretatt av trepulver fra prøvene. Treprøver som hadde PLEOT-systemet tilkoblet, er også blitt testet mot termitter. Strømledende materiale ble testet for å optimere forsøksopplegget og som en dokumentasjon av produktet for senere kommersialisering. Resultatene viser at PLEOT-beskyttede prøver tilnærmet ikke har noe tørrstofftap etter 4, 8 og 12 uker i råtenedbrytningstest (Coniophora puteana.) i laboratoriet. Sammenlignet med ubehandlede prøver, hadde prøvene med PLEOT-beskyttelse lavere fuktighetsinnhold, og kun spor av metallelementer etter råtenedbrytningsforsøk. Konklusjonen er at hverken lavere fuktighetsinnholdet eller de overførte metallionene i PLEOT-prøvene bidrar til trebeskyttelseseffekten. Testing av strømledende materialer og utvikling av testoppsett er en vesentlig del av prosjektet. Strømledende karbonfibre som ble brukt i noen av forsøkene, ble ødelagt etter flere ukers PLEOT-tilkobling. Bruk av strømledende plast ga imidlertid bedre resultater. PLEOT-systemet kan gi beskyttelse av tre i kontakt med jord. Sannsynligvis hadde PLEOT-systemet en beskyttende virkning også på de ubehandlede prøvene siden de var plassert i de samme omgivelsene. I ”two-choice” og ”non-choice” termittforsøkene ble treprøver med forskjellig fuktighetsinnhold eksponert for Reticulitermes grassei over 4 uker. Tørrstofftap etter 4 ukers termittangrep ble redusert ved bruk av PLEOT. Dødeligheten av termitter var høyere i testoppsett med PLEOT-tilkobling enn i testoppsett med ubeskyttede prøver. Resultatene viste også at de ubehandlede prøvene med opprinnelig høyt fuktighetsinnhold hadde muggvekst etter 4 ukers termittangrep. Dødeligheten av termitter på grunn av muggsopp var høy på fuktige prøver på ubehandlede prøver. PLEOT-tilkobling reduserte i stor grad muggveksten. Fremtidige laboratorieforsøk bør inkludere forskjellige treslag, dimensjoner på treprøver og forskjellige arter av sopp. Felttester bør utføres for å evaluere levetiden til produkter med PLEOT-beskyttelse i et bruksmiljø

Sammendrag

Levetiden til trebygninger og trekonstruksjoner avhenger hovedsakelig av type konstruksjon, klima, type bruk, naturlig holdbarhet av trevirket, mulige bevaringsbehandlinger og tilstedeværelse av organismer som angriper trevirke.

Sammendrag

Wood modification with furfuryl alcohol is an extensively investigated process and already produced commercially. Furfurylated wood is in the focus of a European project on its use for the production of high performance windows. Different wood species were treated with furfuryl alcohol and tested on water uptake, dimensional changes, leaching in water, resistance to fungal degradation, and ecotoxicity. The results show a reduced water uptake and a reduced swelling of the furfurylated wood samples. A high resistance against fungal attack of the treated wood samples can be shown. A low amount of furfuryl alcohol was leached out and the water samples of two different leaching tests showed in general low toxicity. Southern yellow pine showed good results in all of the tests and has potential for the production of window frames according to the tests performed.

Sammendrag

Furfurylation of wood samples can lead to different outcome (different chemistry) and product properties depending on parameters such as pH-value, catalyst, amount of water, time and temperature. Changes in the furfurylation process can even lead to a deterioration of product performance, such as lower durability in comparison to other furfurylated products. How is it possible to detect these changes in chemistry of a furfurylated wood product? To answer this question confocal laser scanning microscopy was used. The expectation was to detect different emissions of the auto fluorescent furfuryl alcohol if differences in chemistry exist. Additionally to the differences in emitted wavelength, the area in the wood structure of different emissions was under investigation. It was the aim to detect whether different product performance of a furfurylated product or different furfurylation processes could be related to changes in chemistry and this was expected to be visualized by CLSM.

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Sammendrag

The furfurylation process is an extensively investigated wood modification process. Furfuryl alcohol molecules penetrate into the wood cell wall and polymerize in situ. This results in a permanent swelling of the wood cell walls. It is unclear whether or not chemical bonds exist between the furfuryl alcohol polymer and the wood. In the present study, five different wood species were used, both hardwoods and softwoods. They were treated with three different furfurylation procedures and leached according to three different leaching methods. The present study shows that, in general, the leachates from furfurylated wood have low toxicity. It also shows that the choice of leaching method is decisive for the outcome of the toxicity results. Earlier studies have shown that leachates from wood treated with furfuryl alcohol prepolymers have higher toxicity to Vibrio fischeri than leachates from wood treated with furfuryl alcohol monomers. This is probably attributable to differences in leaching of chemical compounds. The present study shows that this difference in the toxicity most likely cannot be attributed to maleic acid, furan, furfural, furfuryl alcohol, or 2-furoic acid. However, the difference might be caused by the two substances 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and 2,5-furandimethanol. The present study found no difference in the amount of leached furfuryl alcohol between leachates from furfurylated softwood and furfurylated hardwood species. Earlier studies have indicated differences in grafting of furfuryl alcohol to lignin. However, nothing was found in the present study that could support this. The leachates of furfurylated wood still need to be investigated further to identify the chemical differences between wood furfurylated with furfuryl alcohol monomers and furfuryl alcohol prepolymers.

Sammendrag

Wood protection is mainly based on chemical protection of wood. The disposal of wood preservative treated material causes restrictions in its later use or recirculation into the eco-cycle. A new protective system, electro-osmotic pulsing technology on wood, called PLEOT, is tested in a fungi test and in soil contact. Mass loss and moisture content of Scots pine sapwood samples was calculated after testing and an element analysis was performed on the sample powder. The results show that PLEOT- protected samples have nearly no mass loss after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of exposure to Coniophora puteana in laboratory trials. The samples protected with PLEOT showed lower moisture content but trace elements of metals in the samples after basidiomycete test compared to untreated samples. It is concluded, that neither the resulted wood moisture content nor the transferred metal ions in the PLEOT samples contribute to large amounts to the wood protection effect. Furthermore, the PLEOT system might give a protection for wood in soil contact. Further research on the mode of action as well as further tests including field tests are under planning.

Sammendrag

Modified wood is commercially available and merchandized as a new, environmentally friendly and durable wood species. However, there are no standards focusing on the evaluation of modified wood. Combining resistance against fungal decay and good ecotoxicological properties may be a start. In this study softwood and hardwood species were furfurylated using different treatment processes and treating solutions. The durability was determined by exposing the treated wood to a range of Basidiomycetes and the ecotoxicity was studied on two aquatic organisms.It was the purpose to come to a strategy and how to unite efficacy and ecotoxicity, since this is important in product development. The results show that the selection of fungus used for mass loss determination and the choice of ecotoxicity method is decisive, confirming that a combination of methods is valuable. A tiered approach to find the optimal treatment seems the best option. First, adequate protection against wood-rotting fungi should be attained, followed by ecotoxicity evaluation of the wood leachates. If necessary, the optimization process should be repeated until both durability and ecotoxicity are within satisfactory limits. This process could be extended with other evaluation criteria, e.g. dimensional stability of the modified wood or a risk analysis of its leachate.

Sammendrag

In recent years the market share for wooden window products has continuously decreased in Europe. Plastics and aluminum have partly replaced wooden window constructions. Service life and maintenance costs lead the customer to a preferable use of other materials than wood. Additionally the use of tropical hardwoods is decreasing because the market demands sustainable alternatives. A transnational research project is initiated to evaluate the use of an alternative wood material for the production of wooden windows. This project involves both, industry and research institutes from Germany, Sweden and Norway. The objective is to establish Kebony furfurylated wood within the window market of the involved countries. Furfurylation of wood using European timbers has been a research topic for many years and is already commercially produced for different applications. The treatment improves dimensional stability, durability and some mechanical properties. This paper presents the first part of the project, where wood properties such as dimensional stability, water sorption, ecotoxicity, capillary water uptake and water vapor diffusion are evaluated.

Sammendrag

New environmental benign wood protection agents often come from natural resources, and are sometimes a waste product. Chitosan, a derivative from chitin which is among other sources a by-product from the shellfish industry, is tested as well as known wood protection agents and their synergetic effect with chitosan. The objective of the research presented in this paper, is to describe the leaching properties of the following compounds: Chitosan, chitosan/copper, chitosan/boron and chitosan/ScanImp (a commercial wood preservative). A leaching procedure was performed on treated Scots pine sapwood samples. The four solutions have also been tested with and without post treatment. A new effective fire preservative has been included in the test. Common wood preservatives have been tested as references. The combination with chitosan did improve the fixation of the wood protection agent ScanImp. Furthermore, the post treatment of the chitosan treated samples did significantly reduce the leaching of glucosamine and to some extend also the leaching of boron.

Sammendrag

Wood modification with furfuryl alcohol is an extensively investigated process and already produced commercially. Furfurylated wood is in the focus of a European project on its use for the production of high performance windows. Different wood species were treated with furfuryl alcohol and tested on water uptake, dimensional changes, leaching in water, resistance to fungal degradation, and ecotoxicity. The results show a reduced water uptake and a reduced swelling of the furfurylated wood samples. A high resistance against fungal attack of the treated wood samples can be shown. A low amount of furfuryl alcohol was leached out and the water samples of two different leaching tests showed in general low toxicity. Southern yellow pine showed good results in all of the tests and has potential for the production of window frames according to the tests performed.

Sammendrag

An easier penetrability and a more even uptake of wood protection agents is aimed for the two most common wood species in Europe, namely Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine heartwood (Pinus sylvestris), particularly when there is a great difference in absorption behavior of sapwood and heartwood. Microwave conditioning can improve permeability, reduce density and heat conductivity and change dimensional stability of wood. It could also improve the permeability of refractory wood species. This study deals with the evaluation of different parameters of a microwave treatment and their influence on the penetrability of water during dipping and impregnation of Scots pine heartwood and Norway spruce. Microwave irradiation lead to an increased water uptake after a submersion test, and after vacuum and pressure impregnation of the tested samples. This effect was more pronounced for Scots pine heartwood samples than for spruce wood samples. A short process with high microwave energy is recommended in order to reduce the development of large cracks but to increase the sorption behavior due to small checks in wood.

Sammendrag

Norway spruce (Picea abies) is widely used not only in Norway but in many other European countries. Due to its refractory behavior after drying it is difficult to impregnate with wood protecting agents that makes it suitable for outside applications. In this research spruce wood samples are exposed to microwave radiation in order to improve the impregnability. The strength properties are evaluated after both microwave and impregnation treatment. The results show, that microwave treatment on spruce wood samples improves the uptake of impregnation agents. With increasing energy absorption due to microwave radiation the impregnability is improved. No differences could be found between the microwave treatments in radial or tangential direction, neither in uptake of wood preservative nor in strength properties. The uptake of impregnation agents in spruce wood is increased by using a pre-treatment with microwave radiation. However, some microwave treatments lead to cracks and a reduction in tangential strength. Most of the values of the process parameters used were obviously too high, which resulted in a distinct crack development.

Sammendrag

The effectiveness against soft rotting micro fungi and other soil inhabiting micro-organisms was tested according to ENV 807 using different treated Scots pine sapwood and beech wood samples. The treatments differed in basic material, solvent, depolymerization agent, viscosity and post treatment. The chitosan treated Scots pine samples showed improved performance against soft rot, whereas a large amount of untreated pines sapwood samples failed during the test. The different chitosan treatments showed only slight differences in performance during the test.Further results of ongoing field tests should give more information about the life performance of the treated samples.

Sammendrag

Furfurylated wood has shown to have promising properties for a wood modification agent during the last years. In this paper, an alternative curing method for furfuryl alcohol modified pine sapwood by means of microwave radiation was investigated. Different process parameters of microwave treatment such as output power, exposure time to microwave radiation, initial wood moisture content and evaporation during treatment, were tested. The weight percent gain of pine wood samples due to polymerised furfuryl alcohol was investigated by means of thermo gravimetric analysis. Leaching of furfuryl treated and differently cured samples gave information about the degree of fixation. No distinct influence of initial moisture content could be stated. A slight tendency of improving the degree of fixation by increasing the consumption energy of wood samples due to microwave energy was found. Changing the evaporation ability of samples during microwave treatment by using plastic foil had no distinct influence. Fixation of furfuryl alcohol could be improved by microwave treatment, and a degree of fixation above 90 % was calculated. However, the fixation was lower than in oven cured samples.

Sammendrag

Trevinduers kvalitet og levetid er avhengig av en rekke faktorer. Kvalitet på trevirke er en slik faktor og utgangspunktet for all vindusproduksjon. En state of the art rapport fra Norsk institutt for skog og landskap belyser og diskuterer trekvalitet i et vindusperspektiv.

Sammendrag

Resins and oils can easily evaporate during drying processes at high temperatures. The aim of this research was to investigate different drying methods such as oven-drying, vacuumdrying and freeze-drying of resin modified pine-sapwood samples to determine wood moisture content (MC) and weight percent gain (WPG). The results showed that freeze-drying is the slowest process. Vacuum drying of water impregnated samples takes approx. 7 times longer compared to oven-drying. The initial moisture content of wood before impregnation used in this research has only little influence on the WPG.

Sammendrag

In this study modified linseed oils, rape oil and three waxes were screened on their efficacy as wood protecting agents. By testing all products when impregnated with high retentions in Scots Pine sapwood on water repellence qualities, additionally an accelerated weathering test, drying quality, accelerated brown rot and blue stain test, an indication is formed of the capability of these products as wood protecting treatments. All oil and wax treatments significantly improve the water repellency of untreated wood. In weathering resistance, maleinised and polymerised linseed oil showed the best results in improving untreated pine sapwood dimensional stability thus reducing crack formation and decolourization by UV-light. In accelerated brown rot and blue stain tests boiled linseed oil significantly reduced degradation and staining. In addition, maleinised linseed oil and a mixture of modified linseed- and mineral oil are very well performing in the blue stain test. Overall most promising products are the maleinised oils and boiled linseed oil. The maleinised oils have good potentials in long lasting water repellency, showed some fungal growth prevention, are colour stable in weathering tests and create a dimensional stable wood product. Boiled linseed oil is not exceptionally good as a water repellent, but the good drying qualities together with easy handling makes this oil a promising product.

Sammendrag

The present investigation deals with the properties of resonance wood destined for the production of musical instruments and with the methods for the determination of resonance wood quality. At the same time there are stated the range of values for the dynamic modulus of elasticity, for the speed of sound transmission and for the density of wood. The demands regarding dimension and growth characteristics of resonance wood are explained insisting first of all on pure subjective and visual criteria. The grading rules, existing only in a few regions in Germany, show that forestry is sensitized to this high value timber assortment only to a very small extent. With the Lucchimeter measuring method (elasticity tester) and the stress wave nondestructive evaluation technique spruce (Picea abies) and fir (Abies alba) wood panels are investigated which are destined for the production of guitars. The methods used as well as the results of measurement are compared with another. Furthermore the quantity of sales of resonance wood is presented after survey at the state owned forest management in Germany. The established small quantity of existing resonance wood is attributed to the sales of resonance wood not mentioned explicitly or described in detail. All in all the amount of resonance wood is supposed to be higher.