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Furfurylation of wood from fast-growing tropical species to enhance their resistance to subterranean termite

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use furfurylation to enhance the resistance of wood to subterranean termite attack. Wood samples were obtained from four fast-growing tropical wood species, namely sengon (Falcataria moluccana), jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba), mangium (Acacia mangium), and pine (Pinus merkusii), felled at a short cutting rotation. Specimens were impregnated with furfuryl alcohol (FA) solution and tartaric acid as a catalyst and then heated at 100 °C for 24 h. After conditioning, the specimens were exposed to subterranean termite attack in the laboratory according to the Indonesian standard. Furfurylated samples were found to have a higher density presumably because poly-FA filled the void space. It also had a lower moisture content because of the presence of poly-FA bulking in the wood cell wall, making it more hydrophobic. Furfurylation greatly enhanced subterranean termite attack resistance of wood, as shown by remarkably higher termite mortality, higher wood resistance class, lower wood weight percent loss, and reduced termite feeding rate. Based on the Indonesian standard, in which class I indicates very resistant wood and class V indicates very poorly resistant wood, untreated wood was class IV, but all furfurylated wood specimens were rated as class I.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our great appreciation to the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology, Research and Innovation Agency, Deputy of Research Strengthening and Development which sponsored the research grant. IPB University (Bogor Agricultural University), Bogor, Indonesia, for research facilities, and Salim Hiziroglu from Oklahoma State University USA, for final editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IPB University (Bogor Agricultural University), Bogor, 16680, Indonesia

    Yusuf Sudo Hadi, Desy Mulyosari, Elis Nina Herliyana & Imam Busyra Abdillah

  2. Forest Products Research and Development Centre, Bogor, 16610, Indonesia

    Gustan Pari & Wa Ode Muliastuty Arsyad

  3. Faculté Des Sciences Et Technologies, Université de Lorraine, Inra, EA 4370 USC 1445 LERMAB, BP 70239, 54506, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France

    Philippe Gérardin

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  1. Yusuf Sudo Hadi
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Correspondence to Yusuf Sudo Hadi.

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Hadi, Y.S., Mulyosari, D., Herliyana, E.N. et al. Furfurylation of wood from fast-growing tropical species to enhance their resistance to subterranean termite. Eur. J. Wood Prod. 79, 1007–1015 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-021-01676-4

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