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Public health awareness has increased in the past few years regarding the disposal of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) preservative-treated wood wastes. This study demonstrates the potential for using remediated CCA lumber and alternative fiber sources, such as sugar cane bagasse, to produce medium density fiberboard (MDF). The role of both remediated CCA loaded spruce wood and substitution of a part of it with sugar-cane bagasse fibers on the performance of MDF produced were evaluated. The remediation conditions were optimized from examining the FTIR-spectra and TGA analyses of the treated...

Note: Clicking on the \'View\' option to download the PDF copy of the publication will redirect you to the web site www.masstimber.com where you will need to register prior to downloading.Cross-laminated timber #CLT# was developed in Europe for the prefabricated construction of wall, roof, and flooring elements. Adaptation of CLT for use in the United States requires consideration of the different climates, building codes, and construction methods in this country.

Flexible composite films were produced by impregnating aqueous phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin into water-swollen cellulose nanofibril (CNF) films. CNF films were prepared using a pressurized filtration method in combination with freeze drying. The freeze-dried films were swollen with water then impregnated with PF resin by soaking in aqueous resin solutions of varying concentrations. Small amounts of PF slightly enhanced the tensile properties of CNF films. The formulation with the best mechanical properties was CNF/PF films with 8 wt % resin exhibiting tensile stress and toughness of 248...

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), which are generated from abundant, environmentally friendly natural plant resources, display numerous interesting properties such as outstanding mechanical strength, negligible light scattering, and low thermal expansion (Zimmermann et al., 2010). These nanofibers are usually created by mechanical fibrillation or chemical oxidation of pulp fibers. CNFs have previously been utilized in a broad range of fields, such as special printing, package, medical carriers, filtration, polymeric reinforcement, energy storage, and electronics or display substrates (Siró and...

The use of renewable materials has received a great deal of attention over the last several decades due to the environmental impact and finite resources of petroleum and other non-renewable resources. Cellulose nanofibrils are a type of nanomaterial made from natural resources like wood and non-wood plants, and they are considering promising alternative to existing materials in numerous fields (Eichhorn et al., 2010). There are essentially four types of cellulose nanomaterials, including bacterial cellulose nanofibers, electrospun cellulose nanofibers, cellulose nanocrystals, and cellulose...

Polycaprolactone (PCL) filled with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), wood flour (WF), or both were characterized before and after exposure to various environmental conditions for 60 days. PCL/WF composites had the greatest tensile strength and modulus compared to neat PCL or PCL composites containing MCC. Electron microscopy indicated better adhesion between WF particles and PCL than between MCC particles and PCL. Neither wood flour nor MCC cellulose appeared to significantly affect the crystallinity of PCL. Environmental conditioning resulted in only minor deterioration of mechanical...

This document compiles recent research findings related to corrosion of metals in preservative treated wood into a single report on corrosion of metals in wood. The research was conducted as part of the Research, Technology and Education portion of the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation (NHCBP) Program administered by the Federal Highway Administration. The compilation addresses: corrosion rates of metals embedded in treated wood, the mechanism of corrosion in treated wood, the effect of extractives on corrosion, methods for predicting the service life of metals in treated wood,...

Extractive content and composition is a vital component of naturally durable woods; however, variability in extractives can limit their usefulness in the field. Two extractive-free, non-durable wood species were pressure treated with ethanol-toluene extractives from 8 durable wood species. Extracted Southern pine, Paulownia and unextracted Southern pine blocks were treated and challenged in soil bottle experiments with four common wood decay fungi. Weight loss from fungal degradation of the extractive-treated blocks was compared to untreated controls. Results indicated that in some cases,...

Micronized and nano-copper (Cu)-based and arsenic and chromium-free systems have received much attention for wood protection in recent years. Because they have different fixation, and micro-distribution properties, such copper systems may be more or less subject to release using known remediation methods than soluble forms of Cu. This study evaluated Cu recovery from wood treated with micronized- or nano-Cu via chemical extraction, and determined optimum release rates of Cu from micronized- and nano-Cu-treated wood compared with the release rates from soluble Cu-based wood preservatives....

The construction of low-rise nonresidential buildings is an important market for lumber, engineered wood products, and structural and nonstructural wood panels in the United States. This report examines low-rise nonresidential buildings of six or fewer stories. Those with more than six stories are normally severely restricted by building codes from being wood framed.