Indonesian log production is dominated by young trees harvested from plantation forests. The timber contains of sapwood and juvenile wood, which are not resistant to termite attack. Smoking treatment can enhance wood resistance to termite attack, but it also changes the color. Specimens of mangium (Acacia mangium) and sengon (Falcataria moluccana) wood were exposed for 1, 2, and 3 weeks to smoke produced from the pyrolysis of salam (Syzygium polyanthum) wood. The color change of the wood was measured using the CIELab method. In addition, wood specimens were exposed to subterranean termites (Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren) under laboratory conditions. Untreated and imidacloprid-preserved wood samples were also prepared for comparison purposes. The results showed that the color of smoked wood differed from that of untreated wood, and the color change for sengon was greater than for mangium. In addition, the 1-week smoking period changed the wood color less than the 2- and 3-week periods, which did not differ. Imidacloprid-preserved wood had distinctive color changes compared to untreated wood. Untreated mangium wood had moderate resistance to subterranean termite attack (resistance class III), while sengon had very poor resistance (resistance class V). Salam wood smoke enhanced wood resistance to termite attack, and smoke treatment of 1 week for mangium and 2 weeks for sengon resulted in the wood becoming very resistant (resistance class I). Both types of smoked wood were more resistant to subterranean termite attack than imidacloprid-preserved wood (average class II resistance).

For quantitative evaluation of wooden structures, the mechanical performance of members has undergone outdoor exposure tests. A year-long monitoring was conducted using an SPF species. Test groups were divided into twelve (each month) to measure the moisture content, density and ultimate load. Starting from May when moisture content of the test group was at the lowest, simple failure modes were observed more frequently during the first half of the experiment, whereas complex failure modes took over during the second half. Starting from June when moisture content of the test group was the highest, ultimate load decreased by 30% in the second half compared to the first half. A multiple regression analysis confirmed that moisture content of the test group was the variable with most effect on ultimate load of various outdoor variables, and an estimation equation of a simple regression analysis revealed that moisture content and ultimate load formed an inversely proportionate relationship. It is thought that correlational relationships of variables other than moisture content could be applied with the increase in added data amount by longer periods of outdoor exposure tests.

In this study, rice straw and bagasse are used as raw materials to produce binderless particleboard (BPB). This study aims to evaluate the mechanical and physical properties of BPB. We identify the raw material that would be better for the production of BPB from the viewpoint of their basic properties. The BPBs are made from rice straw, bagasse, and combinations of both in ratios of 50:50 and 40:60, respectively. The modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), internal bonding (IB) strength, water absorption, and thickness swelling properties of the different BPBs are determined and compared. Results showed that all the properties are significantly influenced by the type of particles or particle combinations in the BPB. BPBs made from bagasse alone have the highest MOR, MOE, and IB mean values, whereas BPBs made from rice straw alone exhibit the lowest MOR, MOE, and IB values. Meanwhile, BPBs made from a combination of rice straw and bagasse at 40:60 ratio by weight have the second highest values for properties such as MOR, MOE, and IB, followed by BPBs made from a combination of rice straw and bagasse at 50:50 ratio by weight.

While the utilization of wood as a raw material in related industries has been increasing with the population increasing, the availability of wood from natural forests has continued to decline. An alternative to this situation is the manufacture of particleboard from non-wood lignocellulose materials through the modification of sandwich particleboard (SPb) using bamboo strands as reinforcement. In this study, strandsof belangke bamboo (Gigantochloa pruriens W) and tali bamboo (Gigantochloa apus) were utilized. The non-wood particles included sugar palm fibers, cornstalk, and sugarcane bagasse. The board was made in a three-layer composition of the face, back, and core in a ratio of 1: 2: 1. The binder used was 8% isocyanate resin. The sheet was pressed at a temperature of 160°C for 5 min under a pressure of 3.0 N/mm2. Testing included physical and mechanical properties based on the JIS A 5908 (2003) standard, while acoustic testing was based on ISO 11654 (1997) standards. The results showed that using bamboo strands as reinforcement has an effect on the mechanical and physical properties of SPb. Almost all the types of boards met the JIS A 5908 (2003) standards, with the exception of thickness swelling (TS) and internal bond (IB) parameters. Based on the thickness swelling parameter, the C-type board exhibited the best properties. Overall, the B-type board thatused a belangke bamboo strand for the surface and sugarcane bagasse as the core underwent the best treatment. Based on the acoustical parameter, boards using a tali bamboo strand for the surface and sugar palm fiber as the core (E-type board) exhibited good sound absorption properties.

Jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba) is a fast-growing wood species that is widely utilized for light construction and other purposes in Indonesia. The objectives of the current study were to determine the effects of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and SiO2 nanoparticles (nano SiO2) impregnation treatment on the dimensional stability and density of jabon wood and to identify the characteristics of impregnated jabon wood. Wood samples were immersed in water (as untreated), MEG, 0.5% MEGSiO2, then impregnated by applying 0.5 bar of vacuum for 60 min, and then applying 2.5 bar of pressure for 120 min. The results showed that impregnation with MEG and Nano SiO2 had a significant effect on the dimensional stability of jabon wood. Polymers can fill cell walls in wood indicated by increasing weight percentgain, antiswelling efficiency, bulking effect, and density, then decreasing in water uptake value. Jabon wood morphology by using SEM showed that MEG SiO2 polymers can cover part of the pitsin the wood vessel wall of jabon. This finding was reinforced by EDX results showing that the silicon content was increased due to the addition of SiO2 nano. The XRD diffraction pattern indicated that MEG SiO2 treatment increased the degree of crystallinity in wood samples. Overall, treatment with 0.5% MEG SiO2 led to the most improvement in the dimensional stability of 5-year-old jabon wood in this study.

Fungi are wood-decaying organisms, and this is an important trait that should be considered in wood utilization. When fungi attack wood, it decreases the quality of the wood. The use of metal screws has become an important part of woodworking. The ability of fungi to decay wood and damage metal screws that are embedded into wood is varied. In this study, eight fungal species were evaluated with respect to their ability to decay Parashorea smythiesii and P. tomentella wood. In addition, the effect of fungi on corroding metal screws was determined using the Kolle flask method. The evaluation showed that the fungal species Schizophyllum commune, Pycnoporus sanguineus, and Polyporus arcularius were highly capable of decaying Parashorea spp. woods. The greatest wood weight loss occurred with the heartwood of P. tomentella exposed to S. commune. Based on the classification of wood resistance against fungal attack, the two Parashorea spp. were classified as moderately resistant woods (class III). Schizophyllum commune was classified as highly capable of decaying wood that was embedded with metal screws and was highly capable of corroding metal screws placed in fungi-culture media. The greatest weight of rust powder formed because of screw corrosion was obtained from screw-embedded wood exposed to S. commune. Additionally, the most severe corrosion of metal screws that were embedded into woods was caused by the activities of P. arcularius. Moreover, the average weight loss of screw-embedded wood was greater than that of unscrewed wood.

In this study, the environmentally friendly material charcoal was added to ricehusk, an agricultural by-product, and sawdust, which emerges during the sawing process, to produce board by mixing ratio and concentration levels of ricehusk and charcoal; it then investigated its physical properties for development purposes and achieved the following results. The water absorption and thickness swelling of the compounded board produced per adding ratio of ricehusk and charcoal showed a gradually decreasing tendency along with the increase in adding ratio of the charcoal, and as the density of the compounded board increased, the water absorption decreased, while the thickness swelling increased. The internal bond strength of the compounded board had indicated its highest value of 0.49N/mm2 at the density of 0.7g/cm3. This satisfied the quality standard for KSF 3104 Particleboard. The internal bond strength of the compounded board manufactured per adding ratio of ricehusk and charcoal showed a steady decrease with the decrease in the adding ratio of ricehusk, and an increase in the addingratio of the charcoal. Also, in cases when the ratio of the ricehusk and charcoal by KSF 3104 quality standard were 35:5 and 30:10, it satisfied the quality standard of 15.0-type, whereas it satisfied the 13.0-type quality standard if the ratios were 25:15 and 20:20. It showed a tendency of increasing hardness of the compounded board with the increase in density, and decreasing hardness with the increase in the adding ratio of the charcoal.

This study was conducted to analyze the application of boron compounds, methyl methacrylate (MMA), and heat treatment (HT) on changes in the density, moisture content, and flexural properties of samama (Anthocephalus macrophyllus) wood. Samama wood was impregnated with borax (BX) and boric acid (BA) using a pressure method at 5 atm for 4 h. Afterwards, the wood was impregnated with MMA at the same pressure and duration. Finally, the samama wood was given HT at 90 ºC and 180 ºC. The results indicate that there was a weight gain of 93.4% in the wood impregnated using BA and MMA monomer and HT at 90 °C. Consequently, the wood's density increased by 82.3%. Increased MOE and MOR percentages of 32.2% and 29.4%, respectively, were also found. HT at 180 °C degraded the wood components and MMA, and consequently, the density, MOE, and MOR also decreased. The wood impregnated by BX, BA, and MMA, and subjected to HT also had decreased moisture content (MC). This research recommends that the application of boron (BX, BA) should be combined with an MMA monomer and HT at 90 °C as an alternative method to improve samama wood quality. If darker color is preferable, HT should be conducted at 180 °C.