• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.566-577
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• 2009

The modification of wood color occurs rapidly during the service period at indoor. It is crucial to investigate the characteristics of color change, chemical and microscopical modification of wood at indoor. Wood products made of Japanese cedar at different years were used for this work. The tests were performed in order to evaluate the degree of color change of wood surface, breakpoint of brightness from surface to inside of wood, chemical analysis with FT-IR, and microscopical characteristics using the LM and TEM. Surface color of cedar wood stored indoor were rapidly changed at early stage, particularly ${\Delta}a$ (yellow), and ${\Delta}b$ (red) values were steeply decreased for one year old indoor wood, ${\Delta}L$ (white) value was dropped until 5 years old indoor wood compared with control sample. Decrease of peaks related to polysaccharide and lignin was noticed, especially, lignin was severely degraded. Although degradation of cell wall limited only to surface layers of indoor wood, degradation pattern of indoor wood showed similar degradation pattern to natural weathering of wood during outdoor weathering or wood behavior under artificial UV irradiation.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.519-524
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• 2017

Physical, mechanical and deteriorating properties of Phellodendron amure were investigated. Air dried density located indoor was 0.41 but $0.43g/cm^3$ outdoor. In oven dry shrinkage, T/R ratio for located indoor was 1.40 but 1.32 outdoor. Hygroscopic property at $40^{\circ}C$ with 90% relative humidity was 16.30% for indoor and 15.80% for outdoor. Compressive strength for outdoor conditioned sample was 43.81 MPa but 40.33 MPa for indoor conditioned. Also bending strenght for outdoor conditioned was 84.63 MPa but 68.80 MPa for indoor conditioned. Impact strength was 3.43 and $4.00J/cm^2$ indoor and outdoor, respectively. Hardness at cross-section was 47.92 and 49.20 MPa indoor and outdoor, respectively. With one-year conditioning at indoor or outdoor, there was no significantly different in strength properties, which came from strong resistance for deterioration. Also Phellodendron amure wood showed dimensionally stable raw material based on low T/R ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.735-747
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• 2018

Radon radiation exposures in home have been posed as a potential cancer hazard. This research aims to present the basic data of the indoor radon concentration level by examining the radon exhalation rates of wood species. Radon exhalation rates from five commonly used wood species in Korean wood building construction were measured with Continuous Radon Monitor (CRM), Model 1028 (Sun Nuclear Co., USA) using the Closed Chamber Method (CCM). The mass exhalation rate was observed to vary from $0.00089Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$ to $0.00181Bq{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}h^{-1}$, whereas the surface exhalation rate was observed to be $0.00677-0.01517Bq{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}h^{-1}$. The radon exhalation rate of Quercus accutissima Carruth (white oak) which has the highest density showed the highest figure among the five wood species, on the other hand, the rest of four species showed similar results which were similar to the radon exhalation rates of wood in the U.S.A. and Canada. The average of the concentration measured by the CCM represented well up to the second half-life period (7.7 days). Because result of these small quantities seems to indicate that radon exhalation from the tested wood species has almost negligible impact, the main culprit of the high indoor radon concentration is clearly derived from the background of surrounding wood house. Therefore, as a safety precaution, infrastructures made of wood materials should be designed with the consideration of influx of radon and built accordingly. Furthermore, it is highly desirable that wood will be needed to use for furniture and interior finishing material in indoor environment.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.219-229
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• 2011

Sick building syndrome symptoms that are experienced by building occupants may be caused by toxic substances such as formaldehyde and VOCs, which are known to be emitted from building materials and wood composite products such as wood-based panel, furniture, engineered flooring and construction adhesive. In Korea, the use of wood composite products for indoor environments has increased over the last decade. Recently, wood composite products have been installed in approximately 95% of newly constructed residential buildings. The use of these products has resulted in problems related to human health, and consequently a realization about the importance of indoor air quality. In addition, consumer demand is increasing for natural materials because conventional building materials and wood composite products are made by adding urea-formaldehyde resin or they contain formaldehyde-based resin. More recently, many efforts have been made to reduce formaldehyde emission from building materials that laid in the indoor environment. Especially, if conventional formaldehyde-based adhesives are replaced with green adhesives for residential spaces, it is possible to reduce most of the emission amounts of formaldehyde in indoor environments. In line with this expectation, many researches are being conducted using natural materials such as tannin and cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL). This study discussed the affects and possibilities of green adhesives to reduce formaldehyde emission in indoor environments.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.283-293
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• 2016

Owing to an increase in the air tightness of recent buildings, the natural ventilation rate was significantly lowered and the removal of accumulated moisture became difficult in these buildings. The hygrothermal performance of these buildings should be carefully considered to provide comfortable indoor environment by removing the moisture condensation risk and the mold growth potential. In this study, hygrothermal performance of two selected wall structures was investigated based on WUFI simulation program. The results displayed that the indoor temperature had impact on the moisture accumulation in the insulation layer for both modeled walls, showing that lower indoor temperature resulted in higher moisture accumulation, especially in the wood frame structure. Also, the yearly moisture accumulation profile exhibited a downward shift throughout the year by adding a vapour retarder with a lower sd-value. In addition, both of the two walls have condensation risk in winter, due to low temperature level. The wood frame structure has a bigger fluctuation and higher condensation risk than the concrete structure.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.675-681
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze fundamental combustion characteristics of woods used for indoor applications. The combustion characteristics such as heat release rate, total heat release, gas yield, and mass loss were analyzed by the method of cone calorimeter or thermogravimetry. These analysis results show that material properties of wood are closely related to flammability. It was shown that the relationship between the mass loss and gas emission. The results of combustion properties of woods would be useful for fundamentals of guiding the safe use of wood indoor application.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2022

Indoor air quality is a very important environmental factor in modern society. However, air pollutants generated from various interior construction materials significantly affect the human body, including formaldehyde (HCHO) and volatile organic compounds that threaten public health by deteriorating indoor air quality. Effective in removing these harmful substances are porous materials, such as woodceramics. In this study, charcoal, a porous material, was added to rice husk, an agricultural by-product, and sawdust generated during the sawing process to prepare boards and ceramics at different mixing ratios, and the HCHO deodorization performance and far-infrared emission characteristics were measured. As the mixing ratio of charcoal increased, the deodorization rate of the boards and ceramics tended to increase. Overall, the deodorization rate was measured to be 80% to 90%, indicating that the boards and ceramics prepared with charcoal are suitable to be used for the purpose of deodorization. The effect of the material mixing ratio on far-infrared emissivity and emission power was insignificant.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2009

Since the seventies and the oil crisis, energy-saving measures have led to a reduction in the ventilation of room. The use of synthetic materials which emit various chemical substances had led to an increase in the concentration of indoor pollutants. "Sick building syndrome (SBS)" and "Sick house syndrome (SHS)" are worldwide problems. Also, the number of complaints about indoor air pollution caused by VOCs (Volatile organic compound) and HCHO (Formaldehyde) has increased. It is important that evaluating and understanding emission of indoor air pollutant from building materials. The object of this study was to evaluate emission test method for flooring such as wood based flooring, carpet tile, rubber tile, PVC sheet and tile, and to determine emission of TVOC and form-aldehyde. The quantity of TVOC and carbonyl compounds emission were sampled and measured by Tenax TA and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MSD), 2,4-DNPH cartrige with ozone scrubber and high performance liquid from flooring. The TVOC concentration emitted from carpet tile was ($7.419\;mg/m^2 h$) the highest among 5 groups of test materials. In wood based flooring and PVC tile, the emitted concentration of toluene was high. And the dodecane emission was highest in carpet. The concentration of TVOC decreased by an increase in emission test period. After 7 days, the concentration of TVOC from floorings were about 50% below of the concentration at the first day. TVOC emission from wood based flooring, carpet tile, rubber tile, PVC sheet and tile were decreased in 28 days and remained steady after about 15 days. The concentration of formaldehyde emission from floorings showed extremely low.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.1-14
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• 2003

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2016

This study was performed to understand wood durability to climate deterioration of planted Indonesian wood specie such as Albizia, Gmelina, Mangium and Mindi. Wood samples were exposed to indoor and outdoor condition. $L^*a^*b^*$ and Color changes (${\Delta}E*ab$) were determined by a spectrophotometer. As a result, color of all samples was changed more markedly by ultraviolet radiation. In indoor test with UV, brightness of wood specimens from four species was not changed and all samples were changed into more reddish and yellowish. In accelerated weathering test, all samples were bleached and changed into more greenish and blueish. In outdoor test, brightness of wood specimens decreased in Albizia and Gmelina and increased in Mangium and Mindi. All wood specimens in outdoor test were changed into more greenish and blueish. Albizia and Gmleina woods showed greater color change than those of Mangium and Mindi. Especially, color change of wood samples might be influenced greatly by moisture. In conclusion, wood color changed into more clearly by UV radiation. Therefore, exposing woods to UV radiation could be one of reasonable methods to improve wood quality on visual characteristic.