• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.278-286
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• 2007

As a part of enhancing the performance of wood-plastic composites (WPC), polypropylene (PP)/ nanoclay (NC)/ wood flour (WF) nanocomposites were prepared using melt blending and injection molding process to evaluate their thermal stability. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was employed to investigate thermal degradation kinetics of the nanocomposites both dynamic and isothermal conditions. Dynamic scans of the TGA showed an increased thermal stability of the nanocomposites at moderate wood flour concentrations (up to 20 phr, percentage based on hundred percent resin) while it decreased with the addition of 30 phr wood flour. The activation energy $(E_a)$ of thermal degradation of nanocomposites increased when nanoclay was added and the concentration of wood flour increased. Different equations were used to evaluate isothermal degradation kinetics using the rate of thermal degradation of the composites, expressed as weight loss (%) from their isothermal TGA curves. Degradation occurred at faster rate in the initial stages of about 60 min., and then proceeded in a gradual manner. However, nanocomposites with wood flour of 30 phr heated at $300^{\circ}C$ showed a drastic difference in their degradation behavior, and reached almost a complete decomposition after 40 min. of the isothermal heating. The degree of decomposition was greater at higher temperatures, and the residual weight of isothermal degradation of nanocomposites greatly varied from about 10 to 90%, depending on isothermal temperatures. The isothermal degradation of nanocomposites also increased their thermal stability with the addition of 1 phr nanoclay and of wood flour up to 20 phr. But, the degradation of PP100/NC1/MAPP3/WF30 nanocomposites with 30 phr wood flour occurs at a faster rate compared to those of the others, indicating a decrease in their thermal stability.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.323-337
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• 2018

Merkusii pine wood (Pinus merkusii) was extensively planted throughout Indonesia, where it is only indigenous in northern Sumatera, by the Dutch during colonial times. The demand for this wood species, especially in the domestic market, has increased notably, despite its limited durability regarding decay resistance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of juvenile and mature wood on merkusii pine and to analyze its radial features from pith to bark based on density, shrinkage, static bending in modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity, fiber length, microfibril angle, and durability. A segmented modeling approach was used to find the juvenile-mature transition. The graveyard test was performed to characterize the termite resistance from pith to bark of merkusii pine. The maturations were estimated to start at radial increments of 15 cm from the pith by fiber length and of 12 cm from the pith by microfibril angle. The projected figures for the proportion of juvenile wood at breast height were around 65%. The results also indicate that the pine wood was $0.52g/cm^3$ in density, 1.45 in coefficient of anisotropy, which indicates its good stability, 7597 MPa in modulus of elasticity, and 63 MPa in modulus of rupture. Natural durability against subterranean termite of the merkusii pine wood was rated to be grade 4 to 0 from pith to bark. However, after being treated by Entiblu and Enborer preservatives, its rating increased to grade 10 to 9.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.643-657
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• 2021

In order to establish a strategy for revitalizing wood culture, a survey was conducted on the level of public awareness of wood culture and the experience of wood cultural resources by type. According to the survey, 31.4% of respondents had the images of cultural heritage such as palaces, temples, Hanoks, and cultural assets for wood cultural resources. The main reasons for having no image of wood cultural resources were the ambiguous concept and lack of interest in wood cultural resources. The importance of wood cultural resources classified into seven categories was in the order of cultural heritage, architecture of wood, cultural facilities, cultural festivals, wood products, cultural education, cultural contents. In the survey on the necessity and sufficiency of information on wood cultural resources, 46.7% of respondents needed more information to experience of wood cultural resources, while 64.8% of them had lacked information about wood cultural resources. More than half of the respondents wanted to experience of wood culture within next year, but about 20% of respondents participated in seven kinds of wood cultural resources, except wood products used in daily life. Based on these results, a systematic strategy should be developed to expand the opportunity for the public to experience of wood cultural resources and to promote them to public.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.402-414
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• 2018

Species identification of wood provides important information for archaeology, restoration of cultural assets, preventing illegal logging, and more. Wood species are usually identified based on their anatomical features with the use of a microscope. However, this method may not be able to distinguish between anatomically similar species or subspecies. To overcome this problem, wood species need to be identified at the molecular level using DNA sequencing. However, unlike living plant cells, wood is difficult to pulverize using a mortar, and DNA extraction from dried wood is challenging. To solve these problems, we propose a pretreatment method in which wood is pulverized using 60-grit sandpaper and hydrated with water for 2 days. Using this method, we were able to stably amplify the rpoB gene from the extracted DNA of Pinus rigida. In addition, sequence analysis of the rpoB gene revealed six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which classified the rpoB sequences in the genus Pinus into five groups. Our data indicate that although these SNPs were not suitable for species identification, they can potentially be used to determine the origin of different wood subspecies or individual samples of wood.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.70-86
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• 2024

Termites are a serious threat to wood-based products in Indonesia. This study investigated the termite resistant property of glulam made from polystyrene-modified wood. Three tropical fast-growing wood species, namely mangium (Acacia mangium), manii (Maesopsis eminii), and rubberwood (Hevea brasiliensis), were prepared for flat-sawn laminae. After getting air-dried condition, the laminae were impregnated with polystyrene using potassium peroxydisulphate as a catalyst followed by polymerization at 80℃. Polystyrene-impregnated and control glued-laminated lumbers (glulams) were manufactured, and solid wood was provided. Three wood species and three wood products with six replicates were exposed in a field in Bogor, Indonesia, for four months, and before the tests, their density and moisture content were measured. At the end of the field tests, the weight loss and protection levels of each test sample were determined. A completely randomized factorial design was used for data analysis. The weight percentage gains for mangium, manii, and rubberwood were 22.30%, 18.22%, and 10.44%, respectively. The results showed that manii belonged to low-density wood, whereas the other two woods were medium-density wood, and the moisture content was the ambient moisture content, typical of the Bogor area. Regarding weight loss and protection level, mangium was the most durable against subterranean termite attacks, followed by rubberwood and manii. Among the wood products, the polystyrene-impregnated glulam presented the highest durability, followed by the control glulam and solid wood. Therefore, mangium and rubberwood polystyrene-impregnated glulams are recommended for future product development.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.421-425
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• 2009

This research investigates the effect of copper retention on copper leaching in wood treated with copper-based preservatives. Radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) sapwood samples were ground in a Wiley mill equipped with a 20-mesh screen. The ground wood was vacuum-treated with various concentrations of alkaline copper quat (ACQ), bis-(N-cyclohexyl-diazeniumdioxy)-copper (CB-HDO), and copper azole (CUAZ). The treated samples were conditioned at $70^{\circ}C$ and 100% RH for 72 hours. The samples were leached by using the distilled water for four weeks, and the copper contents in each sample were measured by X-ray spectroscopy. As expected, the copper leaching was increased with increasing of copper retention. The copper leaching from the ACQ and CB-HDO treated samples were gradually decreased with increasing copper retention: however, the copper losses from the CUAZ treated samples appeared to be proportionally increased with the increase in copper retention in all retention levels tested. The results indicate that at the conditions of the same copper retention ACQ and CB-HDO treated wood have a better leaching resistance compared to CUAZ treated wood.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.851-860
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• 2015

The objective of this study was to manufacture the wood based roughage using lumber from thinning of oak and pitch pine (Pinus rigida). And the study also aimed to investigate a feed value evaluation of wood based roughages. To investigate the optimization condition of steam-digestion treatment for roughage, the wood chips of oak and pitch pine were steam-digestion treated at $160^{\circ}C$ under pressure 6 atm depending on treatment times (60 min, 90 min and 120 min) followed by the content of essential oils analyzed. The essential oil content of steam-digestion treated roughages for 90 min and 120 min were under 0.1 mL/kg. The evaluation of feed value was carried out from steam-digestion treated roughages for 90 min through feed chemical composition analysis, NRC (National research Council) modeling, ruminal degradability analysis and relative economic value analysis. The feed chemical compositions including DM (dry mater), CP (crude protein), EE (ether extract), NDF (neutral detergent fiber), ADF (acid detergent fiber), ADL (acid detergent lignin), NFC (nonfiber carbohydrate) in oak roughage were 95.4, 1.36, 3.11, 90.05, 83.85, 17.33, 6.50%, respectively, and in pitch pine roughage were 94.37, 1.33, 5.48, 87.89, 86.88, 30.56, 6.32%, respectively. Both roughages showed low level of protein and very high level of NDF. The TDN (total digestible nutrient) levels using NRC (2001) model in oak and pitch pine roughages were 40.55, 31.22%, respectively. The ruminal in situ dry matter degradability was higher in oak roughage (23.84%) than in pitch pine roughage (10.02%). The economic values of oak and pitch pine rough-ages were 235, and 210 \, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.148-155
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• 2011

Thermal treatment techniques are used for modifying wood and wood-based materials to improve dimensional stability and hygroscopicity. This study investigated the effects of press pressure and temperature on density, vertical density profile, thickness swelling and surface hardness of eucalyptus wood boards. The experimental wood boards were prepared from Turkish River Gum ($Eucalyptus$ $camaldulensis$ Dehn.). The surface hardness value increased with increasing press pressure in the treated groups. The application of a higher pressure at the same temperature level increased the amount of swelling of wood. It means that it is not needed for application of higher pressure to enhance the dimensional stability of wood. It is expected that it is possible to produce increased hardness, dimensional stability and durability by application of hot pressing treatment. This research showed that different press pressure and temperature values should be used to improve the performance properties of eucalyptus wood so that the end-use of the wood materials could be expanded.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.343-362
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• 2024

Eurycoma longifolia (pasak bumi) is a popular medicinal plant in Indonesia and is widely used in various products. Its high economic value has caused illegal harvesting and product falsification. Using molecular techniques, the authentication and traceability of E. longifolia derivatives can be controlled to ensure consumer safety. Therefore, this study aimed to authenticate the products and derivatives of E. longifolia (pasak bumi) produced, marketed, and consumed in Indonesia using molecular identification techniques. Genomic DNA from 37 leaf samples collected from the Sumatran mainland and the Riau Islands and six E. longifolia products were amplified and sequenced using trnL-trnF and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. The results revealed that all leaf samples were indeed E. longifolia based on the markers used, with the six products, only the herbal tea product (sample code TCPB) was most likely derived from E. longifolia based on the two regions, suggesting that not all products labelled as E. longifolia in the market are authentic. The results also indicated that several other plants species are used as substitutes or adulterants, including Simaba spp., Simarouba spp., Homalolepis spp., Vernonia gigantea, Elephantopus scaber, Gymnanthemum amygdalinum, Cyanthillium spp., Potentilla lineata, Ailanthus altissima, Geijera paniculata, Hannoa chlorantha, and Dalbergia spp. Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria were also identified in this study on the outer wooden cup of E. longifolia products. Therefore, this molecular approach is effective in identifying the authenticity of E. longifolia products, with trnL-trnF and ITS as the recommended DNA markers.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2008

This study was performed to evaluate the burning characteristics of wood-based materials and the effect of surface treatment of fire retardant using cone calorimeter. Four types of wood-based materials, such as Plywood, Oriented Strand Board (OSB), Particle Board (PB) and Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF), were tested at a constant heat flux of $50kW/m^2$ to investigate the time to ignition, mass loss rate, heat release rate, effective heat of combustion, etc. In addition, each type of wood-based material was tested at the same heat flux after fire retardant treatment on the surface to evaluate the effect of this treatment on the burning characteristics. The surface treatment of fire retardant, by the amount of $110g/m^2$, delayed the time to ignition almost twice. However, it was indicated that heat release rate, mass loss rate, and effective heat of combustion were not significantly affected by fire retardants treatment for all types of wood-based materials.