DECAY RESISTANCE OF ESTERIFIED AND OLIGOESTERIFIED RUBBERWOOD (<em>HEVEA</em> <em>BRASILIENSIS</em>)

Authors

  • H. C. Nagaveni

Keywords:

Maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, epichlorohydrin, brown rot, white rot

Abstract

Rubberwood samples were chemically modified using a two-step reaction. The wood was esterified with two different dicarboxylic acid anhydrides, namely, maleic anhydride and phthalic anhydride and subsequently treated with epichlorohydrin to obtain oligoesterified wood. The treated wooden blocks were assessed for bio-resistance against white and brown rot fungi. Maleic anhydride alone treated samples showed resistance only for the brown rot attack but failed to protect against the white rot fungi. Except for the maleic anhydride treatment, other treatments showed a weight loss of less than 10%. All these treatments can be taken as effective treatments for rubberwood. However, the best effect was shown in the combination of phthalic anhydride and epichlorohydrin. This technique was found to be promising as an environmentalfriendly method to protect rubberwood against decay fungi and to provide dimensional stability required for better uses of timber. This treatment helps to promote the use of
low quality timber such as rubberwood, which is a cheaper alternative to primary
timber.

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Published

2022-06-29

How to Cite

H. C. Nagaveni. (2022). DECAY RESISTANCE OF ESTERIFIED AND OLIGOESTERIFIED RUBBERWOOD (<em>HEVEA</em> <em>BRASILIENSIS</em>). Journal of Tropical Forest Science (JTFS), 17(4), 588–595. Retrieved from https://jtfs.frim.gov.my/jtfs/article/view/1069

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