SELECTED PROPERTIES OF MACASSAR EBONY (<em>DYOSPIROS CELEBICA</em>) FROM PLANTATION

Abstract

Macassar ebony (Diospyros celebica) wood plantation is cultivated in Indonesia by the government as well as some communities. However the properties of the planted ebony are yet to be investigated. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the proportion of juvenile and mature wood of ebony and to analyse its radial features from pith to bark, based on density, shrinkage, static bending in modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity, fibre length, microfibril angle and natural durability. A segmented modeling approach was used to find the juvenile mature transition. Laboratory test was performed to characterise termite and decay fungi resistances from pith to bark of Macassar ebony. Maturation of Macassar ebony was estimated to start at radial increments of 9 cm from the pith, both by fibre length and microfibril angle. Projected figure of the proportion of juvenile wood in Macassar ebony was around 34%. The results also indicated that the Macassar ebony wood was 843.3 kg m^-3 in density, 1.44 in coefficient of anisotropy (good stability), 10317.5 MPa in modulus of elasticity and 98.0 MPa in modulus of rupture. Natural durability of Macassar ebony against termite and decay fungi was rated to be class I (very durable). Toxic coumpounds analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were dimethoxymethylnaphthol, dimethoxymetylnaphtol trimethylsilane and gallic acid trimethylsilane.