Advances in Wood Composites

Wood composites have shown very good performance, and substantial service lives when correctly specified for the exposure risks present. Selection of an appropriate product for the job should be accompanied by decisions about the appropriate protection, whether this is by design, by preservative treatment or by wood modification techniques. This Special Issue, Advances in Wood Composites presents recent progress in enhancing and refining the performance and properties of wood composites by chemical and thermal modification and the application of smart nanomaterials, which have made them a particular area of interest for researchers. In addition, it reviews some important aspects in the field of wood composites, with particular focus on their materials, applications, and engineering and scientific advances, including solutions inspired biomimetrically by the structure of wood and wood composites. This Special Issue, with a collection of 13 original contributions, provides selected examples of recent Advances in Wood Composite

Natural durability and performance of hornbeam cement bonded particleboard

Cement bonded particleboards were manufactured from hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) wood particles. Hydration tests were carried out to determine the inhibitory index in order to characterise wood-cement compatibility. The results revealed that the mixture of hornbeam -cement can be classified as moderate inhibition. Two wood: cement ratios were applied in this study, namely 1:3 and 1:4, for the board manufacture. It was found that an increase of cement-wood ratio resulted to an increase in all, but MOR values. All properties of the boards made from 1:4 wood: cement ratio, surpassed the minimum requirements set forth by the building type HZ code. Boards were exposed to brown and white rot fungi, Coniophora puteana, Trametes versicolor respectively. Overall, both fungi failed to attack the cement-bonded boards

The Incidence of AIDS-Defining Illnesses at a Current CD4 Count ≥200 Cells/µL in the Post-Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Era

The incidence of AIDS was higher in patients with a current CD4 count of 500-749 cells/µL compared to 750-999 cells/µL, but did not decrease further at higher CD4 levels. Results were similar in those virologically suppressed on combination antiretroviral therapy, suggesting immune reconstitution is incomplete until CD4 >750/µ

Advances in Wood Composites III

Wood composites are man-made materials that can be easily manufactured from a variety of raw lignocellulosic materials and the appropriate binder [...

Innovative Wood Surface Treatments Based on Nanotechnology

This work reviewed innovative wood surface treatments based on nanotechnology. It is well documented in the literature that the cell walls of wood present significant porosity; this porosity is on a molecular scale. The main reason for the use of nanotechnology in wood science and technology is the unique characteristic of nano-based materials to effectively penetrate deeply into wood substrates, which, in turns, results in the alteration of their surface chemistry. This subsequently causes an improvement in wood properties. Any potential change in the wood properties due to treatment with nanomaterials is based on the higher interfacial area which is developed due to the treatment. This occurs because the number of particles is significantly reduced to the nanoscale. The nanomaterials improve the properties of wood as a raw material and alter its original features to a limited extent. However, their potential impact on both health and the environment should be addressed by applying tools such as life-cycle assessments. This will avoid mistakes being made in which new technologies are released on the market prior to an impact assessment having been carried out

Mechanical Properties and Decay Resistance of Hornbeam Cement Bonded Particleboards

Cement bonded particleboards were manufactured from hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) wood particles. Hydration tests were carried out to determine the inhibitory index in order to characterise wood-cement compatibility. The results revealed that the mixture of hornbeam-cement can be classified as moderate inhibition. Two wood: cement ratios were applied in this study, namely, 1 : 3 and 1 : 4, for the board manufacture. It was found that an increase of cement-wood ratio resulted in an improvement in all properties examined, except MOR. All properties of the boards made from 1 : 4 wood: cement ratio surpassed the minimum requirements set forth by the building type HZ code. Boards were exposed to brown and white rot fungi, Coniophora puteana, and Trametes versicolor, respectively. Overall, both fungi failed to attack the cement-bonded boards

Nanotechnology and Wood Science

Nanotechnology, in a sense, is not entirely a new concept [...