Shrinkage and Swelling of Greek Chestnut Wood (CastaneaSativaMill.) in Relation to Extractives Presence

The study of various woods shrinkage is of particular practical importance because the wood's property to shrink and swell with the adsorption or absorption of moisture from the atmosphere is a main cause of many defects that occur in wood and furniture during weather conditions changing. In the present study, measurements of the shrinkage of chestnut coppice wood samples were performed before and after extraction. The extraction was carried out with hot water for 6 and 12 days. Afterwards, the dry density, radial and tangential shrinkage were determined both in air-dry conditions and in absolute dry conditions. Moreover, the fiber saturation point was determined for the selected samples. The most significant result arrived from this study is that, now, in conjunction with the other researches have been made, there is enough evidence for chestnut wood from Mediterranean coppice forests, to claim that maximum radial shrinkage is about 3.83% (ranging from 3.40%-4.12%) and maximum tangential shrinkage is about 6.58% (ranging from 6.21%-8.20%). © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Dimensional changes of sweet chestnut wood (Castanea sativa Mill.) of Greek origin

The rate of moisture adsorption and the rate of swelling are two important indicators of wood’s tendency to change its dimensions either easily or with difficulty, a tendency with a particular importance for wood constructions in extreme weather conditions. In the present research, the alteration over time of the tangential dimensions of chestnut wood specimens of Greek origin due to moisture adsorption was determined both before and after extraction with hot water. Using the values of the time required for 1/4 and 1/2 of maximum swelling, the diffusion coefficient was calculated for each specimen separately. Initially, a faster swelling rate was determined for the extracted wood specimens compared to the nonextracted wood specimens. However, as time went on, this differentiation appeared to decrease. After the extraction of the wood, the mean diffusion coefficient estimated for the time required for 1/4 of maximum swelling was greater, while the coefficient for the time required for 1/2 of maximum swelling decreased. Our results update the knowledge of Mediterranean sweet chestnut wood (Castanea sativa Mill.) of Greek origin and promotes conservation and the green economy. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Pinus brutia extractives analysis for sustainability

The aim of this study was to determine all the extractives from different samples were collected from heartwood, sapwood, bark and needles and branches of Pinus brutia. A Soxlet device with two solvents (water and ethanol) were used to collect the extracts. Analytical chemical analyses were conducted with Gas C1hromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Agilent 5975C). The greater percentage of the extracts in water and ethanol showed that the greater percentage of them is found in the branches and needles of the trees. Especially the results showed significant amounts of the chemical compounds, such as Borneol, Tetradecane, 6,6-Biquinoline, Butyl citrate, Isopropyl palmitate and Isopropyl myristate, which can be used for sustainability, environmental integration at the aspect of more effective use of natural resources and have many uses in novel – functional food, green chemistry and pharmaceutical industries. Finally, the greater percentage of the extracts in water and ethanol showed that the greater percentage of them is found in the branches and needles of the trees