Acetylated wood attack resistance

Imamura, Y. and Nishimoto, K. (1986). Resistance of acetylated wood to attack by subterranean termites. Wood Research Kyoto, 72, 37 4. 

Particleboards and flakeboards made from acetylated flakes have been tested for resistance to several different t5 pes of organisms. In a 4-week termite test using Reticulitermes flavipes (subterranean termites), boards acetylated at 16 to 17 WPG were very resistant to attack, but not completely so (, 36,37) This may be attributed to the severity of the test. However, since termites can live on acetic acid and decompose cellulose to mainly acetic acid, perhaps it is not surprising that acetylated wood is not completely resistant to termite attack. 

Hadi etal. (1995) examined the resistance of PF-bonded flakeboards of acetylated rubberwood to attack by dry wood (Cryptotermes cynocephalus) and subterranean... 

Property enhancement by acetylation has been frequently reported over the years in other reconstituted wood products such as flakeboards, particleboards, and fiberboards [8,9,11,12,59-64]. Table 16 shows the laboratory decay test of low-density acetylated particleboards made from perishable albizzia wood. They were resistant to attack by Tyromyces palustris (brown rot), Coriolus versicolor (white rot), and Chaetomium globosum (soft rot) above 12% WPG. These acetylated boards with 20% WPG also exhibited an improved resistance to attack by the destructive Formosan termite, Coptotermes formosanus, in the laboratory. However, their performance was unsatisfactory in the wet tropics with a higher hazard of termite attack. High resistance to fungal and bacterial attack in acetylated southern pine and aspen flakeboards was evidenced in laboratory and fungus cellar tests [12]. 

The mechanical properties of wood are hardly affected by acetylation. There is no embrittlement since there is no three-dimensional resin network the hydroxyls are replaced by acetyl groups. There is no loss of toughness, and the wood is very resistant to attack by fungi, termites and marine organisms. 

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