Wood-decomposing organisms

The cardinal rules for proper use of wood can be stated simply keep wood dry, and, if you can t keep it dry, use naturally durable or preservative-treated wood. The first rule is based on a simple biological principle liquid water is needed in wood cells to provide a medium for diffusion of the enzymes or other metabolites by which wood-decomposing organisms digest the wood substance. If there is no liquid water present inside the wood cells, there will be no medium for diffusion, and therefore no biological decomposition except for certain insects of relatively minor importance. Thus, as long as wood is kept below its fiber-saturation point (about 27% of its dry weight), it will never decay. 

Natural organic Wood Renewable Decomposes easily Recyclable by. 

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. 

The manufacture of charcoal, especially briquettes, has been increasing in demand. It is the residue after combustion of the volatiles from a hardwood distillation. It consists of elemental carbon and incompletely decomposed organic material and many adsorbed chemicals. Carbonization is usually performed at about 400-500 °C. The charcoal has a volatile content of 15-25% and can be made in about 37-46% yield by weight from wood. 

Furfural occurs in many essential oils and is produced in small quantities in many organic reactions,1 particularly those involving the decomposition of various carbohydrate materials. Pentoses when subjected to the action of hydrochloric acid are decomposed to give practically quantitative yields of this aldehyde.2 It is well known that carbohydrate materials such as corn cobs, wood, bran, etc., when heated with steam under pressure or distilled with dilute hydrochloric or sulfuric acids, yield appreciable quantities of furfural.3 Particularly good yields, however, are obtained from ordinary corn cobs, and this material therefore appears best for the production of large amounts of furfural in the laboratory. Improvements in the production of furfural from carbohydrate material have appeared recently in the patent literature 4 but those do not appear as satisfactory as the ones described.5... 

Organic compounds when subjected to sufficiently high temperatures will decompose, generally into smaller and simpler molecules (14). The course of the reaction as well as the nature of the products can be controlled to some extent. Commercially such processes are carried out every day with many classes of organic compounds, as well as with naturally occurring complex materials such as wood, coal, and crude oil. 

Explosive mixtures of alkali metal chlorates with carbon-rich organic compounds such as wood dust, petroleum, oils, fats and nitro derivatives of benzene and toluene they may also contain nitrate esters. Their strength is lower than that of ammonium nitrate explosives in powder form. Chlorate explosives must not be stored together with ammonium nitrate explosives, since ammonium chlorate, which is formed when these two substances are brought into contact, decomposes and explodes. 

Rain forests produce wood and leaves at a phenomenal level. However, most of the production is consumed by bacteria, fungi, and other decomposers. The trick to taking economic advantage of rain forest areas is to devise a system whereby consumption of organic products by bacteria and fungi is substituted for by extraction by humans. The best way to do that is to devise a system that has a structure and function similar to the naturally occurring rain forest. That way, the services of nature can be conserved, especially the ones involved with recycling of nutrients mentioned above. 

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