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Education
Preservation
of wood
Researchers: M. A. Affan, M. A. Salam,
Fasihuddin B. Ahmad and Ismail Jusoh
The following features two of the products
by Faculty of Resource Science and Technology
that won during the Seoul International Invention Fair 2011
in Seoul Korea
Since time immemorial wood
has been the most widely
used component in the
history of world civilizations. Wood
still command significant aspects
of our lives in both developed and
underdeveloped countries as sources of
transportation like boats, furniture, fuel
and for recreational activities. Equally
significant in the utilization of wood
is its preservation, a process which
continues to be much researched on
everywhere the commodity is used. As
the world increasingly looks towards
conservation of natural resources and
the sustainable utilization of them,
preservation of wood becomes even
more acute each passing day!
Sarawak has vast natural forest
resources and with the emphasis
on conservation and sustainability,
UNIMAS (University Malaysia Sarawak
through its Faculty of Resource
Science and Technology) has taken
on the role of researching many of
these wood resources in the field of
applications as leading governmental
agencies like Forest Department and
others have long conducted research
into species, propagation, quality
and strength as well as herbal and
medicinal potentials. The university
knows that wood loses its mass
and weight due to natural forces of
decay brought about by biological
and environmental factors therefore
studies are made on ways to mitigate
and lessen these impacts for greater
diversity in the utilization of wood in
future.
In a recent study, the university
reported that wood when treated
with organotin compounds (tin
based chemical compounds
with hydrocarbon substitutes),
they showed significantly less
deteriorations from biodegradation
while also more environmentally
friendly than other toxic compounds.
The study noted that there was less
weight loss when wood was treated
with the organotin compound and
also are low priced and non-leached.
What all these means is that not
only is the process less hazardous
to our health in the application but
also could cost less and would not
leached into the environment and
cause damage. According to the
university, these new findings will
eventually find their way into the
business aspects of world economy
and possibly into benchmarks for
treatment of wood everywhere!
(a) (b) (c) (d)
• Wood decay test on agar petri dish (a) Control (b) [MeSnCl2(APCT)] (c) [PhSnCl2(APCT)] (d) [Me2SnCl(APCT)]
64 | BorneoTalkApr-Jun2012