Abstract:
Heat treatment of Grevillea robusta, a tropical wood species of low natural durability, was carried-out under inert conditions to
improve its decay resistance. Resistance of heat treated samples was evaluated by malt agar block tests after three months of exposure
to several wood rotting fungi. Also resistance of heat treated wood against termites was tested in the laboratory and in the field. Results
showed that durability against fungi and termites was greatly improved after treatment. There was a good correlation between decay
resistance and mass loss due to thermal treatment. Microscopic, FTIR and 13C MAS NMR analysis were performed to characterize
wood chemical and anatomical modifications that occur after treatment to understand the reasons of the durability improvement.
