Heartwood and sapwood in Eucalyptus: influence of species and age on the technological properties

• Grant number: 12/18704-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Structural Engineering
• Principal researcher: Adriano Wagner Ballarin
• Grantee: Sabrina Galetti Cherelli
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas (FCA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

One characteristic that mostly differentiates wood regions of a tree is the formation of heartwood and sapwood. The conceptual bases that established the precise definition and general physiological aspects involved in the formation of sapwood and heartwood were consolidated in the 60s, 70s and 80s of the last century. More recently, the studies have mainly focused the heartwood volume determination related to position along the stem and age of trees. Due to the importance of heartwood in several wood and lumber applications, some aspects should be further studied, trying to answer some questions that still remain. This study aims to deeply study heartwood and sapwood from young and old trees, trying to determine the age of the initial characterization of heartwood, its characteristics that are mostly affected by aging in young trees and by species in old trees. To determine the initial age of heartwood formation and its variation with time (important for the production of hardboard and production of pulp and paper) young trees (2, 4 and 6 years old trees) from Duraflora SA (Lençois Paulista and Itapetininga regions) will be analyzed; for the determination of heartwood characteristics that are mostly affected by species (important for lumber production) the trees will be provided by Duraflora SA (Eucalyptus grandis ) and PREMA (Corymbia citriodora, Eucalyptus tereticornis and Eucalyptus saligna). Anatomical macroscopic as well as chemical and physical-mechanical analyzes will be performed in heartwood and sapwood regions of the stems. The study has some particular characteristics that differentiate it from previous studies, highlighting the possibility of studying samples of clonal plantations (and thus better characterize the effect of environment) and the usage of contemporary analytical techniques, more potent and with more effectiveness, e.g. the SFE - supercritical fluid extraction. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

CHERELLI, Sabrina Galetti. Heartwood and sapwood in eucalyptus: species and age influence on the technological properties. 2015. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas. Botucatu Botucatu.