Simon F. Curling

Bangor University · BioComposites Centre

Current climate projections suggest that the UK will experience warmer and wetter winters and warmer and dryer summers. This change in the climate could affect the incidence or severity of microbiological attack on exposed timber and have significant impact on buildings and construction. One method of assessing the geographical climate based hazard...

Incipient decay of wood by brown-rot fungi causes measurable strength losses in wood before measurable weight loss occurs. Previous studies have shown that the high levels of strength loss that occur during incipient brown-rot decay may be related to loss in hemicellulose. This study investigates the effect of decay on hemicellulose composition and...

The densification of solid wood is a well-studied technique that aims to increase the strength and hardness of the material by permanently compressing the wood tissue. To optimise the densification process in this study, a pre-treatment with sodium sulphite was used (delignification). With delignification prior to densification, one achieves higher...

Automated sorption balances are widely used for characterizing the interaction of water vapor with hygroscopic materials. These instruments provide an efficient way to collect sorption isotherm data and kinetic data. A typical method for defining equilibrium after a step change in relative humidity (RH) is using a particular threshold value for the...

The present research aimed to assess the moisture properties and viscoelastic behaviour of artificially degraded pine wood, intended to serve as a model material for ongoing studies on new conservation treatments for waterlogged archaeological wood. Sorption isotherms and hydroxyl accessibility were measured using a Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS) sy...

Laser-incision is gaining recognition in the timber processing industry as a preferred and competitive technique for increasing uptake of chemical and preservative treatments. This work details percussion Nd:YAG laser-incision of Radiata Pine, conducted at different wavelengths, incident laser energies and focal point positions. For the first time,...

Wood modification has become a thoroughly studied field of work over the last few decades, but the ability to produce larger quantities of modified timber on an industrial scale is a relatively recent accomplishment. It is therefore reasonable to consider different loading scenarios, such as dynamic loading which may result in material fatigue. A k...

Research on new conservation treatment for archaeological wood requires large amounts of wooden material. For this purpose, artificial wood degradation (biological—using brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana, and chemical—using NaOH solution) under laboratory conditions was conducted to obtain an abundance of similar samples that mimic naturally degr...

The production of degradable packaging materials is a task that can be no longer postponed. Moreover, high amounts of agricultural wastes are landfilled without any recycling. In this research, the possibility to formulate particulate composites made of biopolymers filled with coffee waste with acceptable physical and mechanical characteristics tha...

Wool is renewable, natural fiber that has been used for millennia in textiles, but is at the same time, also a highly complex composite fiber that has potential for use in fiber-reinforced composites. Due to its structure, with some parts of the fiber being hydrophilic and some parts hydrophobic, it has a complex interaction with water and moisture...

Waterlogged wood treatment with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) proved effective in stabilising wood dimensions upon drying (anti-shrink efficiency of 76–93%). Before the method can be proposed as a reliable conservation treatment, further research is required that includes the evaluation of the mechanical properties of treated wood. The aim of the s...

Drying is a process affecting various wood properties, including its structure, moisture behaviour and mechanical properties. Since waterlogged wooden artefacts usually constitute priceless objects of cultural heritage, understanding the effect of drying on the complex interactions between the wood ultrastructure and the resulting properties is nec...

Wood modification is now widely recognized as offering enhanced properties of wood and overcoming issues such as dimensional instability and biodegradability which affect natural wood. Typical wood modification systems use chemical modification, impregnation modification or thermal modification, and these vary in the properties achieved. As control...

Modifications such as methacrylation of wood can be used to improve both wood mechanical properties and durability characteristics. Samples of pine and spruce wood were impregnated under vacuum with methyl methacrylate monomer using an initiator. Samples cured at moderately elevated temperature (70°C) were conditioned and tested for a number of phy...

A review of literature relating to PF and PUF modification of wood and its effects on wood properties is presented. The LIGNIA modification process is outlined. Testing of some of the properties of LIGNIA using standard and non-standard test methods are presented.

Wood modification has become a thoroughly studied field of work in the last few decades. The ability to produce larger quantities of modified wood on an industrial scale is a relatively recent accomplishment. Therefore, it can be expected that the demand will increase and that new applications will be found. In some of these applications, modified...

Preservative treatment is necessary to provide adequate service lives in products manufactured from low durability timbers; however, the low permeability of the heartwoods of many species leads to poor preservative uptake and penetration. To improve treatment, incising has been used to produce new flow paths. Laser incising is effective at improvin...

Incising is a technique used to improve fluid flow in impermeable woods during wood treatment processes. Previous studies relating to the laser-incision of wood have neglected many aspects such as detailed analysis of the anatomy of the wood, including consideration of tangential/radial faces and earlywood/latewood interactions with the laser beam....

This paper reviews plant-inspired biomimicry for novel materials applied within architecture and building elements. Bioinspiration is considered at a materials level, and examples explored through increasing scale, towards elements and components for application at the building level in new designs and approaches. The review of plant biology mechan...

This paper presents the water vapour sorption behaviour of degraded archaeological oak (Quercus robur L.) and the influence of methyltrimethoxysilane treatment on hygroscopicity. Wood samples (archaeological and undegraded recent oak) were treated with methyltrimethoxysilane using an oscillating pressure method. Moisture properties of the samples w...

The use of biodegradable polymers and their composites have wide applications and high demands because they can be ideal alternatives to non-biodegradable polymers due to the growing global environmental concerns. The biodegradation of PLA and starch-based plastic composites by the use of enzymes was studied in commercial compost and soil.The compo...

In the current scenario of climate change, the world is looking towards reducing its carbon footprint by focusing on sustainable materials. Living sustainably by reducing waste, recycling, reducing consumption and generally adopting a “greener lifestyle” are all important ways in which the planet’s population can reduce its impact on the environmen...

Demand and the supply of energy is a major issue today, leading to consideration of energy efficiency in buildings. Especially for residential buildings, energy requirements are increasing day-by-day. Humans typically spend 80 percent of their time mostly inside a building. To provide comfortable and healthy working and living environments, modern...

Chemical modification of wood with bio-polyesters, namely polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene succinate (PBS), has recently been reported (Noël et al. 2015, Grosse et al. 2017a). Both oligomeric treatments (OBS and OLA) confer interesting properties to wood for outdoor applications. They are based on the impregnation of oligomers in oven-dried b...

According to the literature, both advanced and developing countries are facing several challenges due to the lack of clean energy and emissions of CO2 leading to climate change. Especially in the built environment, energy efficient buildings are highly desirable to save energy without affecting occupant’s health while providing an acceptable indoor...

Laser incision offers great potential for increasing the permeability of wood to preservative or other fluids. Wood modification systems have a greater requirement for full impregnation than traditional preservative systems, and envelope treatments are not sufficient. The bulking effect of many wood modification systems means that uniformity of pen...

The risk of microbiological attack on wood is determined by both material and climatic factors and indeed the hazard for a component is based on its intrinsic durability and the conditions in which it is used. The use of wood and organic materials in construction is increasing but ultimately all these materials will be susceptible to microbiologica...

Global warming has become a major world concern over the last 50 years, with the IPCC (2013) suggesting that the cause of climate change is an imbalance in the global atmospheric carbon pool, mainly created by anthropogenic factors. For most of the world’s history carbon has been in a steady state cycle between the earth, living matter, the ocean a...

The current project is held between Clifford Jones Timber Ltd and the BioComposites Centre of Bangor University in order to add value to UK grown softwood timber. UK grown softwoods are undervalued as they are not considered suitable for construction. Their main uses are as fuel in the form of pellets or briquettes and in wood panel and paper produ...

Effects on timber properties of methacrylate impregnation

Effects of methyl methacrylate impregnation on timber properties

Effect of methyl methacrylate on the durability of timber

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a programme encourages collaborations between business and academia in order to increase competitiveness and innovation in industry. The goal of this scheme is to translate advanced knowledge from the scientific and academic community into businesses whether through the development of new products or enha...

Bio-based materials, like all materials, are likely to experience a range of environments and challenges that can affect the performance of the material, such as the effects of weathering and moisture. In addition, as bio-based materials are organic in their nature, this means that they are likely to be susceptible to attack by natural organisms ra...

The use of Structural Insulated panels is a construction approach that is seeing more abundant use and is becoming a widely available method. Preformed units are usually a composite structure which often include a range of bio-based materials such as timber, wool or straw. Traditional laboratory based wood decay tests do not take into account this...

Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) is an engineered wood panel product composed of refined virgin wood fibers, mixed with resin and wax and pressed into flat sheets under pressure and at elevated temperature. It is mostly used for furniture production and, like plywood, as a building material. It is often confused with particleboard, but MDF is far ea...

Timber and structures share a long connection (with the use of wood facilitating man’s development throughout civilisation), and modern timber structures have advanced considerably during the 20th Century, leading to elegant designs for public arenas, sports stadia, concert halls, as well as increasingly tall multi-occupant dwellings. Many material...

The use of preformed modular walling units is a construction approach that is seeing more abundant use and is becoming a widely available method. Preformed units are usually a composite structure which often include a range of bio-based materials such as timber, wool or straw. This construction method has a number of advantages such as speed and un...

Microbiological degradation of wood by decay fungi can cause a rapid change in the structural properties of timber which can result in both strength and mass loss. Traditional techniques for the evaluation of decay (e.g. mass loss) lack the sensitivity to evaluate the effects of the very first stages of the decay process. This paper describes the e...

KEYWORDS Contamination, Microbiological Quality, Packaging, Raw Meat, Spoilage. Sheep wool can be used as an eco–friendly type of packaging that, due to its complex physical and chemical composition, can also help control humidity and reduce condensation. Given these properties, the potential of wool to be used as packaging liners for the transport...

The increased effort to improve energy efficiency, has led to improved ’air-tightness’ of buildings, therefore leading to a reduction in ventilation. This results in an increase in concentration of indoor air pollutants, namely formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are suspected to contribute to ‘sick building syndrome’. There h...

In the current scenario of climate change the world is looking towards reducing its carbon footprint by focusing on sustainable cities and urbanization. Living sustainably by reducing waste, recycling, reducing consumption and generally adopting a “greener lifestyle” are all important ways in which the planet’s population can reduce its impact on t...

The use of bio-based materials within construction is seen as a means of improving sustainability within our built environment. Whilst historically, some of these materials have been the most used materials of construction, there has been a renewed interest in the use of these traditional materials, as well as the use of other natural materials to...

The water vapour sorption behaviour of a range of sheep wool types and alpaca was studied using dynamic vapour sorption. Sorption isotherms were interpreted using the polymer sorption model developed by Vrentas and Vrentas. Satisfactory fits were obtained for absorption and desorption isotherms with the adjustment of parameters outside the scope of...

The use of natural fibre insulation is increasing with Sheep wool being one of the more commonly used fibre types. In attempting to understand the properties of the natural fibre based (such as wool) insulation then moisture sorption properties can be considered key. Moisture can affect thermal performance and may also have an effect on the likelih...

The thermal conductivities of 7 natural and 1 conventional insulation products were tested using a heat flow meter apparatus in accordance with BS EN 12667:2001. The results were compared with the bulk density changes encountered between samples of the same insulation product. The data shows negative and positive correlation between density and the...

This paper investigates the addition of paper making reject fibre into pilot-scale MDF panels with the aim of creating cost savings in board manufacture, without compromising board properties. The contamination of the paper rejects by trace metals was assessed and determined not to be an impediment to use of the material in panels. Dried paper reje...

During fibre processing, wood fibres are subjected to a range of physical and chemical conditions sufficient to slightly alter their chemical composition and hence their ultimate performance when used in the manufacture of wood fibre-based composites. In order to better understand the effects of refiner conditions on material performance, wood fibr...

This paper summarises the quantitative analysis of the absorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), namely gaseous formaldehyde, toluene, limonene and dodecane, by different wool types. VOCs are of increasing concern due to their role as accumulating indoor air contaminants, and this paper demonstrates the potential of wool as a sustainable and...

This document summarises the quantitative analysis of the absorption of formaldehyde gas by different wool types. Formaldehyde, along with other VOCs, is of increasing concern due to its role as an accumulating indoor air contaminant. Building upon previous data, different wool types were subjected to cycles of exposure to formaldehyde gas whilst t...

Sheep wool can be used as an eco–friendly type of packaging that, due to its complex physical and chemical composition, can also help control humidity and reduce condensation. Given these properties, the potential of wool to be used as packaging liners for the transport of food products is of interest. The present study assessed the microbiological...

Timber modification is an emerging commercial reality. Timber that has been acetylated, thermally modified or furfurylated is now readily available. However, the assessment of the effectiveness of each modification type in enhancement of durability, and therefore the effect on service life, has yet to be fully established. The paper includes a summ...

Wood-based materials are commonly used in building construction/insulation as a replacement for solid timber. However, these materials are susceptible to microbiological growth and different environmental conditions influence the vulnerability of wood-based materials. Moulds are a common problem found within homes and cause aesthetic damage, health...

It is well known that organic materials may be susceptible to attack from a range of fungal organisms and any bio-based material used in locations where there is the possibility of microbiological activity must be expected to be able to withstand or prevent such attack. There are a wide range of test methods and standards in place to test susceptib...

The water vapour sorption isotherms and sorption kinetics of birch (Betula pendula L) acetylated to different levels have been determined using a dynamic vapour sorption (DVS) apparatus. A DVS instrument was also used to determine the accessible hydroxyl content in the wood samples using deuterium exchange. The results are reported in terms of the...

Ocean surface pH levels are predicted to fall by 0.3-0.4 pH units by the end of the century and are likely to coincide with an increase in sea surface temperature of 2-4°C. The combined effect of ocean acidification and warming on the functional properties of bivalve shells is largely unknown and of growing concern as the shell provides protection...

In order to determine the influence that hydroxyl group content has upon the sorption isotherm, acacia (Acacia mangium) and sesendok (Endospermum malaccense) were thermally modified for different times and at different temperatures in order to achieve differing levels of thermal modification. In a separate experiment, birch samples were acetylated...