Abstract
Wood is an important natural resource, one of the few that are renewable. It is prevalent in our everyday lives and the economy; in wood-frame houses and furniture; newspapers, books, and magazines; bridges and railroad ties; fence posts and utility poles; fuelwood; textile fabrics; and organic chemicals. Wood and wood products are also a store for carbon, thus, helping to minimize carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Wood supplies the solid raw material for products, eg, lumber, poles, piles, ties, and wood pallets, the veneer for plywood or laminated veneer lumber, or fiber–flakes–particles for fiberboard, particleboard, flakeboard panels, or structural composite lumber. It can also be used for paper, paperboard, rayon, and acetate. Many wood products can be recovered for reuse or recycling, thus extending our wood supply into the future. A large and increasing portion of the paper and paperboard products that is used, eg, newspapers, magazines, and corrugated containers, are recovered for recycling: 49% of the total new supply in 2004 (1). In addition, wood residues from lumber, plywood, and pulp mills are recovered and used to make new fiber products or burned to generate energy.
Keywords
Wood density,
deterioration,
biodegradation,
mechanical properties,
wood moisture,
moisture,
wood properties,
renewable natural resources,
wood utilization,
wood anatomy,
wood chemistry,
thermal properties,
composite materials,
economic aspects,
wood products,
strength,
modified wood,
review article
Citation
Kretschmann, David E.; Winandy, Jerrold E.; Clausen, Carol A.; Wiemann, Michael Carl; Bergman, Richard; Rowell, Roger M.; Zerbe, John I.; Beecher, James F.; White, Robert H.; McKeever, David R. 2007. Wood. Kirk-Other encyclopedia of chemical technology. [New York] : John Wiley & Sons, c2007: pages 1-59.
