Bonding properties of selected alien invasive wood species

• Published in: Bioresources 2024-05, Vol.19 (2), p.3078-3094
• Main Authors: Kariž, Mirko, Šega, Bogdan, Šernek, Milan, Žigon, Jure, Merela, Maks
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Adhesive bonding; Agricultural land; bond shear strength; Bond strength; Bonding strength; Composite materials; Heterogeneity; Indigenous species; Invasive plants; Invasive species; Lignocellulose; Material properties; Native species; Nonnative species; Plant species; Polyurethane; polyurethane adhesive; Polyurethane resins; polyvinyl acetate adhesive; Polyvinyl acetates; Porosity; Porous materials; Shear strength; Stress concentration; Wood; wood anatomy; wood bonding
• ISSN: 1930-2126; 1930-2126
• DOI: 10.15376/biores.19.2.3078-3094

Invasive alien plant species pose a significant challenge to European ecosystems. They displace native vegetation, damage agricultural land, and annually cost the European economy billions of euros. Many of them are removed daily and mainly burned, although some of them produce lignocellulosic material that could be used in place of native wood species. In this study, the bonding properties of selected invasive wood species in Slovenia were tested using standard methods. Wood lamellas were produced according to the SIST EN 205 standard from Ailanthus altissima, Aesculus hippocastanum, Robinia pseudoacacia, Gleditsia triacanthos and Acer negundo and glued with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and one-component polyurethane (PU) adhesive. The results showed that selected wood species can be bonded well with both adhesives (bond shear strengths from 7.2 to 15.1 N/mm2), although there were large variations due to the heterogeneity of the wood material. The differences in the shear strength of the bonds were mainly due to the different densities of the wood (479 to 702 kg/m3) species and the high variability in material properties (for example porosity from 0.54 to 0.68 and shear strength in tangential direction from 11.2 to 21.1 N/mm2), which are related to the anatomical characteristics of the individual wood species.