Processing
The Processing category covers research projects such as hardwood and softwood sawmilling and processing; increasing the performance and yield of solid wood, engineered wood and pulp and paper products; and maximising product yields and values from current resources.
Topics covered include improved efficiency of the use of wood resources through improved methods of timber drying, grading and enhancing timber properties such as durability.
A key goal is to create greater value in wood products by developing knowledge and technology to improve existing production and utilisation processes, which leads to maximising value recovery.
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Evaluation of super-heated steam vacuum drying viability and development of a predictive drying model for four Australian hardwood species
Drying timber to produce material for high quality applications is an expensive and time- consuming operation. The drying process consumes approximately 70% of the energy required to convert g... Read More -
Investigation of NDE technologies for drying quality segregation to aim for optimal kiln schedules to reduce drying degrade and accelerate kiln throughput in the hardwood sawmilling industry
Hardwood logs and green boards often show large variations in the rate at which they dry, which causes problems for timber processors. If fast or slow drying boards could be identified they co... Read More -
Tree growth relationships and silvicultural tools to assist stand management in private native spotted gum dominant forests in Queensland and northern New South Wales
Private landholders frequently combine grazing with the irregular harvesting of their Spotted Gum (Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata, C. citriodora subsp. citriodora and C. henryi) dominant... Read More -
Green Adhesives: Options for the Australian industry – summary of recent research into green adhesives from renewable materials and identification of those that are closest to commercial uptake
Green adhesives are those that contain a significant amount of a renewable or a natural resource. Over the past decade researchers have been looking for alternatives to the formaldehyde-based ... Read More -
The durability of isocyanate-based adhesives under service in Australian conditions. The results from a 3 year exposure study and accelerated testing regime (Literature Review)
This project focused on the performance of isocyanate-based adhesives (IBAs) used to bond Australian wood species in Australian conditions. IBAs are an alternative to phenolic-based adhesives ... Read More -
Impact of sapwood and the properties and market utilisation of plantation and young hardwoods: Executive Summary and Literature Review (PART A)
The hardwood processing industry in Australia can no longer rely on milling native forest logs and must increasingly look to plantation timbers. For this transition to be successful, more need... Read More -
Review of, and recommendations for, research into preventing or ameliorating drying related internal and surface checking in commercially important hardwood species in south-eastern Australia
Checking—small surface cracks in timber—and cell collapse have long been recognised as problems in Australian native hardwoods. What causes them, how can they be prevented and how big a cost a... Read More -
Characterisation of wood properties and transverse anatomy for vacuum drying modelling of commercially important Australian hardwood species (Dennis Cullity Fellowship)
The objective for this fellowship was, through exposure to overseas skills and processes, to gain a better understanding of the wood properties that explain the drying behaviour of the main co... Read More -
MOE and MOR assessment technologies for improving graded recovery of exotic pines in Australia
Exotic softwoods, such as radiata and Caribbean pine, are an important source of structural timber, but the variable properties of wood from these fast grown trees means that mills must sort t... Read More -
Concept proof: New generation, hi-performance wood products coated or encapsulated in zero-waste powder coating
Over the past 10 years the market for wood products such as doors and windows has dropped from 50% of total to around 25% due to perceived maintenance costs and insufficient durability. T... Read More
