The present study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of pyrolytic oil obtained from Triplochion scleroxylon sawdust which used as a preservative against fungi attack on Alstonia bonnei, Ceiba pentandra, Pterocarpus osun, Terminalia randii, Triplochiton scleroxylon wood. The wood samples used for the experiment were dimensioned into 20 x 20 x 60 mm and soaked for 72 hours to obtain appreciable absorption. The percentage absorption after soaking and weight loss after exposure to termite were determined. Data were analyzed using simple statistics and analysis of variance at α0.05. The highest and lowest percentage absorption was recorded for Terminalia randii and Alstonia bonnie with 23.20 % and 13.10 % respectively. Analysis of variance result indicates the significant difference in wood species used. The result obtained for weight loss revealed significant differences in wood species as well as in fungi also.  The result further showed that those are taken as control recorded the highest weight loss to white and brown rot fungi. Pyrolytic oil possesses a great potential in the prevention of fungi attack as it contained phenolic compound.

Acetylation is a well-established process to improve dimensional properties of wood and resistance to fungi attack. This study was carried out due to limited studies on the effect of acetylation on mechanical properties, thermal stability, and microstructural aspects of wood. Wood blocks, (each 20×20×60 mm) of Obeche wood were acetylated with acetic anhydride at 120 °C for 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300 minutes. The microstructure and thermal stability of acetylated and unmodified wood blocks were assessed using SEM and TGA, respectively. The maximum compressive strength (MCS//g) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the wood specimens were also determined. The SEM indicated no visible damage or defect in the microstructure of all the acetylated wood and no significant differences in the strength properties compared to untreated wood. Acetylated wood showed an increased thermal stability compared to unmodified wood.

The efficacy of a cooler or ice chest is measured by its preservative potentials, and how long it can make substance such as food and drinks remain hot/cold. In ensuring that an ice chest meets up to its expectation, this work investigated the construction, thaw rate and heat retention capacity of an ice chest cooler stands made from Pinus caribeae and Nauclea diderichii wood, with a view of improving its ability to maintain hotness/coldness of any substance stored in it for a longer period of time. The wood samples were machined and fabricated into a cooler stand in which plastic coolers were placed. 10kg mass of Ice block (0 o C) and hot water (100 o C) were used for the two tests considered in this study. Meanwhile, an ordinary cooler was used as a control. Weight reduction and thermometer were used to measure the thaw rate of the ice block and temperature loss of the water. For the ice block test, 6kg (1.8 o C), 5kg (0.20 o C) and 3kg (0.22 o C) of ice block were left after 8 hours, while for the hot water test, water temperatures were 45 o C, 25 o C and 18 o C after 12 hours for ice chest made from N. diderichi, P. caribaea and control respectively. The thaw rate and temperature loss was lowest for ice chest made with N. diderichi, thus implying that N. diderichi wood is a better choice for making wooden cooler stand. This study thus confirms that wood can be used to improve thermal retention capacity of ice chest cooler. Contribution/Originality:This study is one of the few studies which have investigated the reinforcement of existing plastic cooler with wooden structure. With the aim of reducing more energy bills through constant refrigeration, this ice chest cooler will help in optimum temperature retention when cooling and heat is required. INTRODUCTIONWood is porous, as such; it has low thermal conductivity, with high thermal resistance and specific heat capacity, which are important characteristics needed in designing materials with great resistance to heat flow et al. [1]. Radmanović, et al. [2] stated that wood as a porous biomaterial contain small holes and spaces that can influence the mechanism of heat transfer (thermal conductivity) and specific heat capacity. The Thermal properties of wood is an essential properties considering area where they are needed in applications such as fuel conversion, building construction, and other areas of industry [3,4]. Previous Knowledge on thermal properties of wood has helped to understand and designed model of heat transfer processes in wood and woodproducts based materials. Thermal conductivity is a critical attribute when offering energy conserving building products which can be due to the fact that wood has excellent heat insulation properties [5].

Due to population explosion, the forest of Nigeria like most tropical forest is over exploited for choice traditional species. Therefore, need to investigate species that can substitute the species arise. Five trees of Aningeria robusta were harvested from Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria. Bolts of 50cm length were obtained at the base, middle and the top; radial strips also obtained for innerwood, middlewood and outerwood. Ten test specimens of dimension 12mm x 15mm x 25mm were obtained per zone. N-hexane heartwood extracts of a 30 year old Gliricidia sepium diluted with kerosene using volume by volume method into 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% was used. Quantitative characterizations of fungi inoculated and uninoculated wood blocks were determined. The wood blocks were immersed in the extract for 48 hours prior subjection to Lentinus sajor-caju and Trichoderma viride for sixteen. Samples were laid in split plot and factorial experimental designs for the uninoculated and inoculated respectively. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and descriptive statistics. Mean proportion of vessel, fibre and ray before inoculation are 16.89%, 59.08% and 23.74% respectively. Sources of variance had significant effect on the properties at 5% probability level. There was a general reduction in all the anatomical properties after inoculation with the fungi strains. The fungi used, concentration levels adopted, sampling heights involved and radial position had significant effect on the anatomical properties after inoculation with the fungi. Conclusively, the bio-preservative could not prevent fungal growth on the anatomical properties; it could only reduce it.

The protection of wood against biodeteriorating agents like termite during processing or in service has call for serious possible approach using new safer, environmental friendly preservatives hence this study therefore evaluated Azadirachta indica seed oil against termite attack on Gmelina arborea and Triplochiton scleroxylon wood. The seed oil was obtained using a soxhlet apparatus and N-hexane as the solvent. The wood was dimensioned into 20x20x20 mm and the seed oil was applied by brushing, dipping and soaking and exposed to termitarium while the absorption rate and weight loss to termite attack were determined. Data collected was analyzed using simple statistics and analysis of variance at α0.05. The antimicrobial properties of the need seed oil are due to the availability of phytochemicals which promote antimicrobial activity. The maximum wood protection against termite of all the methods of application was obtained from soaking. The absorption and weight loss ranged from 11.20 - 43.88 % and 56.50 -61.58 % for G. arborea and T. scleroxylon respectively. However, all the application methods used for the wood treatment proved to be effective over the untreated wood. Keywords: phytochemicals, seed oil, wood species, wood preservation, wood termite