Investigation of Selected Wood Properties and the Suitability for Industrial Utilization of Acacia Seyal Var
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Fakultät Umweltwissenschaften - Faculty of Environmental Sciences Investigation of selected wood properties and the suitability for industrial utilization of Acacia seyal var. seyal Del and Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile grown in different climatic zones of Sudan Dissertation to achieve the academic title Doctor rerum silvaticarum (Dr. rer. silv.) Submitted by MSc. Hanadi Mohamed Shawgi Gamal born 23.09.1979 in Khartoum/Sudan Referees: Prof. Dr. Dr. habil. Claus-Thomas Bues, Dresden University of Technology Prof Dr. Andreas Roloff, Dresden University of Technology Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. František Hapla, University of Göttingen Dresden, 07.02.2014 1 Acknowledgement Acknowledgement First of all, I wish to praise and thank the god for giving me the strength and facilitating things throughout my study. I would like to express my deep gratitude and thanks to Prof. Dr. Dr. habil. Claus-Thomas Bues , Chair of Forest Utilization, Institute of Forest Utilization and Forest Technology, Dresden University of Technology, for his continuous supervision, guidance, patience, suggestion, expertise and research facilities during my research periods in Dresden. He was my Father and Supervisor, I got many advices from his side in the scientific aspect as well as the social aspects. He taught me how to be a good researcher and gives me the keys of the wood science. I am grateful to Dr. rer. silv. Björn Günther for his help and useful comments throughout the study. He guides me in almost all steps in my study. Dr.-Ing. Michael Rosenthal was also a good guide provided many advices, thanks for him. I would also like to express my thanks to Frau Antje Jesiorski, Frau Liane Stirl, Dipl.- Forsting. Herrn Ernst Bäucker, and Herrn Ing. (FH) Harald Kirchner for their good cooperation and help during the period of my study. I am also indebted to University of Khartoum for giving me this opportunity to study in Germany and to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Sudan for the scholarship. My thanks also extended to GFF (Gesellschaft Freunde und Förderer der TU Dresden) as well as DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst / German Academic Exchange Service) for their kindly support. Very special thank to my husband Majdaldin for his support and patience during my study. Without his support I would not be able to finish my work. The last and not least, I would like to express my gratitude to the most important two persons in my life, my parents, they helped me a lot by their prays and advices. I Abstract Abstract Sudan is endowed with a great diversity of tree species; nevertheless the utilization of wood resources has traditionally concentrated on a few species only. Despite of the richness of Sudan in most of basic factors required to establish forest based industries it still almost entirely dependent on imports to satisfy its needs of the products of such industries. There is an urgent need to assess the suitability of the local fibrous raw materials for industrial utilization, this would not only reduce imports, but they would also provide an economic incentive to the forestry and industrial sectors of Sudan. Sudan has a wide variation of climatic zones, thus; great variations are expected in the anatomical and physical properties between and within species grown in each zone. This variation needs to be fully explored in order to suggest best uses for the species. The present study was carried out to assess the suitability of Acacia seyal var. seyal Del and Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile wood for pulp and paper making (PPM) and flooring industry, as well as to investigate the effect of rainfall zones on selected wood properties. For this purpose, a total of thirty trees per species were collected from four states in Sudan, namely: Blue Nile, North Kordofan, South Kordofan and White Nile. The study areas located in two precipitation zones. Zone one with 273 mm mean annual rainfall, and zone two with 701 mm mean annual rainfall. Wood samples in form of disc were obtained from two heights within each tree, which are 10 % and 90 % from the tree merchantable height. Anatomical, physical and mechanical investigations were conducted in order to test the wood properties of the study species. The studied anatomical properties were: fibre and vessel diameter, lumen diameter and wall thickness. In addition to fibre length and three fibre derived values, namely: flexibility coefficient, Runkel ratio and slenderness ratio. The trend of fiber length from pith to bark was determined. The anatomical composition was described. Wood density was investigated as a main physical property. Basic density as well as air dry density were measured in the current study. Additionally, the density was measured using X-ray densitometry method in order to assess its suitability as a valid tool for the study species density determination. The trend of wood basic density from pith to bark was also determined. Brinell hardness strength was measured in the transverse and radial sections. According to the study results, the fibre length of both species considered as medium (900 - 1600 µm). However, Acacia seyal has longer fiber. Acacia seyal wood density considered heavy (≥ 720 kg/m³) while that of Balanites aegyptiaca is medium (500 - < 720 kg/m³). Depending upon the mean values of hardness strength in transverse as well as radial sections, II Abstract the wood of both species can be classified as very hard (up to 146 N/mm 2 hardness strength). Fibre length and wood density for both species followed the increase trend from the pith to the bark. The X-ray densitometry technique is considered as a valid tool for wood density determination for both species. For each species, some wood properties (in mature wood) were significantly affected by the water stress in the drier zone. For instance, Acacia seyal fibre length was negatively affected, while vessel wall thickness, basic density as well as hardness strength of the radial section were positively affected. In case of Balanites aegyptiaca the following properties were affected: vessel dimensions (negatively) and basic density (positively). However, the water stress did not affect Acacia seyal fibre and vessel diameter and lumen diameter, fiber wall thickness, flexibility coefficient, Runkel ratio and hardness strength in transverse section. Balanites aegyptiaca fibre characteristics and hardness strength did not show any response to water stress as well. In general, the overall wood properties of the study species considered compatible for PPM and flooring industry. However, trees growing in the more humid zone are preferable for both industries, due to their lower wood density and longer fibres in case of Acacia seyal and lower density in case of Balanites aegyptiaca. III Kurzfassung Kurzfassung Im Sudan kommen eine Vielzahl verschiedener Baumarten vor. Die Holzverwendung konzentriert sich jedoch traditionell nur auf wenige Arten. Trotz des sudanesischen Reichtums an forstlichen Ressourcen ist die holzverarbeitende Industrie nahezu vollständig von Holzimporten abhängig. Es ist dringend erforderlich, die Eigenschaften von lokal verfügbaren Faserrohstoffen im Hinblick auf ihre mögliche industrielle Nutzung zu untersuchen. Dies könnte nicht nur die Holzimporte verringern, sondern könnte darüber hinaus auch einen wirtschaftlichen Anreiz für die Holz- und Forstwirtschaft im Sudan liefern. Der Sudan weist eine Vielzahl verschiedener Klimazonen auf. Dies lässt die Vermutung zu, dass eine große Variabilität der anatomischen und physikalischen Eigenschaften zwischen und innerhalb der in den Zonen vorkommenden Arten besteht. Um die optimale Nutzung dieser Arten zu ermöglichen, müssen diese Variationen umfassend untersucht werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die Eignung des Holzes von Acacia seyal var . seyal Del and Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile für die Zellstoff- und Papierindustrie sowie für die Fußbodenindustrie bewertet. Des Weiteren wurde der Einfluss von Niederschlag auf ausgewählte Holzeigenschaften untersucht. Für die Untersuchung wurden insgesamt 30 Bäume je Baumart aus vier verschiedenen Bundesstaaten (Blauer Nil, Nord-Kordofan, Süd- Kordofan, Weißer Nil) beprobt. Die Untersuchungsgebiete befinden sich in zwei verschiedenen Niederschlagszonen. Die Zonen weisen einen jährlichen Gesamtniederschlag von 273 mm (Zone 1) und 701 mm (Zone 2) auf. Pro Baum wurden zwei Stammscheiben entnommen. Die Entnahme erfolgte in zwei unterschiedlichen Höhen, jeweils bei 10% und 90% der nutzbaren Stammhöhe. Um die Holzeigenschaften der untersuchten Holzarten zu bewerten, wurden anatomische, physikalische und mechanische Untersuchungen durchgeführt. Folgende anatomische Eigenschaften wurden untersucht: Faser- und Gefäßdurchmesser, Gefäßlumendurchmesser, Zellwandstärke, Faserlänge. Außerdem wurden faserbezogene Werte wie der Flexibilitätskoeffizient, die Runkel-Zahl und der Schlankheitsgrad abgeleitet. Für die Faserlänge wurde der Trendverlauf vom Mark bis zur Rinde bestimmt. Des Weiteren erfolgte die Beschreibung des holzanatomische Aufbau bzw. der holzanatomische Merkmale. Als wichtigste physikalische Größe wurde die Holzdichte untersucht. Sowohl die Raumdichte als auch die Normal-Rohdichte wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit bestimmt. Zusätzlich erfolgten röntgendensitometrische Dichtemessungen, um die Verwendbarkeit dieses Verfahrens für die untersuchten Holzarten IV Kurzfassung zu bewerten. Darauf aufbauend wurde der radiale Dichteverlauf ausgehend vom Mark bis zur Rinde bestimmt. Die Brinell-Härte wurde auf den Radial-