Crystallinity and chemical structure of Amazon wood species in a log yard after natural degradation

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate whether the chemical composition of wood and its crystallinity can help in the analysis of degradation by fungi and insects in logs of Amazonian wood species stored in a stockyard. For this study, wood from five commercial species that had been stored in an open yard for six months was used. The scale of degradation by fungi and insects, the moisture content of the logs, the total extractive content, lignin, holocellulose and the crystallinity were evaluated. It was concluded that the position of the logs in the stacks, associated with the storage time, influenced the evaluated characteristics. It was also observed that X-ray diffraction has potential for analysis of the degradation by fungi and insects in logs of Amazonian species stored in the stockyard.