Properties of Malaysian Solid Coco-Lumber
Abstract
Solid coco-lumber is relatively a new raw material in Malaysia’s furniture industry. However, different situations can be seen in the Philippines and Indonesia as they are actively producing and marketing coconut wood-based products. In this study, the physical and mechanical properties such as moisture content, basic density, Modulus of Rupture (MOR), Modulus of Elasticity (MOE), shear stress, compression parallel to the grain, thickness swelling and water absorption properties of Malaysian solid coco-lumber were determined. The solid coco-lumber was divided into inner and outer parts and were tested under two different conditions i.e. green and air-dry conditions. The study showed that the physical and mechanical properties of the air-dried outer part of the solid coco-lumber were 50% higher compared to the inner part under both conditions. The results proved that the properties of coconut wood tested are very useful to the emerging coco-lumber based furniture industry in Malaysia.
References
Anonymous. 2008. Prices of major products traded in the global markets,The cocommunity, Vol XXXVIII (9).
Anonymous. 2009. Coconut Wood, available online: http://www.coconut-wood.com/usingcoconut.html . [Accessed on July 2009]
Anonymous. 2009a. Coconut Palm Tree: Cocos nucifera, available online: http://coconutpalmtree.net/ . [Accessed on August 2009]
Anonymous. 2009b. Coconut Tree, available online: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Arecaceae/Cocos_nucifera.html . [Accessed on August 2009]
Anonymous. 2009c. Uses of Coconut Tree, available online: http://hubpages.com/hub/Uses-of-Coconut-Trees , [Accessed on August 2009]
ASTM D 5536 – 94:2006. Standard Practice for Sampling Forest Trees for Determination of Clear Wood Properties.
BS 373:1957. Methods of testing small clear specimens of timber. Standard status reconfirmed on November 2008.
FAO, 2009. Economics of Coconut Wood Utilization, Available online: http://www.fao.org/docrep/w7731e/w7731e05.htm#TopOfPage , [Accessed on June 2009]
Faustino, J. 2006. Facing the challenges of the Philippine coconut industry: The lifeblood of 3.4 million coconut farmers and farm workers, Coconut Industry reformed movement inc.: 1-74.
Killmann W. 1988. How to Process Coconut Palm Wood. .Vieweg Verlag. Braunschwerg. 76 p.
Lee YH. et al. 1979. The strength properties of some Malaysian timbers. Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia, 56.
Md Yusoff, I. 2009. Market potential for cocolumber products, paper presented at National coconut conference 2009, Damai Laut, Perak, Malaysia, 28-30 July 2009.
MOA, 2001. National Coconut Development Plant (2001-2010).
MOA, 2008. List of Malaysian companies and their coconut products.
Ohler, J.G. 1984. Coconut, tree of life, FAO Plant Production and Protection Paper, No. 57, 395-436.
Roland Stulz and Kiran Mukerji, 1988. Appropriate Building Materials: a Catalogue of Potential Solutions (SKAT).
Sivapragasam, A. 2008. Coconut in Malaysia – current developments and potential for revitalization, paper presented at the 2nd International Plantation Industry Conference and Exhibition (IPICEX2008), Shah Alam, Malaysia, 18-21 September 2008.
Vogel, R.M. 2005. The tree of life, Food for thought, available online: http://www.foodreference.com/html/a-coconut-tree-life.html . [Accessed on May 2009]
Vogler, J. 1986. Understanding non-fuel uses of wood wastes, Technical Paper #47 VITA, available online:
http://sleekfreak.ath.cx:81/3wdev/VITAHTML/SUBLEV/EN1/WOODWAST.HTM . [Accessed on July 2009]. ISBN: 0-86619-261-1
