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News Archive 2019

December 2019

PhD studentship opportunity

We are currently advertising for a PhD student on the field of chemistry and wood science to work with us and Lignia Wood Company. The project will consider the interaction of synthetic resins with wood under different curing conditions, and the influence of many parameters (e.g. species, temperature, pH etc) on curing reactions and the resulting properties of treated wood. Wood modification offers an alternative to chemical preservatives for timber, and has created a new generation of high performance timber products for advanced applications.

The opportunity would suit a candidate with a keen interest in wood science, chemistry or materials science. Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact supervisors Dr Morwenna Spear or Dr Graham Ormondroyd to discuss the project.

Funding has been awarded through the KESS 2 programme, and the full advert can be found on the KESS 2 website.

October 2019

British Mycology Society prize for Debbie Evans

BC staff member Debbie Evans is part of a team of 5 amateur mycologists "The Welsh Rust Group" who have been awarded The British Mycological Society's Field Mycology Award in recognition of an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of Field Mycology. This is only the second time the award has been made. The award was presented to 4 of the group at a BMS event in Porth Talbot on 19th October by the previous recipient Geoffrey Kibby.

The group have a passion for some of the plant-pathogenic fungi, (mainly but not solely found on wild plants). They have written 3 books about these fungi in Wales beginning with a Rust Red Data List and Census Catalogue for Wales in 2015, followed by Smut & Allied Fungi of Wales, a RDL and census catalogue in 2018, and The Powdery Mildews of Wales: An identification guide and census catalogue in 2019. They are currently preparing a book on the Downy Mildews and Albugos. The main aim of the group is to increase the awareness of the importance of these fungi and encourage their identification and recording in Wales and beyond by providing easily accessible, free or affordable books. The books are also all available to download freely from https://www.aber.ac.uk/waxcap/links/index.shtml (listed under the first author Woods/Chater).

The group were given certificates and a monetary prize of £500 which will be used towards future publishing costs. The group are all very proud that the BMS has chosen to recognise their efforts in this way.

BC celebrates 30 years at IPPS 2019

IPPS 2019 was an opportunity for the staff of BC and long-time supporters of the conference to celebrate the long track record of the conference, and the Centre. Mike Botting, Editor Emeritus of Wood Based Panels International was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his excellent coverage of the EPPS and IPPS events over many years. He was one of several delegates who had been present at the first EPPS conference in 1997. Two others returned as speakers this year: Dr Mark Irle and Prof Edmone Roffael. The conference dinner quiz featured some photos from the archives to test people's memories and recognition skills.

Also awarded at the conference dinner was the Harry Earl Memorial Prize. This year two recipients from Kastamonu shared the prize, Mrs Kübra Çelic and Mr Aziz Biçer. Plaques to commemorate the prize were presented by Dr Rob Elias (BC), Keith Godber (CRC) and Chris Ryan (Kronospan).

During the two- day conference delegates enjoyed a wide range of talks on research, development and future issues in wood based panels. The keynote speech by Marcel Vroege of Indufor provided some food for thought on fibre availability and rapid development of the wood based panels market in China, India and other ememging economies. The need to innovate and maximise efficiency in production, recycling and circular approaches were well explored in other talks, and leave the challenge for research and industry. We are looking forward to seeing this progress at IPPS 2021!

August 2019

Advanced wood chemistry course for Malaysian visitors

BC continued to build links with the Malaysian Timber Industry Board, welcoming three delegates on an Advanced Wood Chemistry shourt course this month. Organised by BC Materials the topics included the composition of softwoods and hardwoods; laboratory techniques for quantification of the wood principal components and extractives; Formaldehyde testing methods and VOC monitoring; spectroscopy, chromatography and a wide range of analytical techniques suited to wood, resins and wood based composites.

The three delegates enjoyed an intense two week course, which included a full programme of laboratory practicals, seminars and a site visit. There was also plenty of time for discussion of extra topics, and to try out different analytical equipment. A site visit to PPM Technology, a local manufacturer of formaldehyde monitors, and sensors for many other VOCs was a highlight, where they had a guided tour and heard about the wide range of sensors offered by the company for many applications. The trip led to some sight-seeing in the nearby historic town of Caernarfon to complete the visit.

July 2019

Strong representation at Timber 2019 conference

Members of the BC Materials team presented several papers at Timber 2019 in London this month. The event was organised by the Wood Technology Society, within which Dr Graham Ormondroyd is chair of the board and a driving force behind the event. The two days led to a very wide programme of talks and presentations, and stimulated some spirited debate between delegates on challenges facing the timber industry in the UK. Talks by BC staff included current and recent research projects, such as laser incision of timber to enhance treatment systems, treatments to promote adhesion in jointing Wood Plastic Composites and weathering studies on resin modified wood.

Commenting after the event, Dr Ormondroyd said 'It was great to see the UK's wood science community come together again to showcase the work that is been undertaken nationally, and with our visitors from the USA the program was truly inspirational.'

VOC scavenging by sheep's wool

Research undertaken by the BioComposites Centre into how sheep's wool scavenges VOCs from the atmosphere was highlighted by the Daily Mail. The investigation compared the wool from different sheep, and several different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) representing the range found in household products such as paints, air fresheners, cleaning fluids and furniture. Sheep's wool performed well, scavenging the VOCs, and two forms of sorption were detected. Both will contribute to a reduced VOC content in indoor air, prompting interest in the use of wool carpets, curtains and soft furnishings to help reduce indoor air pollution, which can be connected to sick building syndrome.

May 2019

Journal paper from Short Term Scientific Mission with FP1407

We're pleased to see a paper by Dr Magdalena Broda from Poznań University of Life Sciences in Poland published this month. Dr Broda visited BC on a Short Term Scientific Mission with FP1407 in August 2018 to investigate the fundamental properties of silane modified archaeological wood. She worked with Dr Morwenna Spear and Dr Simon Curling using a range of techniques including DVS, nitrogen sorption and DMA.

In this first paper cell wall porosity and vapour sorption were investigated. The paper "The effect of methyltrimethoxysilane impregantion on the cell wall porosity and vapour sorption of archaeological waterlogged oak" has been published in Wood Science and Technology.