Argentinean native wood species: Physical and mechanical characterization of some Prosopis species and Acacia aroma (Leguminosae; Mimosoideae)

POMETTI CAROLINA L.; PIZZO BENEDETTO; BRUNETTI MICHELE; MACCHIONI NICOLA; EWENS MAURICIO; SAIDMAN BEATRIZ O.

BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY

Elsevier

Año: 2009 vol. 100 p. 1999 - 2004

0960-8524

One of the problems in marketing the wood of Prosopis and Acacia is the lack of standardization of itsqualities. The aim of this paper was to obtain a preliminary detection of some properties of the woodof four species of the genus Prosopis and one species from Acacia grown in Argentina. To accomplish thisobjective, the content of extractives and some physical and mechanical characteristics were analyzed.The density q12 of all the species indicates that these woods range from heavy to very heavy (P0.69g/cm3). The total volumetric shrinkage values are low, less than 10%, for all species. The parallel compressionstrength and the shear strength for all the species indicate a very resistant wood (P46.93 MPa andP18.35 MPa, respectively). Brinell hardness was higher than 5 kg/mm2 in all cases. The species with lesscontent of extractives is P. ruscifolia (approximately 9% of anhydrous mass) whereas A. aroma was the onewith the greatest content (approximately 25% of anhydrous mass in the heartwood).