Heat & resin treatment planned for NZ Radiata pine

A joint venture in New Zealand has been set up with the timber modification expertise and experience of Denmark’s IWT-Moldrup have combined with the timber processing acumen of New Zealand-based Tunnicliffe Timber. The process sees New Zealand radiata pine being thermally modified, using IWT-Moldrup’s equipment and then further modified by the introduction of a new, proprietary resin treatment of IWT-Moldrup´s packet solution BioBIoWood.

“IWT-Moldrup´s packet solution Biobiowood is a sustainable solution that can turn thermally modified NZ Pinus Radiata into the equivalent of a premium hardwood without the use of biocides,” said the company. “The Biobiowood process involves pressure impregnating the base timber with a resin. This protects the wood against termites and other insects, increases dimensional stability by approximately 50%, increases density by approximately 30% and increases hardness by approximately 300-500%.

Biobiowood has already attracted interest in Japan and Europe and IWT-Moldrup’s assessment of test results on a first production plant in Germany with Japanese cedar, Japanese cypress, and radiata pine have been excellent, said the company. “The results show that Japanese cedar, Japanese cypress, and radiata pine are very compatible with the resin treatment.”

A pressure impregnation plant dedicated to Biobiowood treatment will be shipped to the same site as the TMT plant in New Zealand at the beginning of 2023 and immediately put into operation. In other news, IWT-Moldrup is installing two large thermal treatment plants with an annual capacity of 6,000m3 each in New Zealand and Chile, to be used on radiata pine.

Source & Photo: IWT-Moldrup