Chemical and physical characteristics of African mahogany wood (Khaya ivorensis A. Chev.)

Abstract

Demand for African mahogany (Khaya ivorensis) wood is increasing to supply the sawn timber sector. To cater to the timber market, the technological suitability of the species is generally verified by assessing their inherent characteristics. The objective of this work was to quantify along the trunk the extractives, lignin and the basic specific mass of this species. The analyzed material were five trees from a homogeneous planting of 10 years, located in Mato Grosso. The subsamples were taken in percentages of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of the commercial height of the trees. The chemical analysis had as reference the ABTCP (1974) norms and the physical tests, the ABNT/NBR 11941-02 (2003) norms. In the quantification of extractives, cold water presented the lowest average (3.91%) and sodium hydroxide the largest (20.57%). The average lignin content was 30.29% and the average specific mass was 0.530 g cm-3. Data were analyzed based on analysis of variance, means test and principal components (PCA). It was concluded that the wood studied presented technological characteristics compatible to be used in the furniture area, as well as in external constructions, showing competitive potential to operate in the sector.