The effect of clay nanoparticleon the retention and attack of drywood termite (Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light).

Abstract

The aplication of clay nanoparticles as wood preservative was intended to examine its resistant to infestation of drywood termite (C. cynocephalusLight). Loam was crushed into small pieces as clay nanoparticles, which was used as wood preservative that was soluble in water. The material was dissolved with water in a given concentration and put it into anggerung (Trema orientalis), white meranti (Shorea bracteolata) and sengon (Paraseriehthes falcataria) by full cell method or impregnation. The tested samples were preserved by clay nanoparticles at the air pressure 60 psi for 2 hours and then furnace-dried, and tested by infestation of drywood termites. Results of the research showed that mortality of the drywood termites on those three preserved woods with clay nanoparticles by concentration of 2.5% and 5%, which reached 96.4% and 100% on average, respectively, in comparison without preservation by average mortality value was 27.4%. The highest retention of clay nanoparticle was 24.89 kg.m3 was obtained by concentration of 5% for white merantiand the lowest was 9.32 kg.m3 by concentration of 2.5% for anggerung. The application of clay nanoparticle as effective wood preservative against the infestation of drywood termite by concentration of 5% has been proven by mortality 100%.