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New Challenges in Wood and Wood-Based Materials, 4th Edition

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 448

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Science (SAFE), University of Basilicata, V.le Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Interests: wood characterization; extractives; natural resource management; wood modification
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wood is a natural material, available in large quantities and easy to produce, making it the perfect material to consider for the circular economy. Its importance has dramatically increased in recent years. This increase is accompanied by the development of new research methods which open up new possibilities in areas related to wood and wood products in terms of their production, processing and final use. The main topics of this Special Issue include the following: knowledge of the quality of wood and other lignocellulose materials in relation to their effective utilization and more efficient processing; the adoption of techniques and research on the use of wood for the production of environmentally friendly composite and the positive impact that this has on the environment; the interaction of wood with solid substances and with different mechanical loads, chemical and other substances and different forms of energy; the surface modification of wood and wood composites.

Dr. Ľuboš Krišťák
Prof. Dr. Roman Réh
Prof. Dr. Pavlo Bekhta
Dr. Luigi Todaro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • wood and wood based materials
  • wood composite materials
  • adhesives for composites
  • wood processing and mechanical modification
  • surface modification of wood and wood composites
  • chemical and thermal modification of wood and wood composites

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 1981 KiB  
Article
Impact of Short- and Long-Term Exposure to Engineered Wood (Plywood and Particle Board) on Immune and Oxidative Biomarkers: A C57BL/6 Mouse Model Study
by Hui Ma, Keon-Ho Kim, Chang-Deuk Eom, Md. Habibur Rahman, Johny Bajgai, Sofian Abdul-Nasir, Chaodeng Mo, Won-Joong Hwang, Seong Hoon Goh, Bomi Kim, Kyu-Jae Lee, Jiyoon Yang and Cheol-Su Kim
Polymers 2025, 17(13), 1794; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17131794 - 27 Jun 2025
Viewed by 350
Abstract
Plywood and particle boards, commonly used in construction and interior environments, are sources of indoor chemical emissions from synthetic adhesives, resins, and surface treatments. Among these, formaldehyde, classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and other [...] Read more.
Plywood and particle boards, commonly used in construction and interior environments, are sources of indoor chemical emissions from synthetic adhesives, resins, and surface treatments. Among these, formaldehyde, classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and other compounds are associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, and organ toxicity. This study aimed to evaluate the toxicological and physiological effects of plywood and particleboard emissions in female C57BL/6 mice. The mice were exposed to formaldehyde, phytoncides, and untreated wood samples under short- (30–60 days) and long-term (120–180 days) conditions. Biological effects were assessed through histopathology of major organs, differential white blood cell counts, oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase and glutathione peroxidase), liver and kidney function tests (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine), and inflammatory cytokine profiling (interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-10, and IL-12p70). These findings revealed no significant pathological changes or systemic toxicity following long-term exposure. Minor elevations in hepatic and renal biomarkers were observed but remained within physiological limits. Antioxidant responses and cytokine fluctuations suggested mild adaptive and immunomodulatory effects. These results highlight the importance of reducing emissions from engineered wood products to improve indoor air quality and minimize potential health risks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Wood and Wood-Based Materials, 4th Edition)
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