Mangrove timber – potential as flooring material
2015
James Josue | Zamrie Imiyabir
Sabah is the home to the largest area covering 341,000 hectares or 59% of the country's total mangrove forest. However, thus far, mangrove timber has been utilised for production of a limited range of products. Thus, there is a need to diversify their utilisation and one option is to use the timber as a flooring material. The suitability of the timber of three mangrove species from Sabah, namely Bangkita (Rhizophora apiculata), Bakau kurap (Rhizophora mucronata) and Lenggadai (Bruguiera parviflora), as a flooring material is examined in this paper, including their wood properties, seasoning characteristics and the abrasive resistance. The study results reveal that the mean air-dry density of R. apiculata, R. mucronata and B. parviflora is 1.03 g/cm³, 1.01 g/cm³ and 0.92g/cm3, while the green moisture content (MC) is 31.46%, 40.75% and 51.48%, respectively. The timbers were air-dried from the green condition to about 20% of MC under shade. The process lasted 3, 5, and up to 7 weeks, after which the samples were sawn into boards of 1 cm, 2 cm and 3 cm of thickness, respectively. The average number and the average length of surface checks that occurred during seasoning were lower for thinner boards. The abrasive resistance of the three mangrove species is equivalent or superior to Merbau (Intsia palembanica) and far superior to Nyatoh (Palaquium sp.), indicating their suitability for heavy traffic flooring. However, the selection of timber for a particular purpose depends not only on its technical performance, but also on other factors, such as cost and availability. Thus, the feasibility study on the raw material supply and economic investment is recommended.
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