Forest Product Development & Utilization Department

About Us

Head Of Department :Mr Aregan Syvester

Forest Products Development and Utilization (FPD&U) is one of the research departments in Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN).  The Department is made up of these sections: Reconstituted wood products, Bamboo and Rattan, Wood Anatomy and Timber Quality, Wood Seasoning and Preservation, Mechanical Wood Processing, Non-Wood Forest Products, Timber Mechanics and Bio-energy.
In line with her mandate which is, “Improvement research on Utilization of Forest Products, non-Forest products and Wood Residue”, the department has identified, and is still identifying properties of various wood species viz a viz: physical, mechanical, anatomical, chemical properties, for proper usage.  Over the years, the department has continued to render her research activities on the production of ceiling boards, floor and wall tiles to enhance cleaner environment. Research on wood seasoning (through a renewable energy source- solar energy) and wood treatment (using eco-friendly wood preservatives) are also being conducted. Furthermore, research on production of decorative items from wood residues, honey, Parkia (Iru), Sericulture, and improvement research on bamboo and Rattan utilization is being intensified.
SECTIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT

Wood seasoning and preservation section

Mechanical wood processing section

Bamboo and Rattan

Bio-energy section

Non wood forest products section

Timber engineering section

RECONSTITUTED WOOD PRODUCTS SECTION.

Particleboard production unit:
Production of Cement- bonded, design-faced ceiling boards from Kraft paper (Plates 1, 2 &3 ) and bamboo sawdust for the assessment of physical and mechanical properties of cement-bonded particleboards produced from saw dust of Various hardwood species such as Gmelina arborea, Cedrela odorata, Cordia millenii, Milicea excelsa, Khaya ivorensis, Tectona grandis, just to mention a few
Plastic Composite Unit:
Production of composite materials under heat/temperature using sawdust and polyethene as a binder
Fibreboard Unit:
Production of fibreboard from waste papers and synthetic binders such as Urea Formaldehyde and Phenol Formaldehyde.

New products:
Production of various value-added products (new products from new paper, sawdust, wood and bamboo shaving, trimmings, edgings.
Recycling of lignocellulosic-based residues into new/ value-added products.

NON WOOD FOREST PRODUCTS

Jatropha curcas Unit
  • Harvesting and processing of Jatropha curcas seeds for extraction
  • Extraction of bio-oil from seeds of Jatropha curcas
  • Analysis of Jatropha curcas seeds
    Apiculture Unit:
  • Research into production of Honey from bees Routine inspection of bee hives at the apiary

    • Sericulture Unit:
  • Research into mulberry agroforestry
  • Research into rearing of silkworm and production of cocoon
  • Reeling of cocoon and re-reeling of silk yarn for the production of valuable items such as lawyers wigs
  • Production of mulberry fruits into jam, wine and juice
  • Information dissemination on mulberry leaves and silkworm production
    • Forest fruits:
  • Processing of forest fruits for various end uses
  • Research into nutritional value and phytochemical status of forest fruits.
    • Parkia production Unit:
  • Processing of Parkia biglobosa seeds for various end- uses.

    • WOOD ANATOMY &TIMBER QUALITY

    Research on Identification of histological (macro and micro) features of hardwood species. This is done in order to ensure proper recommendation of wood species for specific end-uses. Plate 4a, b and c reveal the histological features of plantation-grown Cedrela odorata P. Br.

    WOOD SEASONING& PRESERVATION

  • Research on drying or seasoning of timber species under varying wood seasoning methods- air and kiln (conventional and solar).
  • Treatment of wood against insect (e.g borers, termites and beetle) and fungi (e.g rot, stain and mold) attack.
  • Chemical analysis of wood species composition
  • Production of bio-extracts/wood preservatives (from plant material) for wood treatment.

    • MECHANICAL WOOD PROCESSING SECTION

    Carpentry Unit
  • Secondary conversion of wood
  • Assembling/Construction of chairs, tables, stools and other furniture items
  • Maintenance of wood workshop
    • Sawmill and Saw Doctor Unit
  • Primary conversion of wood (logs)
  • Maintenance of saws and blades
    • Metal workshop
  • Fabrication of machines, and construction of metal
  • Repair of tools, and metal items
  • Turning of metals

    • BAMBOO AND RATTAN SECTION

    Research into Utilization potentials of Bamboo and rattan resources for the production of furniture and other value-added products
    Improvement on the aesthetic appearance of bamboo furniture and other products from bamboo

    BIO-ENERGY SECTION

    Briquettes Production Unit
    Research into:

  • Utilization of wood (sawdust) and other lignocellulosic materials (e.g agricultural wastes) for energy generation.
  • Production of briquettes for domestic and commercial purposes
    • Wood- gas unit
    Research into production of gas from wood wastes (sawdust) for energy generation
    RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGH IN THE DEPARTMENT
  • To reduced menace of pollution- which emanates from poor waste disposal and management, wood waste (sawdust) generated from sawmills and carpentry  workshop was recycled and mixed with cement to produce standard,  durable, dimensionally stable and water resistant wood-cement concrete blocks (Plate . The blocks produced were used to construct the new security post at the Institute.
  • Design, construction and performance evaluation of an experimental solar-kiln.
  • An experimental solar-powered kiln was successfully designed and constructed , The solar kiln has been used for drying of hardwood species. Result revealed that it performs better than air drying method.
    NOTE: The solar kiln is fully solar-powered (through solar energy/ solar radiation). The kiln is not dependent on hydroelectric power or generating sets. Also, it does not use fossil fuels.
    The research is meant to address topical environmental issues- Energy challenges, Carbon emission (through fossil fuel combustion) and land/air pollution.
  • The department has successfully carried out research on production of souvenirs such as, cups, flower vase, biro case and kitchen utensils, bamboo tools, table, bed etc from bamboo laminates.
  • Slides presenting anatomical features of about 340 Nigerian Hardwood Species were presented in photo-micrographs and published in a book. Example of hardwood species included in the book is Cedrela odorata
  • Research has been carried out on extraction of Jatropha seed oil for bio-diesel which will serve as potential alternative to conventional fossil fuel such as petroleum.