Strength performance of outer layer oil palm trunk wood treated with microwave energy

This study was done to evaluate the flexural properties of microwave treated oil palm trunk (OPT) wood. The outer portion for basal position of the tree was chosen as it is the most stable part of oil palm trunk. Six treatment with the combination of different power input and exposure time were applied on the OPT wood blocks and one sample as control was not treated with any of the combination. The flexural properties of the microwave treated OPT wood referred as flexural modulus (MOE) and flexural strength (MOR) of the samples were analyzed. Microwave treatment number six has the highest flexural modulus and surpasses the untreated OPT.