Mechanical properties of individual samples of wood and charcoal from Eucalyptus urophylla and Corymbia citriodora

This study aimed to characterize mechanically the wood and charcoal of individual pieces of Corymbia citriodora and Eucalyptus urophylla clones through parallel compression tests for fibers and static flexion, and to correlate the properties of the wood with that of the coal produced. 148 specimens were used, of which 74 were used for the evaluation of the charcoal and 74 for the evaluation of the wood. The test specimens for charcoal evaluation were carbonized at a heating rate of 0.5 degrees C/min and final temperature of 450 degrees C. The wood and charcoal of C. citriodora showed significantly higher values of density, stiffness, compressive strength and modulus of rupture when compared to the wood and the charcoal of E. urophylla, indicating to be more suitable for the steel industry. The charcoal showed a strong correlation only with the basic density of the wood, having on average a low correlation with the rest of the properties, indicating that only the basic density of the wood can be used to predict the mechanical behavior of charcoal.