Potential use of an olfactory machine to rapidly differentiate various commercial thermally-modified Scots pine wood products

Nikjoo M., Tarmian A., Gholamiyan H., Mohtasebi S. S., Nikoutadbir A., Görgün H. V., ...More

Construction and Building Materials, vol.485, 2025 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 485
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2025.141906
  • Journal Name: Construction and Building Materials
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aerospace Database, CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, INSPEC, Metadex, Veterinary Science Database, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Keywords: Electronic nose, Olfactory machine, Thermally modified wood, Volatile organic compounds
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Differentiating thermally modified wood types based on appearance alone is challenging. The primary objective of this study was to accurately identify and rapidly differentiate various commercial thermally-modified Scots pine wood products using an olfactory machine, in order to avoid profiteering and fraud in the trade. For this purpose, ThermoWood® (Thermo-D class), oil-heat treated wood (OHT) and Termovuoto® were used. The machine utilized for this study was outfitted with six metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors classified as electrochemical sensors. Data analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) demonstrated that the olfactory machine could differentiate thermally modified wood products from untreated wood with 100 % accuracy. Furthermore, the system effectively distinguished among the modified woods despite some overlap between ThermoWood® and Termovuoto®. The findings highlight the olfactory machine's effectiveness in replacing traditional methods and in identifying thermally modified wood products, providing a quick and reliable tool for the wood industry to combat fraud and ensure product authenticity.