Study on physical properties and chemical composition of small diameter Acacia mangium species

Acacia mangium was listed as the one of exotic tree species that planted widely in Malaysia. This study is to determine the physical properties and chemical composition on stem of small diameter Acacia mangium species and also to compare chemical composition between parts (bark and wood) on stem of small diameter Acacia mangium species. Acacia mangium wood (DBH around 5-8cm) was collected at Felda Kemahang street, Tanah Merah, Kelantan. It has been processed into two (2) parts (bark and wood) and two (2) physical forms which are chip form for physical examinations and powder form (fine particles) for chemical composition analysis. Physical properties studied on moisture content and density. For chemical composition, all analysis was done by TAPPI procedure except hemicellulose, because the data was collected using equation. All data has been analyzed using t-test. Based on the result, the moisture content for bark (40.98%) is higher than wood (31.34%). For density, also shows bark (1016.78kg/mᶟ) density is higher compared density of wood (851.42kg/mᶟ). For chemical composition, percentages of extractive (25.37%), lignin (30.77%) and hemicellulose (25.89%) for bark are higher than wood. Meanwhile, percentages of holocellulose (70.46%) and a - cellulose (46.62%) for wood are higher compared to bark. This study has proven physical and chemical composition affect the potential of Acacia mangium that may save natural biodiversity of Malaysia.