The tar oil from the pyrolysis of macadamia nut shells was used
to protect wood against various wood-decaying fungi and woodattacking
termites in laboratory conditions. The tar oil protected
wood well against the fungi and termites even after leaching
process of treated specimens. Complete chemical analyses of the tar
oil would be beneficial, and chemical analysis of leachates and
treated wood is also expected to improve the understanding of
distribution of all substances of the tar oil in wood and description
of leached components of the tar oil after leaching. Chemical
analyses of remaining parts of the tar oil after the leaching process
would provide important information on the reasons for decay and
termite resistance. Further research using various retention levels
of the oil would help in evaluating the performance of treated wood
in outdoor exposures in order to increase the predictive value of the
results.