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In the last decades great strides have been made towards reduction of formaldehyde release from wood-based panels and other wood products. Moreover, elaborated methods have been developed to determine the emanation of formaldehyde. In the recent past emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from wood-based products became also a relevant issue regarding the characterisation of wood-based panels. Intensive research work is now focusing on this subject.

The book summarises the current state of knowledge on the release of formaldehyde and emission of volatile compounds from wood-based products. It also brings current information on formaldehyde and VOC in the atmosphere and factors affecting their concentration. Insofar it includes information well behind the issue of formaldehyde emission. After every chapter in the book the relevant publications to the subject are cited.

The book, dealing with the complexities of formaldehyde emission and the different techniques of its evaluation, could be useful to all those, who are interested in wood and wood-based products as well as the public at large.

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Roffael, Edmone
Professor Dr.-Ing. E. Roffael received his B.Sc in chemistry (1959) from Alexandria University (Egypt), M.Sc in cellulose chemistry (1964) from National Research Centre in Cairo (Egypt), Dipl.-Ing. (1967) and Ph.D. (1968) from Technical University in Darmstadt (Germany). In 1970, he joined the Wilhelm Klauditz Institute for Wood Research as a scientist, and received his D.Sc. in wood chemistry from University of Göttingen in 1976. Since 1981 he is a professor in wood chemistry at the University of Göttingen. He was head of the department of wood chemistry and technology in the time between 1993 and 2005. Prof. Roffael has authored and co-authored more than 300 scientific publications in cellulose chemistry, wood chemistry and wood adhesives and hold more than 30 patents in the field of adhesive chemistry and technology. In 1982, Prof. Roffael received the Borden Award from the Forest Products Research Society, USA and in 1988, the Wilhelm Klauditz Award for Wood Research and Environment from Germany. Since 1992, he is a member of the International Academy of Wood Science. He is also a member of several other national and international scientific organisations. Prof. Roffael was a visiting professor in Egypt (1982), in Greece (1983), in Chile (1985), in Bulgaria (1992) and in Syria (2006, 2008). He has worked within the framework of German-Malaysian Research project as a consultant at the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in the time between 1985 and 1990 as well as for the industry in Argentina, Brasil and Chile.

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