Review of State of the Art Dowel Laminated Timber Members and Densified Wood Materials as Sustainable Engineered Wood Products for Construction and Building Applications

Engineered Wood Products (EWPs) are increasingly being used as construction and building materials. However, the predominant use of petroleum-based adhesives in EWPs contributes to the release of toxic gases (e.g. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde) which are harmful to the environment. Also, the use of adhesives in EWPs affects their end-of-life disposal, reusability and recyclability. This paper focusses on dowel laminated timber members and densified wood materials, which are adhesive free and sustainable alternatives to commonly used EWPs (e.g. glulam and CLT). The improved mechanical properties and tight fitting due to spring-back of densified wood support their use as sustainable alternatives to hardwood fasteners to overcome their disadvantages such as loss of stiffness over time and dimensional instability. This approach would also contribute to the uptake of dowel laminated timber members and densified wood materials for more diverse and advanced structural applications and subsequently yield both environmental and economic benefits.