A Professor from the Faculty of Forestry and Environment at IPB University, Prof Lina Karlinasari, explained the utilization of Near Infrared (NIR) technology in supporting the tracing of the origin of wood and wood products to ensure traceability, legality, and acceptance in international trade.
Prof Lina explained that in wood identification, there are two main approaches: wood taxonomic identification and identification based on geographical origin.
“The combination of species identification and geographical origin of wood will be very helpful in ensuring the legality of wood utilization,” she said during the Indonesia Wood Identification Program Workshop some time ago.
She added that anatomical methods and Direct Analysis in Real Time–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART-TOF MS) technology are generally used for taxonomic identification. Meanwhile, isotopes, NIR, and genetics are stronger for origin tracing.
“In this context, NIR occupies a strategic position because theoretically, it is capable of addressing both needs, both taxonomy and geographical origin, particularly at the screening and rapid verification stages,” she explained.
Chemical based identification through chemical fingerprinting and chemical profiling is also an important part. NIR and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) utilize spectral patterns as material signatures without having to identify every compound one by one.
According to Prof Lina, NIR works in the spectral range of 800–2500 nm, which relates to the molecular vibrations of OH, CH, and NH bonds. With the aid of chemometric analysis, this technology is capable of predicting material properties rapidly, non-destructively, and even in real-time.
“NIR spectra can distinguish the contributions of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and even extractives, as well as the differences between sapwood and heartwood,” she clarified.
She also elucidated that the main advantages of NIR lie in its speed, minimal preparation, and non-destructive nature toward samples. However, this method has limitations regarding sensitivity to sample physical variations and dependence on robust calibration models.
In forestry practice and wood science, NIR has been utilized to predict moisture content, mechanical properties, chemical composition, and even for the sorting of industrial raw materials.
As an implementation example, Prof Lina highlighted the utilization of NIR in the International Tropical Timber Organization-Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (ITTO-CITES) program in South America to monitor the mahogany wood trade.
Furthermore, she presented research results on tracing the origin of Sulawesi ebony wood conducted with the World Resources Institute. The research showed that NIR has the potential to discriminate the geographical origin of ebony based on extractive content and spectral patterns.
“Ebony wood is known to be hard and durable, yet it is classified as vulnerable according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), making the monitoring of its trade crucial,” she stated. (dr) (IAAS/HNF)
