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Circular Resources Utilization Lab
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The lab explores the properties of wood through the extractives of trees.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the source of wood properties in its components.
The Circular Resources Utilization Lab conducts basic research on the extractives contained in trees and wood.
Even when extractives make up only a few percent of the content, they are a factor that determines the color, odor, and durability of wood.
The lab believes that bringing out the full potential of the properties of trees and wood is the ultimate effective use of wood resources, and pursues basic research that can also be linked to practical use and contributions to society.
Key terms
- Heartwood
- The dark-colored part at the center of a tree trunk. The lighter-colored outer part is called sapwood.
- Extractives
- A group of compounds contained in trees and wood as minor components. They are specific to each tree species and are a factor that determines the color, odor, and durability of wood.
- Norlignan
- A group of extractives abundant in sugi wood. Examples include agatharesinol and sequirin-C.
- ToF-SIMS
- Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer. An instrument that can obtain both chemical and spatial information about substances on the surface of a solid at the same time.
ResearchResearch themes
Why and how trees form heartwood has remained a very important question in wood science in every era. The lab conducts analytical-chemical, biochemical, enzymological, histochemical, and statistical research on the chemical components characteristic of heartwood. The information on the research page dates from around 2022.
*Illustrative imageBiosynthesis of norlignans
Sequirin-C, one of the norlignans abundant in sugi (Japanese cedar) wood, is thought to contribute to wood color. The lab detected the activity of the enzyme AGTH, which hydroxylates agatharesinol to sequirin-C, and demonstrated it as part of the biosynthetic pathway.
*Illustrative imageFormation and structure of norlignan oligomers
The lab studies how norlignans change as trees grow. It found that oligomers of about 2 to 10 linked molecules, up to polymers, are present in sugi heartwood, and is working to determine the chemical structures of the dimers and trimers.
*Illustrative imageVisualizing the distribution of heartwood components in tissue
The lab studies how tree extractives are distributed within tissue. It visualized the distribution of ferruginol in sugi heartwood using ToF-SIMS, and the distribution of flavonoids in Japanese larch heartwood using fluorescence microscopy.
*Illustrative imageBioactivity of tree extractives
The lab isolated five lignan and neolignan glycosides from sugi wood for the first time and determined their structures. It also isolated flavonoids and other compounds from Brazilian wood, determined their structures, and confirmed their antioxidant activity.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Circular Resources Utilization Lab consist of faculty and master's and undergraduate students.As of 2025
- Associate ProfessorTakanori Imai
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Cross-section of an Oak Log Showing Growth Rings” Rbreidbrown / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Biosynthesis of norlignans: “Cryptomeria japonica MHNT.BOT.” Jean-Pierre Chéreau & Roger Culos / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Formation and structure of norlignan oligomers: “Polymer chain SPT” SPT Paul Topham / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Visualizing the distribution of heartwood components in tissue: “Whole set of Scary faces of wood” Sergei Kopanchuk / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Bioactivity of tree extractives: “Wood cross section of Cynometra ananta (Apome)” Stex-1999 / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (森林社会共生学): “Temuan headman in his community forest garden” Pakbelang / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (木材物理学): “Timber Wood - geograph.org.uk - 187429” Derek Harper / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (木材工学): “SI-MODULAR Tragwerk Deutschland 2019” Halu Stell / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (森林化学): “Cross section of Lilac wood” Park Hotel-1 / CC0 (cropped)
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