Prof. Dr. Holger Militz


Research interests

  • Wood decay
  • Wood protection
  • Wood modification
  • Wood drying

Projects

  • Impregnation of poplar - Structural Characterization of the Variable Uptake and Distribution of Impregnation Fluids in Fast-Growing Poplar Hybrids
  • 2TW - Second Generation of ThermoWood
  • Innobond - Development of material-adapted adhesive systems for use in finger-jointed and surface-bonded solid wood products manufactured from both untreated and modified native hardwoods for non-structural components
  • InnoBuche - Innovative modified beech wood products - Improved material properties in light of increasing beech wood production and high consumer demands to ensure sustainability
  • WoodExter - Behaviour of wood used outdoors, above-ground
  • WinFur - Suitability of furfurylated wood for high quality window frame production
  • RWE - Investigation into the durability of wooden transmission pylons
  • HiFreTech - High-frequency impregnation of wood
  • Nachwuchsgruppe - Novel markets, applications, and technologies for native hardwood species
  • PlanaWood 2 - Functionalisation of wood and wood-based materials
  • PlanaWood 1 - Functionalisation of wood and wood-based materials
  • Holzschutz-CT - Characterization of penetration and distribution of protection systems in wood by X-ray based Micro Computed Tomography
  • Dauerbuche - Durable LVL from modified beech wood
  • SysSchwelle - Development and market launch of an innovative F-system sleeper
  • Silan - Treatment of solid wood with silane compounds
  • Silicon - Improvement of wood product properties through increased hydrophobicity obtained by treatment with silicon compounds
  • Basidio - Characterization of the degradation patterns of chemically modified wood by wood-destructive basidiomycetes
  • Buche-Küstentanne - Use and wood product oriented studies of the tree species Abies grandis from sustainably managed mixed beech stands
  • BioT - Process for the treatment of wood and wood-based materials - Creation of new sales markets and fields of application for teak wood substitutes
  • DFG Schöningen Spears - Documentation and investigation of the oldest wooden weapons of mankind from Schöningen (found location 13 II, excavation H. Thieme)
  • KiefernStolz - Joint project: Sustainable utilisation potentials for pine heartwood Subprojects 5 and 6: Identification and development of products
  • NuKaFi – Material recycling options for vertically stored calamity wood of the tree species spruce depending on the damage progress and wood quality
  • ZitroWood - Bio-based and environmentally friendly modification of wood based on sorbitol and citric acid

Responsibilities


Committee Work

  • Member and co-founder of the "Kompetenznetz Holz in Niedersachsen NHN"
  • Member of IAWA (International Association of Wood Anatomists)
  • Member of IAWS Inter. Academy of Wood Scientists; 2013-2017 chairman of Academy Board
  • Member of International Research Group on Wood Protection; 2013-2016: Excecutive committee
  • Member of the editorial board of the international wood journal "Holzforschung"
  • Member of the editorial board of the international wood science journal "Wood Research"
  • Member of the editorial board of the German-speaking wood science magazine "Holztechnologie"
  • Chairman of the ECWM (Wood Modification Europe)
  • Former German and Dutch representative in European Research Organisation COST in the area of forest products, wood technology and wood protection in the years 1995-2014 (COST Actions E 2, E22, E13, E34, E37, FP 0802, FP 1006, FP 601, FP 904, FP 1303, FP1407)
  • Member of the Board of Trustees of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI
  • Member of Advisory Board of the iVTH International Association for Technical Wood Issues

Scientific Awards

  • Ternryd prize university Växjö/ Schweden (2016)
  • Josef-Umdasch Forschungspreis Wien (2012)
  • Innovation prize of the administrative district Göttingen (2012)
  • Innovation prize of the administrative district Göttingen (2009)
  • Schweighofer-Prize for the development of an innovative new material (2007)

Teaching

Courses


Supervision of student theses (for data protection reasons, the authors names are withheld)

PhD

    2018

  • Influence of plasma treatment under atmospheric pressure on surface characteristics and adhesion of wood-polymer composites (WPC)
  • Technical lignins as bio-based starting material for the substitution of petroleum-based phenol in phenol-formaldehyde resins
  • 2017

  • Protective Particle Coatings applied by Cold Plasma Spraying
  • Bonding of modified solid wood - design of the boundary area to control bonding mechanisms
  • Investigations into the durability of resin-modified wood when used in contact with sea water
  • Properties of Bamboo-Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Composites
  • 2016

  • Impact of process conditions in open and closed reactor systems on the properties of thermally modified wood
  • Treatment of wood with siloxanes and metal micro-particle deposition using plasma technology
  • Evaluation of particle and fibre degradation during processing of wood plastic composites (WPC) using dynamic image analysis
  • Bondability of modified wood
  • 2015

  • Physical modeling of moisture content and fungal resistance properties of thermally modified timber
  • Influence of impregnation, chemical and thermal wood modification on properties related to sorption, tensile strength and resistance to Fenton’s reagent
  • Formaldehyde in wood and wood-based materials
  • Surface Analytics of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treated Wood and Wood-based Materials
  • 2014

  • Biocide concentration reduction on wood surfaces by photocatalysis using the example of wood preservatives containing cypermethrin
  • Development of a non-load-bearing floor covering for shipbuilding based on selected wood modification processes
  • 2013

  • Technological improvement of Portuguese pinewood by chemical modification
  • Wood modification with titania and silica based precursors: A novel approach to prepare multifunctional sol-gel derived TiO2/SiO2 wood-inorganic composites
  • Treatment of solid wood with silanes, polydimethylsiloxanes and silica sols
  • 2012

  • Influence of Wood Modification on the Properties of Polyvinyl chloride based Wood-Polymer Composites
  • 2011

  • Properties of Wood Modified with Glutaraldehyde
  • Development of lightweight, three-layer particleboard from a combination of the renewable raw materials corn and wood
  • Modified inorganic polymers as adhesives and fire retardants for wood-based materials
  • Treatment of solid wood and wood chips with silanes
  • Wax finishing of solid wood
  • Permeability improvement of Norway spruce wood with the white rot fungus Physisporinus vitreus
  • 2010

  • Promoting Utilization Potential of Bombax ceiba Linn and Bombax insigne Wall through Enhancement of Wood Quality and Technological Properties by Modification with Melamine Resin
  • Biological and technological properties of beech wood after modification with 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyleneurea (DMDHEU)
  • Improvement of selected properties of Wood-Polymer Composites (WPC) - Silane Modification of Wood Particles
  • Effects of water glass, silane and DMDHEU treatment on the colonisation of wood by sapstaining fungi
  • Laccases and other ligninolytic enzymes of the basidiomycetes
  • 2009

  • Cyclic anhydrides and alkyl ketene dimer for the modification of particleboard chips
  • Chemical treatment of veneers for the production of plywood
  • Wood modification with functionalized polydimethylsiloxanes
  • Bacterial wood degradation - A study of chemical changes in wood and growth conditions of bacteria
  • Wood/water relations in wood modified with 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxy ethylene urea (DMDHEU)
  • 2008

  • Wood Modification with Hydrophobation Textile Finishing Agents
  • Plasma Treatment of Wood and Wood-based Materials by Dielectric Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure
  • Diversity of ectomycorrhizas in various species-rich deciduous tree populations in the Hainich National Park (Thuringia)
  • 2007

  • A two-stage thermal modification method of wood
  • Physical-chemical investigations of plasma-treated wood surfaces
  • Investigations into the natural durability of economically important wood species under various outdoor conditions
  • 2006

  • Wood modification with N-methylol cross-linkers
  • The use of chitosan as a wood protecting agent
  • Thermal modification of various wood-based panels to improve selected properties
  • Development and optimisation of a combined wood preservation process by means of water repellents
  • Wood modification with different types of silicon compounds
  • Development of a modification process for beech veneers (Fagus sylvatica L.) based on cyclic N-methylol compounds
  • 2005

  • Wood Quality, Carbon and Nitrogen Partitioning, and Gene Expression Profiling in Poplar Exposed to Free Air CO2, Enrichment (FACE) and N-fertilisation
  • Surface Properties of Wood Modified with Cyclic N-methylol Compounds
  • Treatment of wood with silanes
  • 2003

  • Biological attack of acetylated wood
  • Diagnosis of colour cores on standing red beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) using "electrical resistance tomography“
  • 2002

  • Secondary dry forests in Northern Madagascar - a case study on their structures, potentials and uses
  • 2001

  • Recycling of wood-based materials through thermohydrolytic splitting
Master theses

    2022

  • Einfluss der Oberflächenrauheit und Oberflächenbenetzung auf die Längszugscherfestigkeit keilgezinkter Laub- und Nadelvollhölzer
  • Selbsthemmung keilgezinkter Laub- und Nadelvollhölzer unter besonderer Betrachtung der Rohdichte
  • 2021

  • Investigation of the influence of climate and wood moisture on the bonding quality of beech finger-joint bonding using delamination testing
  • 2017

  • Exploitation of European oak (Quercus spp.) deadwood by means of thermal modification and characterization of physical, mechanical and chemical properties
  • Staining of solid wood with phenol-iron complexes
  • Resistance to peeling and fixation improvement of layers in veneer plywood flooring through simulated deformation decreases
  • Durability of Eucalyptus globulus - Studies by fungal tests and extractant analyses
  • 2016

  • Investigations into the application of isocyanate catalyzed with ammonium salts as an adhesive for medium density fibreboard (MDF)
  • Honey bread structure
  • The fire behaviour of furfurylated wood and applicability of phosphate-based fire retardant on furfurylation
  • Evaluation of forensic lighting methods for use in damage analysis of wood and wood-based materials
  • Comparisons of chemical modification of pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with DMDEU and modified DMDHEU variants
  • Process optimization of phenol and melamine formaldehyde modification of birch veneers using atmospheric pressure plasma
  • Characterization and analysis of impregnating resins based on phenol-formaldehyde
  • Performance of selected type 1 adhesive systems for the bonding of untreated and modified hardwoods
  • Influence of relevant parameters on the bonding properties of untreated and modified hardwoods for load-bearing constructions
  • Optimization of the penetration ability of decorative papers in the impregnation process, taking into account various influencing factors
  • Influence of selected modification systems on elasto-mechanical properties of wood
  • Comparative investigations into mechanical determination of fiber course of hardwood lamellas
  • 2015

  • Improvement of the optical properties and the dimensional stability of beech and pine wood by modification with phenol-formaldehyde resin and colouring additives
  • Examination of phenol-formaldehyde resin-isocyanate-modified beech wood
  • Modification of native woods with the aim of substituting ebony
  • Thermal modification of spruce (Picea abies KARST.) under the influence of increased vapour pressure
  • 2014

  • Investigations into variables influencing the bonding of modified wood using standardized test methods
  • Basics of lignin use and production of cell wall lignin fragments from sulfate-lignin
  • Use of acoustic measurements to predict the properties of spruce wood (Picea abies (L.) Karst.)
  • Optimization of wood appearance through changes in impregnation processes
  • Increasing the durability and dimensional stability of birch plywood by modifying the veneers with phenol-formaldehyde resin
  • Effect of size on tensile, compression and bending strengths of six European hardwood species
  • Investigation into thermal modification and impregnation processes of beech wood with sasol wax
  • 2013

  • Production and property determination of medium density fibreboard (MDF) from phenol-formaldehyde modified softwood fibres in various processes
  • Modification of softwood fibres with acetic anhydride in various concentrations for the production of medium density wood fibre board (MDF)
  • Investigation of process factors on fibre quality by means of online fibre inspection (Fibreview)
  • Development of a laboratory-scale wood modification process - Comparison between DMDHEU and melamine leaching, and properties of melamine-modified pine wood
  • Improvement of veneer wood impregnability through atmospheric pressure plasma treatment
  • Effect of Moisture on Wood Polymer Composites
  • Thermal pretreatment of wood particles for use in WPC with polyamide
  • Investigation into wood surface protection by modification under different climatic conditions
  • Potential material savings in the production of wood-based materials through the use of high-resolution scales
  • Improvement of veneer wood impregnability through atmospheric pressure plasma treatment
  • Surface fungi on wood under the influence of a pulsed electric field
  • Thermal wood modification through high pressure autoclave
  • Market overview of thermowood production
  • Potential material savings in the production of wood-based materials through the use of high-resolution scales
  • 2012

  • Investigation of the bondability of furfurylated wood for window frame production
  • Impregnability of beech-LVL
  • 2011

  • Development of methods to determine the properties of thermally modified wood
  • Immunohistochemical investigations of the pit membrane of Pinus strobus L. using confocal and 4Pi microscopy
  • Investigations into the moisture behaviour of thermally modified wood
  • Comparative studies of commercially produced thermowood
  • The effect of atmospheric pressure plasma on various veneers
  • Wood-Plastic-Composites in Germany with special consideration of the influence of wood properties on finished products
  • Improving the thermal resistance of solid, wooden, exterior doors
  • 2010

  • Effect of mineral additives on particleboard properties
  • Investigation and optimization of various adhesion promoters and chemically modified wood particles for use in wood polymer composites (WPC)
  • Investigation into incorrect gluing of veneer laminated wood
  • Influence of the extrusion process on the distribution and mechanical and thermal degradation of wood in Wood-Polymer Composites (WPC)
  • Evaluation of the infestation under GK3 conditions in the block test
  • Investigation and optimization of wood particles for the production of Wood Polymer Composites (WPC)
  • Hydrophobization of chipboards by various wax emulsions
  • Influence of hot water extraction on selected particle board properties
  • Dyeing of wood particles for the production of coloured wood plastic composites (WPC) based on polypropylene
  • Influence of different types of wood, particle sizes and production processes on the biological durability of Wood Plastic Composites (WPC)
  • Effect of chain length on the properties of amino-silicone modified wood
  • 2009

  • Comparison between different wood decay assessment methods
  • Production of polyethyleneimine containing wood fibre insulating panels and testing for resistance to mould fungus
  • Development of a modification method for beech veneers (Fagus sylvatica L.) containing gluteradehyde
  • Evaluation of basic physical and anatomical properties of cocowood with regard to processing purposes
  • Development of a composite material based on wood particles and silicone elastomers
  • Production of carbon nanotubes from vegetable materials
  • Material property evaluation of mineral-filled cap layer on co-extruded Wood-plastic composites
  • Influence of different types of wood, particle sizes and manufacturing processes on selected physical properties of Wood-Plastic Composites (WPC)
  • 2008

  • Investigations into the applicability of alkyl ketene dimeres (AKD) as a surface modification agent in the production of UF-bonded particleboard
  • Investigation and analysis of novel adhesive systems based on phenolic resole and furan resin
  • Optimization of a hot steam drying process for cross-linking beech wood
  • Ultrasound-induced thermography of wood bonds - development of a non-destructive test method
  • 2007

  • Investigation into wood chip quality parameters from bundling technology for different wood assortments
  • 2006

  • Investigation into thermos-wood properties with regard to fungal resistance and surface coatings
  • Modification (hydrophobization) of wood chips for the production of wood-plastic composites (WPC)
  • The influence of a catalyst on the altered mechanical properties of cross-linked beech wood veneers
  • Durability of wood modified by heat and/or vegetable oils
  • Biomimetic Approach to the Surface Protection of Wood
  • Treatment of solid wood with oligomeric silane systems to improve durability and weathering stability
  • 2005

  • Properties of particleboards made from DMDHEU-modified wood chips
  • The precision of software-supported navigation in NRW's state forest
  • Comparative investigation into the physical and mechanical properties of red heartwood and non-red heartwood beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.)
  • 2004

  • Protective effect of selected beech wood tar fractions against basidiomycetes and soft rot
  • Investigation on the yield and sawn timber qualtiy of Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindley with different growth dynamics
  • Impregnability and wood modification of selected secondary tree species
  • Analysis with TEM-EDAX and effects on impregnation of silicon products in Scots Pine
  • Comparison of selected material properties of different modified woods for window construction
  • 2003

  • Studies on the leaching of a copper-based wood preservative from pine wood oil-treated in the Royal process
  • Investigations into the durability of beech and pine wood treated with textile chemicals against basidiomycetes and soft rot
  • Protective effect of selected beech wood tar fractions against basidiomycetes and soft rot
  • Comparison of accident statistics between selected industries and the forestry industry
  • Influence of red heartwood and dampening on the gluability of beech sawn timber
  • Bonding properties of modified wood
  • Investigation into the change of the elasto-mechanical properties of beech wood after impregnation with different textile chemicals
  • 2002

  • Gluing relevant properties of acetylated spruce and beech peeled veneer as plywood
  • On the gluability of beech logs stored in foil under oxygen-free conditions
  • Investigations into UV light resistance of red heartwood beech sawn timber with and without surface treatment
  • Analysis of application areas of native Douglas fir service logs - with emphasis on the experiences in sawmill, timber construction and veneer operations
Bachelor theses

    2023

  • Analysis of the material moisture content of acetylated beech veneer and acetylated beech-LVL
  • 2021

  • Material characteristics of beech and birch wood building products (solid wood, glulam, CLT, LVL) – A literature study
  • 2019

  • Langzeit-Performance von mit Kombinationen aus Melaminharz (MF-Harz) und Metall-Komplex-Farbstoffen behandelten (modifizierten) Hölzern
  • 2018

  • Comparative study into the durability of native shoot and spider wood
  • Results of a company survey regarding graduate opportunities and contents of the master's program "Wood Biology and Wood Technology, Georg-August University"
  • 2017

  • The potential of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. from Europe for the production of veneer materials for outdoor use
  • 2016

  • Influence of a compounding process through high energy impact milling (HEM) on the properties of Wood-Polymer-Composites (WPC)
  • Influence of pressure and temperature during thermal modification on the composition of hemicelluloses in Eucalyptus nitens
  • Specific sorting of beech and pine sapwood specimens according to criteria for testing elasto-mechanical properties
  • Results of the Graduate Survey in the Master's Program Wood Biology and Wood Technology, Georg-August University
  • Natural durability of selected and potentially suitable wood species for LVL production
  • Influence of the loading mode on the strength of glued tensile shear specimens
  • 2015

  • Hot-and cold-setting impregnation method
  • Fire retardant for solid wood
  • Potentials and Restrictions of Wood-Polymer Composites (WPC)
  • 2014

  • Thermoplastic wood-biopolymer composite materials
  • Evaluation of modified veneer plywood after seven years of outdoor weathering
  • 2013

  • Market overview of thermowood production
  • 2011

  • Investigation into wood treated with low molecular weight phenol-formaldehyde compounds
  • Influence of a combination of acetylation with a polysiloxane on the properties of modified wood
  • Evaluation of possible soil treatments to minimise the infestation pressure on wooden overhead line pylons
  • Influence of particle size and wood species on the physical properties of WPC
  • 2010

  • Effects of DMDHEU and glutaraldehyde on the swelling and shrinkage behaviour ofPinus sylvestris
  • Assessment of infestation under GK3 conditions in the lap joint test
  • Comparative investigations of facades consisting of thermally modified and unmodified wood
  • Use of Biopolymers in the Plastics Industry and Wood Polymer Composites (WPC) - Definition, Overview and Markets
  • Alternative Holzarten für den Spielplatzbau
  • 2009

  • Use of dyes and pigments for colouring plastics and Wood-Polymer Composites (WPC) - overview and definition
  • The wood-based panel industry in Germany: development, potentials, risks
  • Investigation into the bondability of thermally modified wood (TMT) for window construction
  • Production of peeled birchwood veneer
  • 2008

  • Anti-fungal effectiveness of some new environmentally friendly wood protection agents versus traditional agents – a screening test
  • Fungal attack on urban trees - introduction to relevant pests and their influence on stability and breakage
  • Jobs in the wood industry for former graduates from Göttingen - a whereabouts analysis
  • Influencing selected strength properties of wax-impregnated woods
  • Spruce and pine heartwood treatment by means of microwave radiation
  • Wood in contact with seawater on the German North Sea and Baltic Sea coast
  • Legal and technical requirements for windows made of modified wood in Germany
  • 2007

  • The current state of development of the Thermowood product in the European market
  • 2005

  • Timber transport on Europe's roads - an initial overview
  • 2004

  • Medical Experiments and Models for Straining the Spine through the Manipulation of Loads - An Overview of the Past 20 Years
  • Processors in German Forestry Work
  • Density variability of Abies grandis (DOUGLAS) LINDLEY trees
  • Method of provision for the production of forest wood chips
  • Single-grip-harvester machines in highly mechanised wood harvesting
  • Use and recycling of bark
  • 2003

  • Historical techniques of tractor-assisted logging from 1950 to 1980
  • State of development and range of use of combination load-rope return haulers
  • Calculation of biomass taken from thinned stands for bioenergy production using the example of NFA Reinhausen
  • Requirements for wooden floors - wood species, assortments, standards, properties
  • Timber transport in Germany
  • Importance and financial support of the use of horses in selected German state forestry administrations
  • Use-relevant wood properties and application areas of the large coastal fir - Abies grandis (Douglas) Lindley
  • 2002

  • Analysis of the German timber market
  • Calculation of accident rates in selected state forestry administrations
  • Market structure for large forestry machines in Germany/Europe
  • Hydrodynamic drive components in forestry tractors and current alternatives
  • Analysis of the German timber market structure
  • The development of early tractor technology (1945 to 1965) in the German forestry industry
  • Timber transport at the Teutoburger Wald-Eisenbahn-AG
  • Relationship between tensile angle and tensile force for horse-drawn equipment
  • Foundations of "Precision Farming" and its transferability to forestry issues
  • The use of swap flats for timber transport in the German forestry and wood industry
  • The RSI syndrome: description, causes and individual disposition of a disease also diagnosed among forest workers
  • Use of pine heartwood quantification for core and sapwood partitioning
  • Importance of rejuvenation measures in selected state forestry administrations

Publikationen