DAVIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, NATURAL RESOURCES & DESIGN
DIVISION OF FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Division of Forestry and Natural Resources

Ben Dawson-Andoh

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Benjamin Dawson-Andoh, PhD

Professor of Wood Science and Technology

Contact Information

West Virginia University
Division of Forestry and Natural Resources
PO Box 6125, Morgantown, WV 26506-6125

Telephone: (304) 293-8750
Fax: (304) 293-2441
Email: bdawsona@wvu.edu

Education

Ph.D, 1989, University of British Columbia; BC, Canada

Professional Employment

Professor of Wood Science, West Virginia University (2011-Present)

Assistant Professor of Wood Science, West Virginia University (1995-2011)

Research Scientist, Forintek Canada Corp, Ottawa and Quebec City, Canada (1991-1994)

Research Associate – Dept. of Forest Products, Oregon State University (1989-1991)

Courses Taught

WDSC 251, Forest Products Protection (Team taught)

WDSC 237, Wood Adhesion and Finishing

WDSC 201, Wood Industries Field Trip

FOR 170B/470C, Management of Global Renewable Resources (Team taught)

WDSC 213, Wood Chemistry (To be taught in future)

Research Interests

Wood microbiology, wood chemistry, wood and microbial biochemistry, wood biodeterioration and preservation, environmental impact of wood processing, application of biotechnology to manufacture of forest products.

Research Focus

Wood biodetrioration and preservation/wood and microbial biochemistry/application of biotechnology to manufacture of forest products

  1. Mechanism of copper tolerance of wood inhabiting microrganisms
  2. Effect of extractives and sugars on fixation of CCA in hardwoods
  3. Bioenhancement of penetration of waterborne preservatives in hardwoods
  4. Mechanism of wood decay be brown rot fungi
  5. Mechanism of chemical discoloration in hardwoods during drying
  6. Selective adsorption of copper, chromium and arsenic by microbial biomass
  7. Bioprotection of hardwoods from from mould and sapstain
  8. Use of magnetic resonance imaging and environmental scanning microscopy as a tool in wood science research
Environmental Impact of wood processing

  1. Factors that influence leaching of wood preservative from treated wood in both soil and aquatic environments
  2. Characterization of VOCS produced during drying of hardwoods
  3. Potential environmental impact of VOCs produced during drying of hardwoods

Professional Affiliations

Selected Publications

Filson P. B., Dawson-Andoh B. E. and Schwegler-Berry D. 2008. Enzymatic-mediated production of cellulose nanocrystals from recycled pulp. Cellulose. . Under review.

Adedipe E. A. and B. Dawson-Andoh. 2008. Predicting moisture of Yellow-Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) veneer using Near Infrared spectroscopy. Forest Products Journal. 58 (4): 28-33.

Adedipe E. O., Dawson-Andoh B., Slahor J. and L. Osborn. 2008. Classification of Red Oak (Quercus rubra) and White Oak (Quercus alba) wood using a NIR spectroscopy. Journal of Wood Science and Technologyctrometer and soft independent modeling of class analogies. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy.16 (1): 49-57.

Adebola A. B, Dawson-Andoh B.,George B. P., Nkansah K. and C. Medley. 2008. Adsorption and desorption behavior of some commercial wood plastic composites. Forest Products Journal. Forest Products Journal. 58 (9): 32-36.

Adedipe E. O. and B. Dawson-Andoh. 2008. Prediction of Yellow-Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) veneer stiffness and bulk density using NIR spectrometer coupled with multivariate calibration. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy. To be published in Volume 16. Xxx-xxx.

Filson P. and B. Dawson-Andoh. 2008. Sonochemical preparation of cellulose nanocrystals from lignocelluloses materials Bioresource Technology Journal. In Press.

Filson P, Dawson-Andoh B, and L. Matuana. 2008. Colorimetric and vibrational spectroscopic characterization of weathered surfaces of wood and rigid polyvinyl chloride-wood flour composite lumber. Journal of Wood Science and Technology. Accepted September 2008.

Dawson-Andoh B., and L. Matuana. 2007. High density polyethylene-wood flour composite lumber: efficacy of two proprietary biocides in the control of fungal colonization and discoloration. Holz als Roh- und Werkstoff. 65:331-334.

Dawson-Andoh B., Matuana L. and Harrison. 2005. Susceptibility of high density polyethylene/wood-flour composite to mold discoloration. Journal of the Institute of Wood Science 17 (2): 114-119.

Slahor J., Osborn L, Cesa E., Dawson-Andoh B., Lang E. and S. Gruschecky. 2005. Using a hot water bath as an alternative phytosanitation method for wood packing material. Forest Products Journal. 55 (4): 59-61.

Dawson-Andoh B., Matuana L. and J. Harrison. 2005. Mold susceptibility of Rigid PVC/Wood Flour Composites. Journal of Vinyl & Additive Technology. 10 (4): 179-186.

Mikluscak M. R. and B. Dawson-Andoh. 2005. Microbial colonizers of freshly sawn yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipera L.) lumber in two seasons. Part 3: Yeasts. Holzforschung 59 (3): 364-369.