Optical properties of wood by laser spectroscopy

Optical properties of three Indonesian woods (Red Jabon, Kapur and Red Meranti) has been analyzed based on its photoluminescence (325 nm and 405 nm), reflectance and absorbance spectra. The sample thickness affected to the emission spectra. We found that lignin and cellulose were emitted around the UV (400 nm-500 nm) and visible (500 nm-600 nm) wavelength respectively. The amount of lignin exist in the wood are 25.68% for Red Jabon, 14.57% for Kapur and 27.93% for Red Meranti. This method shows high potentials for determining lignin for any kind of woods. (paper)