Application of Image Processing Programs in Color Analysis of Wood Photodegradation

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted science educators and students to improvise  experimental setups and methodologies in analyzing various physical phenomena. Image  processing programs can be a valuable tool to the scientific community, especially for those  working from home or to those who do not have access to laboratory equipment. In the study of wood, image processing programs are useful in color analysis to quantitatively observe any color  changes in a given wood type due to prolonged ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. Aside from  structural changes based on chemical analysis, color change assessment can also be employed  to check any extent of degradation on wood without the need for sophisticated analytical  instrument.  

In the article ‘Application of Image Processing Programs in Color Analysis of Wood Photodegradation’ (Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2022), Mr. Gabriel Joseph D. Plata (ADMU alumnus), and Assistant Professor Ramon M. delos Santos (ADMU, Department of Physics) utilized a commercially available 100-Watt UV germicidal lamp to facilitate artificial wood degradation in an improvised photodegradation setup. Wood samples from the Philippine mahogany species Shorea polysperma, locally known as Tanguile or Tangile, were exposed to  UV light at three different time intervals. The authors took images of the wood samples, before and after exposure, using a smartphone as an affordable digital camera. They performed color  analysis using ImageJ software coupled with the Colormath library, which are free and are readily  available online. 

The researchers found that the Tanguile wood samples became darker, regardless of the  exposure time. The overall color change was quantified for each sample with varying exposure  times. At the maximum exposure time, the calculated value indicated appreciable color change  according to the criteria from previous conventional studies on wood photodegradation. To  support the color change measurements, a standard characterization technique involving  chemical analysis was also employed.  

In conclusion, the use of image processing programs in color analysis can be a reliable alternative to probe wood photodegradation. As shown in this research, color analysis can be successfully conducted using ImageJ and Colormath library software for a simple, work-from-home setup. The results of this study are not only useful in the academe but may also be beneficial to the wood industry. As of this writing, there is a dearth of scientific studies involving photodegradation of wood from the Philippine mahogany species Shorea polysperma.

Ramon M. delos Santos is a faculty member of the Department of Physics since 2011. He attended University of the Philippines-Baguio for his undergraduate double degree in Physics-Mathematics, and joined the faculty ranks thereafter. He earned his M. Sc. and Ph.D. in Physics from the National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines-Diliman. Dr. delos Santos has published research on nanomaterials, terahertz photonics, and nonlinear optics. He also served as a project staff of the Action Research to Innovate Science Teaching (ARTIST) project, funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ program. Currently, he is the OIC of the Ateneo Photonics Laboratory where he engages in research related to Optics topics with instrumentation in STEM and Physics education. 

For this study, he was joined by Mr. Gabriel Joseph D. Plata as his undergraduate thesis student. At present, Mr. Plata is a Research Assistant of the Ateneo Research on Optical Sciences, Engineering, and Systems Laboratory, Department of Physics.

View the journal article in the Scopus Database

Explore more of the author's work on the Ateneo Institutional Repository and the Ateneo Experts Gallery.