PEER-REVIEWED REVIEW ARTICLE bioresources.com Teng et al. (2018). “Nanoprotection of wood: Review,” BioResources 13(4), 9220-9252. 9220 Conventional Technology and Nanotechnology in Wood Preservation: A Review Teck-Jin Teng, a Mohamad Nasir Mat Arip, b, * Kumar Sudesh, c Anna Nemoikina, d Zaihan Jalaludin, b Eng-Poh Ng, e and Hooi-Ling Lee a, * Wood products are usually treated with wood preservatives to protect them from deterioration. Pressure or non-pressure preservative treatments can be utilized to incorporate biocide into the wood, depending on the applications of the end-products. Thermal and chemical modifications of wood represent alternative treatments that enhance the dimensional properties of wood and provide biological resistance. However, there is also a current trend to apply nanotechnology for wood preservation. Nanomaterials with unique properties can enhance the performance of wood preservatives, thereby increasing the service lifetime of the wood products. Nanotechnology can be applied for this purpose through impregnation of wood with a suspension of metallic nanoparticles, or through encapsulation of biocide with nanocarriers. Additionally, various nanomaterials also can be used in wood modification, especially coating treatment to provide superior service ability. Nevertheless, more studies are required to provide guidelines regarding the safety upon application of nanomaterials. This review will give an overview of current wood preservation techniques. Additionally, this paper examines current research on how nanotechnology is being applied for wood preservation. Keywords: Nanotechnology; Preservative treatments; Wood modification; Wood preservation; Wood preservatives Contact information: a: Nanomaterials Research Group, School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia; b: Forest Products Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia, 52109 Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia; c: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia; d: Laboratory of Biopolymers and Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, Tomsk State University, 634050 Tomsk, Russia; e: School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia; *Corresponding authors: mnasir@frim.gov.my; hllee@usm.my INTRODUCTION Wood is one of mankind’s most valuable and useful natural resources. It plays an important role in various human activities, such as the construction and furnishing of building interiors. However, wood is prone to degradation caused by numerous organisms and abiotic factors. When wood is exposed to moisture and weathering conditions, fungi and insects can consume the lignocellulose component in wood (Upreti and Pandey 2005; Wong et al. 2014). A 10% weight loss due to fungal attack resulted in losing more than 50% strength of wood (Ross 2010). Consequently, various wood preservation methods have been developed to increase the service lifetime of wood, thereby reducing replacement costs and allowing for more efficient use of wood in many applications. The most common wood preservation method involves the application of preservative chemicals (Okorski et al. 2015). Factors such as the treatment methods, type of preservatives used, degree of penetration, and retention of the preservatives on wood all contribute to the level of protection achieved by each particular treatment (Coggins 2008).