Humin based resin for wood modification and property improvement

Improving the environmental performance of resins in wood treatment by using renewable chemicals has been a topic of interest for a long time. At the same time, lignin, the second most abundant biomass on earth, is produced in large scale as a side product and mainly used energetically. The use of lignin in wood adhesives or for wood modification has received a lot of scientific attention. Despite this, there are only few lignin-derived wood products commercially available. This review provides a summary of the research on lignin application in wood adhesives, as well as for wood modification. The research on the use of uncleaved lignin and of cleavage products of lignin is reviewed. Finally, the current state of the art of commercialization of lignin-derived wood products is presented.

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Environmental Impact of Wood Modification

Coatings ◽

10.3390/coatings11030366 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 366

Author(s):

Callum Hill ◽

Mark Hughes ◽

Daniel Gudsell

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Wood Products ◽

Flow Dynamics ◽

Life Extension ◽

Published Data ◽

The Public ◽

Wood Modification ◽

Environmental Product Declarations ◽

The Impact ◽

Modified Wood

The modification of wood involves extra processing over and above what is associated with un-modified material and this will involve an associated environmental impact. There is now a body of information on this due to the presence in the public domain of a number of environmental product declarations (EPDs). Using these data, it is possible to determine what the extra impact associated with the modification is. The process of modification results in a life extension of the product, which has implications regarding the storage of sequestered atmospheric carbon in the harvested wood products (HWP) materials’ pool and also extended maintenance cycles (e.g., longer periods between applying coatings). Furthermore, the life extension benefits imparted by wood modification need to be compared with the use of other technologies, such as conventional wood preservatives. This paper analysed the published data from a number of sources (peer-reviewed literature, published EPDs, databases) to compare the impacts associated with different modification technologies. The effect of life extension was examined by modelling the carbon flow dynamics of the HWP pool and determining the effect of different life extension scenarios. Finally, the paper examined the impact of different coating periods, and the extensions thereof, imparted by the use of different modified wood substrates.

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Macrobiological Degradation of Esterified Wood with Sorbitol and Citric Acid

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11070776 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 776 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andreas Treu ◽

Lina Nunes ◽

Erik Larnøy

Keyword(s):

Citric Acid ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Field Trials ◽

Wood Products ◽

Choice Test ◽

Subterranean Termites ◽

Protective Properties ◽

Wood Modification ◽

Wood Protection ◽

Marine Applications

There is a need for new solutions in wood protection against marine wood borers and termites in Europe. A new solution could be the esterification of wood with sorbitol and citric acid (SCA) since these are inexpensive and readily available feedstock chemicals and have shown protective properties against fungal wood degradation in earlier studies and prevented macrobiological degradation, as shown in this study. Protection of wood products in the marine environment lacks available wood preservatives that are approved for marine applications. Termite infestation is opposed mainly by biocide treatments of wood. Several wood modification systems show high resistance against both marine borers and subterranean termites. However, the existing commercialized wood modification products are costly. Both macrobiological forms of degradation represent a great threat for most European wood species, which are rapidly and severely degraded if not properly treated. This study investigated esterified wood in standard field trials against marine wood borers, and against subterranean termites in laboratory trials in a no-choice and choice test. The treatment showed good resistance against wood borers in the marine environment after one season and against subterranean termites in the laboratory after eight weeks. The low termite survival rate (SR) in the no-choice test during the first week of testing indicates a mode of action that is incomparable to other wood modification treatments.

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Wood Modification as a Tool to Understand Moisture in Wood

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12030372 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 372

Author(s):

Emil Engelund Thybring ◽

Maria Fredriksson

Keyword(s):

Material Properties ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Experimental Methods ◽

Wood Products ◽

Wood Biomass ◽

Wood Chemistry ◽

Specific Chemical ◽

Wood Modification ◽

Wide Range

Moisture plays a central role in the performance of wood products because it affects important material properties such as the resistance to decomposition, the mechanical properties, and the dimensions. To improve wood performance, a wide range of wood modification techniques that alter the wood chemistry in various ways have been described in the literature. Typically, these modifications aim to improve resistance to decomposition, dimensional stability, or, to introduce novel functionalities in the wood. However, wood modification techniques can also be an important tool to improve our understanding of the interactions between wood and moisture. In this review, we describe current knowledge gaps in our understanding of moisture in wood and how modification has been and could be used to clarify some of these gaps. This review shows that introducing specific chemical changes, and even controlling the distribution of these, in combination with the variety of experimental methods available for characterization of moisture in wood, could give novel insights into the interaction between moisture and wood. Such insights could further contribute to applications in several related fields of research such as how to enhance the resistance to decomposition, how to improve the performance of moisture-induced wooden actuators, or how to improve the utilization of wood biomass with challenging swelling anisotropy.

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Outlook for modified wood use and regulations in circular economy

Holzforschung ◽

10.1515/hf-2019-0053 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 74 (4) ◽

pp. 334-343 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Henrik Heräjärvi ◽

Janni Kunttu ◽

Elias Hurmekoski ◽

Teppo Hujala

Keyword(s):

Circular Economy ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Resource Efficiency ◽

Wood Products ◽

The European Union ◽

Wood Modification ◽

Future Success ◽

The Future ◽

Market Opportunities ◽

Modified Wood

AbstractCircular economy may play a key role in the future success of modified wood products. The European Union (EU) aims toward a circular economy, i.e. increasing resource efficiency by waste minimization in production processes, cascade uses of materials, elimination of landfill wastes, and maximizing the value of raw materials. The policy has great expected impact across all sectors, and will influence countries with strong wood modification industries, such as Finland, Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands. It also means considerable economic efforts and sets transformation challenges to the societies and industries. Challenges have country-wise differences depending on production structure, environmental circumstances, local policies and regulations, as well as economic resources. This paper is an outlook of the renewed waste legislation in the EU, based on which it assesses the possible impacts of circular economy development on the future of wood modification. One of the key indicators for resource efficiency is € kg−1, which allows pursuing increased efficiency by minimizing material input (and waste) and/or by maximizing the value. In the case of modified wood, both of these approaches may be considered market opportunities, while the key challenge and the consequent need for action relate to improved waste management.

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On Wood–Water Interactions in the Over-Hygroscopic Moisture Range—Mechanisms, Methods, and Influence of Wood Modification

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10090779 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 779 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Maria Fredriksson

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Cell Walls ◽

Capillary Condensation ◽

Fungal Growth ◽

Moisture Sorption ◽

Wood Modification ◽

Hygroscopic Moisture ◽

Current State ◽

Relative Humidity Range ◽

Modified Wood

Wood is a hygroscopic material that absorbs and desorbs water to equilibrate to the ambient climate. Within material science, the moisture range from 0 to about 95–98% relative humidity is generally called the hygroscopic moisture range, while the exceeding moisture range is called the over-hygroscopic moisture range. For wood, the dominating mechanisms of moisture sorption are different in these two moisture ranges; in the hygroscopic range, water is primarily bound by hydrogen bonding in cell walls, and, in the over-hygroscopic range, water uptake mainly occurs via capillary condensation outside cell walls in macro voids such as cell lumina and pit chambers. Since large volumes of water can be taken up here, the moisture content in the over-hygroscopic range increases extensively in a very narrow relative humidity range. The over-hygroscopic range is particularly relevant for durability applications since fungal degradation occurs primarily in this moisture range. This review describes the mechanisms behind moisture sorption in the over-hygroscopic moisture range, methods that can be used to study the interactions between wood and water at these high humidity levels, and the current state of knowledge on interactions between modified wood and water. A lack of studies on interactions between modified wood and water in the over-hygroscopic range was identified, and the possibility of combining different methods to acquire information on amount, state, and location of water in modified wood at several well-defined high moisture states was pointed out. Since water potential is an important parameter for fungal growth, such studies could possibly give important clues concerning the mechanisms behind the increased resistance to degradation obtained by wood modification.

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Ectodesmata as Revealed By Freeze-Etch Preparations of Plant Epidermal Cell Walls

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100072782 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 468-469

Author(s):

N.C. Lyon ◽

W. C. Mueller

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Acetic Acid ◽

Nitric Acid ◽

Oxalic Acid ◽

Light Microscopy ◽

Epidermal Cell ◽

Cell Walls ◽

Plant Viruses ◽

Plant Leaves ◽

Thin Sections

Schumacher and Halbsguth first demonstrated ectodesmata as pores or channels in the epidermal cell walls in haustoria of Cuscuta odorata L. by light microscopy in tissues fixed in a sublimate fixative (30% ethyl alcohol, 30 ml:glacial acetic acid, 10 ml: 65% nitric acid, 1 ml: 40% formaldehyde, 5 ml: oxalic acid, 2 g: mecuric chloride to saturation 2-3 g). Other workers have published electron micrographs of structures transversing the outer epidermal cell in thin sections of plant leaves that have been interpreted as ectodesmata. Such structures are evident following treatment with Hg++ or Ag+ salts and are only rarely observed by electron microscopy. If ectodesmata exist without such treatment, and are not artefacts, they would afford natural pathways of entry for applied foliar solutions and plant viruses.

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An ultrastructural study of vegetative incompatibility in plants

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100083047 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 436-437

Author(s):

Randy Moore

Keyword(s):

Ultrastructural Study ◽

Cell Walls ◽

Growth And Development ◽

Solanum Pennellii ◽

Initial Product ◽

Basic Aspect ◽

Tissue Interactions ◽

Graft Interface ◽

Antigen Antibody ◽

Standard Fixation

Cell and tissue interactions are a basic aspect of eukaryotic growth and development. While cell-to-cell interactions involving recognition and incompatibility have been studied extensively in animals, there is no known antigen-antibody reaction in plants and the recognition mechanisms operating in plant grafts have been virtually neglected.An ultrastructural study of the Sedum telephoides/Solanum pennellii graft was undertaken to define possible mechanisms of plant graft incompatibility. Grafts were surgically dissected from greenhouse grown plants at various times over 1-4 weeks and prepared for EM employing variations in the standard fixation and embedding procedure. Stock and scion adhere within 6 days after grafting. Following progressive cell senescence in both Sedum and Solanum, the graft interface appears as a band of 8-11 crushed cells after 2 weeks (Fig. 1, I). Trapped between the buckled cell walls are densely staining cytoplasmic remnants and residual starch grains, an initial product of wound reactions in plants.

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Comparison of Substructures Between Uniaxial and Biaxial Deformation in 1100-0 Aluminum

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100096989 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

pp. 52-53

Author(s):

D. L. Rohr ◽

S. S. Hecker

Keyword(s):

Plastic Strain ◽

Cell Walls ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Mechanical Response ◽

Biaxial Tension ◽

Initial Deformation ◽

Uniaxial Deformation ◽

Biaxial Deformation ◽

Stress States ◽

Comprehensive Study

As part of a comprehensive study of microstructural and mechanical response of metals to uniaxial and biaxial deformations, the development of substructure in 1100 A1 has been studied over a range of plastic strain for two stress states.Specimens of 1100 aluminum annealed at 350 C were tested in uniaxial (UT) and balanced biaxial tension (BBT) at room temperature to different strain levels. The biaxial specimens were produced by the in-plane punch stretching technique. Areas of known strain levels were prepared for TEM by lapping followed by jet electropolishing. All specimens were examined in a JEOL 200B run at 150 and 200 kV within 24 to 36 hours after testing.The development of the substructure with deformation is shown in Fig. 1 for both stress states. Initial deformation produces dislocation tangles, which form cell walls by 10% uniaxial deformation, and start to recover to form subgrains by 25%. The results of several hundred measurements of cell/subgrain sizes by a linear intercept technique are presented in Table I.

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Cryosectioning plant roots prepared by high-pressure freezing

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100127748 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 662-663

Author(s):

R.E. Crang ◽

M. Mueller ◽

K. Zierold

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Cell Walls ◽

Plant Tissues ◽

Ice Crystal ◽

High Pressure Freezing ◽

Vitreous State ◽

Radial Depth ◽

Irregular Topography ◽

Considerable Depth ◽

Conventional Freezing

Obtaining frozen-hydrated sections of plant tissues for electron microscopy and microanalysis has been considered difficult, if not impossible, due primarily to the considerable depth of effective freezing in the tissues which would be required. The greatest depth of vitreous freezing is generally considered to be only 15-20 μm in animal specimens. Plant cells are often much larger in diameter and, if several cells are required to be intact, ice crystal damage can be expected to be so severe as to prevent successful cryoultramicrotomy. The very nature of cell walls, intercellular air spaces, irregular topography, and large vacuoles often make it impractical to use immersion, metal-mirror, or jet freezing techniques for botanical material.However, it has been proposed that high-pressure freezing (HPF) may offer an alternative to the more conventional freezing techniques, inasmuch as non-cryoprotected specimens may be frozen in a vitreous, or near-vitreous state, to a radial depth of at least 0.5 mm.

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