scholarly journals Effect of Moderate Temperature Thermal Modification Combined with Wax Impregnation on Wood Properties

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (22) ◽  
pp. 8231
Author(s):  
Jing-Wen Zhang ◽  
Hong-Hai Liu ◽  
Lin Yang ◽  
Tian-Qi Han ◽  
Qin Yin

Thermal modification (TM) improves the hydrophobicity, dimensional stability, and durability of wood, but TM commonly results in severe color change and mechanical strength loss as wood is treated at higher temperature. In this study, Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz wood was thermally modified at moderate temperature (150 °C) and higher temperature (200 °C), and subsequently TM wood at 150 °C was subjected to wax impregnation (WI), the effect of a combination of TM and WI on the hygroscopicity, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties, as well as the micro-structure of wood, were investigated and compared. The results showed that the mass loss of wood was slight at 150 °C TM, while it became severe at 200 °C TM conditions. TM conditions affected the amount of the subsequent wax impregnation; the equilibrium moisture content (EMC), water absorption ratio, and adsorption and absorption swelling of the 150 °C TM + WI group were lower than that of 200 °C TM, and presented the lowest value. Moderate temperature TM could improve the hydrophobicity and dimensional stability of wood, but WI played a key role in the improvement. TM decreased the modulus of rupture (MOR) of wood, while WI improved the MOR. TM increased the modulus of elasticity (MOE) of wood, but WI had little effect on MOE; Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation showed that the wax was successfully impregnated into the wood interior, and presented an even distribution on the internal surfaces of wood cells; Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra verified the changes of –OH and C=O after TM and TM + WI, which contributed to decreasing hygroscopicity and improving the dimensional stability of the wood. Impregnated wax improved wood mechanical strength, but decreased the lightness, and deepened the color of wood. The combination of thermal modification at moderate temperature with subsequent wax impregnation is a practical approach for improving wood properties.

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Jhon F. Herrera-Builes ◽  
Víctor Sepúlveda-Villarroel ◽  
Jairo A. Osorio ◽  
Linette Salvo-Sepúlveda ◽  
Rubén A. Ananías

This study deals with the effect of heat treatment on Pinus oocarpa specimens from forest plantations in Colombia. The effects of two heat treatments at 170 and 190 °C for 2.5 h in saturated vapor were evaluated based on the color, dimensional stability, air-dry and basic densities, modulus of elasticity (MOE), and modulus of rupture (MOR) in static bending of samples. The evaluations were carried out following the Colombian Technical Standards NTC 290 and 663, and the color changes resulting from heat treatments were monitored using the CIE-Lab, as well as other standards from the literature. The results show that there was 2.4% and 3.3% mass loss of wood modified at 170 and 190 °C, respectively. The air-dry and basic densities were higher in 170 °C treatment than after 190 °C treatment, and the thermal modifications applied increased the dimensional stability of the treated wood. After treatment at 170 and 190 °C, the lightness to darkness (L*) was reduced by 10% and 22%; the a* coordinate increased by 11% and 26%, causing redness in the treated wood; the b* coordinate increased by 14% and 17%; and the values of the wood color saturation (c*) increased by 14% and 18%, respectively. The general color change (ΔE*) increased gradually with the increase in the treatment temperature, resulting in a high color change to a very different color. The bending strength of thermally modified wood was improved and significantly increased to values higher than those of unmodified Pinus oocarpa wood. The high air-dry and basic densities, improved dimensional stability and resistance to bending, and attractive appearance of the treated wood indicate that thermal modification is a promising alternative for the transformation of Pinus oocarpa wood into a raw material with a high added value.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 6643
Author(s):  
Lin Yang ◽  
Honghui Jin

Eucalyptus plantations wood have great potential application in high quality solid wood product. In order to improve the overall characteristics, heat treatments (HT) were carried out using Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake wood at 150, 170 and 190 °C, for 2 and 4 h, separately. The effects of HT on physical and mechanical properties, wood color, dimensional stability and chemical change were investigated. The results indicate that: Mass loss (ML) of wood at a moderate temperature of 150 °C was small, but increased remarkably when temperature exceeds 170 °C. A maximum ML of 5.83% was observed at 190 °C/4 h; the velocity of water vapor adsorption and equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of HT wood decreased significantly, and varied considerably with treating severity; absolute dry density of HT wood decreased, presenting a similar tendency with ML, but the reduction was greater than ML; HT reduced the tangential and radial swelling ratio and swelling coefficients of wood, and improved the dimensional stability by 71.88% at 190 °C; modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of HT wood varied significantly in severer conditions, but there were no obvious changes in a moderate conditions at 150 °C; there was a slight color change at 150 °C, but wood color became more dark and uniform with treating severity; HT decreased the relative content of hydroxyl groups in wood components, improving wood dimensional stability. Color change of wood may be caused by variations of chromophoric groups and its own structure of lignin due to HT. Moderate temperature HT at 150 °C improved dimensional stability and color uniform of wood, but without reducing mechanical stress. This is a practical HT condition for Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
F.A. Faruwa ◽  
K. Duru

The study investigated the use of thermal modification to improve the hygroscopic properties of False Iroko [Antiaris toxicaria (Lesch)]. Samples of Antiaris toxicara Lesch wood were subjected to thermal modification in a furnace at temperatures of 160, 180 and 200°C for 30 and 60 minutes. Results showed that wood properties were improved with exposure to different temperatures. Subsequent to the thermal process, a colour change from pale yellow to darkish brown was observed progressively with increase in temperature, accompanied by a weight loss in the range of 12.08% to 23.67%. The outcome of these treatments resulted in a decrease in volumetric swelling and increase in dimensional stability of modified wood; this can be attributed to observed decrease in moisture intake. The thermal modification of Antiaris toxicara Lesch wood affected the dimensional stability properties. Thus, due to significant changes via modification carried out on the selected species which is classified as lesser utilized wood species, lesser utilized wood,Antiaristoxicara Lesch wood is recommended for use due to its efficient dimensional stability after modification . keywords:, Thermally modified wood ;False Iroko


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Yang ◽  
Hong-Hai Liu

Wood is an environmentally friendly material, but some natural properties limit its wide application. To study the effect of a combination of heat treatment (HT) and wax impregnation (WI) on wood hygroscopicity, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties, samples of Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz wood were subjected to HT at a moderate temperature of 120 °C and a high temperature of 180 °C, for a 4 h duration. Subsequently, half of the 120 °C HT samples were treated with WI at 90 °C. The results showed that 180 °C HT and WI decreased the capacity of adsorption and liquid water uptake and swelled the wood significantly, while WI had the biggest reduction. The effect of 120 °C HT was significant only on decreasing the capacity of adsorption and the swelling of liquid water uptake. The bending strength (MOR) of wood decreased only after 180 °C HT, and 120 °C/4h HT and WI had no significant influence on MOR. The bending stiffness (MOE) increased significantly after 180 °C HT and WI, while 120 °C/4h HT had no significant influence on MOE. Therefore, the combination of moderate-temperature HT can act synergistically in the improvement of certain aspects of wood properties such as capacity of water adsorption and liquid water uptake. WI effectively improved wood hygroscopicity, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties.


BioResources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 8065-8084
Author(s):  
Carolina Tenorio ◽  
Roger Moya

Alnus acuminata, Vochysia ferruginea, and Vochysia guatemalensis are three low-density wood species used for reforestation in Costa Rica. The goal of this work was to study a thermo-hydro-mechanical densification process and test the characteristics of densified wood of these species. Twelve densifying treatments based on temperature, compression time, and use/no use of steam were tested. The variables of the densification process and the properties of the densified wood were determined. The results showed that the densification percentage was over 80% for wood of A. acuminata and over 70% for wood of V. ferruginea and V. guatemalensis. In the three species, the densification process was influenced by initial density. The influence of temperature during the densification process affected the heating rate and color change. An increase in the modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture in static bending and in the hardness of the densified wood relative to the normal wood was observed, as well as a clear positive correlation of the properties with final density and maximum load, the latter being highly correlated with initial density. This showed that initial density was significant in the densification process and affects wood properties.


Wood Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 556-568
Author(s):  
JIAPENG WANG ◽  
ZHENJU BI ◽  
ZHANGJING CHEN ◽  
LI YAN ◽  
YAFANG LEI

The cinnamaldehyde, salicylic acid, stearolic acid and citric acid were plant-derived organic compounds that can be activated to fungi, that could degrade the wood in long term. The compounds with concentrations of 3%, 5% and 7% assisted by different dispersants were impregnated into poplar (Populus nigra L.) specimens by the vacuum-pressure method. After that, weight percentage gain (WPG), decay resistance against white-rot fungi (Trametes versicolor) and brown-rot fungi (Gloeophyllum trabeum), color change, dimensional stability and mechanical properties including modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) were measured. The results indicated that cinnamaldehyde impregnated poplar showed antifungi activity against both G. trabeumand T. versicolor, and citric acid impregnated poplar showed antifungi activity against G. trabeum. The color of poplar specimens before and after impregnated cinnamaldehyde and citric acid had a little change, dimensional stability had been improved and mechanical properties especially for MOR increased significantly.


BioResources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 4802-4822
Author(s):  
Roger Moya ◽  
Johanna Gaitán-Álvarez ◽  
Alexander Berrocal ◽  
Fabio Araya

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of the precipitation of CaCO3 via subsequential in-situ mineral formation based on a solution-exchange process of two solution-exchange cycles via impregnation with CaCl2 in ethanol and NaHCO3 in water. The effects were investigated in terms of the structure of the wood and the thermal, physical, mechanical, and decay resistance properties of nine species commonly used in commercial reforestation in Costa Rica. The thermogravimetric analysis results showed that the woods with the highest formation of CaCO3 showed a more pronounced signal at 200 °C in relation to untreated/wood; therefore, they were more thermostable. The fire-retardancy test showed that flame time in CaCO3/wood composites was longer than for untreated/wood in half of the species tested, presenting a positive effect of mineralization. Wood density, decay resistance, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) in flexion, and MOR in compression were slightly affected by mineralization. Water absorption increased, but it had no negative effect on the dimensional stability. In general, mineralization can be a chemical treatment to increase the dimensional stability and fire resistance of hardwood species without modifying the wood’s physical and mechanical properties.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manzar Abbas ◽  
Ilona Peszlen ◽  
Rui Shi ◽  
Hoon Kim ◽  
Rui Katahira ◽  
...  

Abstract Cellulose synthase A genes (CesAs) are responsible for cellulose biosynthesis in plant cell walls. In this study, functions of secondary wall cellulose synthases PtrCesA4, PtrCesA7-A/B and PtrCesA8-A/B were characterized during wood formation in Populus trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray). CesA RNAi knockdown transgenic plants exhibited stunted growth, narrow leaves, early necrosis, reduced stature, collapsed vessels, thinner fiber cell walls and extended fiber lumen diameters. In the RNAi knockdown transgenics, stems exhibited reduced mechanical strength, with reduced modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE). The reduced mechanical strength may be due to thinner fiber cell walls. Vessels in the xylem of the transgenics were collapsed, indicating that water transport in xylem may be affected and thus causing early necrosis in leaves. A dramatic decrease in cellulose content was observed in the RNAi knockdown transgenics. Compared with wildtype, the cellulose content was significantly decreased in the PtrCesA4, PtrCesA7 and PtrCesA8 RNAi knockdown transgenics. As a result, lignin and xylem contents were proportionally increased. The wood composition changes were confirmed by solid-state NMR, two-dimensional solution-state NMR and sum-frequency-generation vibration (SFG) analyses. Both solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and SFG analyses demonstrated that knockdown of PtrCesAs did not affect cellulose crystallinity index. Our results provided the evidence for the involvement of PtrCesA4, PtrCesA7-A/B and PtrCesA8-A/B in secondary cell wall formation in wood and demonstrated the pleiotropic effects of their perturbations on wood formation.


Holzforschung ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Liu ◽  
A.W.C. Lee

Summary This study was conducted to explore basic physical and mechanical properties of parallel strand lumber (PSL) made exclusively from southern pine and yellow-poplar, respectively, and to examine their relationships using statistical analysis. Small specimens were prepared from commercial southern pine PSL and yellow-poplar PSL billets and tested for specific gravity, moisture content, dimensional stability, bending properties, shear strength and compressive strength. Results indicate average specific gravity of southern pine PSL is higher than that of yellow-poplar PSL, while their average moisture content and dimensional stability are very similar. Southern pine PSL has higher average modulus of elasticity but lower average modulus of rupture than yellow-poplar PSL. While average longitudinal shear strength does not exhibit differences between southern pine PSL and yellow-poplar PSL, average compressive strength of southern pine PSL is higher than that of yellow-poplar PSL. There are positive correlations among modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture and specific gravity. PSL improves some properties of solid wood from which PSL is made.


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