Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Decay resistance and dimensional stability improvement of wood by low melting point alloy heat treatment

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Forestry Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Wood has no inherent natural resistance against agents of biodegradation. We evaluated the effects of metal bath heat treatment (MBHT) on decay resistance and dimensional stability of Chinese parasol (Firmiana simplex) and Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) wood. A low melting point alloy was used as heating medium in the treatment of the wood samples at 150, 180, and 210 °C for 2, 4, and 8 h. Heat-treated and control samples were exposed to brown rot fungus (Poria placenta) and white rot fungus (Coriolus versicolor) for decay resistance testing and anti-swelling efficiency (ASE). The improved decay resistance with increase temperatures with low mass losses of 7.3 and 7.3% for F. simplex, and 3.9 and 3.6% for C. lanceolata at 210 °C for 8 h against Coriolus versicolor and Poria placenta, respectively. ASE indicated that MBHT contributed to improved dimensional stability of both wood species after treatment. Scanning electron micrograph results indicate that metal bath-treated samples showed strong decay resistance. Therefore, our approach to thermally modify wood should be explored to overcome the energy utilization by using low melting point alloy for the heat treatment of wood.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ASTM D 2017 (2005) Standard method of accelerated laboratory test of natural decay resistance of woods. West Conshohocken

  • Bazyar B (2012) Decay resistance and physical properties of oil heat treated aspen wood. BioResources 7(1):0696–0705

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boonstra MJ, Rijsdijk JF, Sander C, Kegel E, Tjeerdsma B, Militz H, Van Acker J, Stevens M (2006) Microstructural and physical aspects of heat treated wood. Part 1. Softwoods. Maderas. Ciencia y tecnología 8(3):193–208

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boonstra M, Van Acker J, Kegel E, Stevens M (2007) Optimisation of a two-stage heat treatment process: durability aspects. Wood Sci Technol 41(1):31–57

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Burmester A (1981) Dimensional stabilisation of wood. The International Research Group on Wood Preservation. Document no. IRG/WP, 3171

  • Calonego FW, Severo ETD, Furtado EL (2010) Decay resistance of thermally-modified Eucalyptus grandis wood at 140°C, 160°C, 180°C, 200°C and 220°C. Bioresour Technol 101(23):9391–9394

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Candelier K, Dumarçay S, Pétrissans A, Gérardin P, Pétrissans M (2013) Comparison of mechanical properties of heat treated beech wood cured under nitrogen or vacuum. Polydegrad Stab 98(9):1762–1765

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chaouch M, Pétrissans M, Pétrissans A, Gérardin P (2010) Use of wood elemental composition to predict heat treatment intensity and decay resistance of different softwood and hardwood species. Polym Degrad Stab 95(12):2255–2259

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Fan Y, Gao J, Stark NM (2012) The effect of heat treatment on the chemical and color change of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) wood flour. BioResources 7(1):1157–1170

    Google Scholar 

  • Cho CH, Lee KH, Kim JS (2008) Micromorphological characteristics of bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) fibers degraded by a brown rot fungus (Gloeophyllum trabeum). J Wood Sci 54(3):261–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Vetter L, Van Acker J (2005) Standard testing of organosilicon compounds as wood modification agents. In: Wood modification: processes, properties and commercialisation. The second European conference on wood modification. 6th–7th October, pp 232–241

  • Del Menezzi CHS, de Souza RQ, Thompson RM, Teixeira DE, Okino EYA, da Costa AF (2008) Properties after weathering and decay resistance of a thermally modified wood structural board. Int Biodeterior Biodegrad 62(4):448–454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dirol D, Guyonnet R (1993a) The improvement of wood durability by retification process. In: The International Research Groups on Wood Preservation. Document no. IRG/WP 93-40015, Section 4. 24 Annual meeting, May, pp 16–21

  • Dirol D, Guyonnet R (1993b) The improvment of wood durability by retification process. In: The International Research Group on Wood Preservation_Section 4_Report prepared for the 24 Annual Meeting, pp 1–11

  • Dong Y, Yan Y, Wang K, Li J, Zhang S, Xia C, Shi SQ, Cai L (2016) Improvement of water resistance, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties of poplar wood by rosin impregnation. Eur J Wood Wood Prod 74(2):177–184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dubey MK, Pang S, Walker J (2012) Oil uptake by wood during heat-treatment and post-treatment cooling, and effects on wood dimensional stability. Eur J Wood Wood Prod 70(1–3):183–190

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erakhrumen A (2014) Assessing the effectiveness of neem seed oil-treatment for split-bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) against Pycnoporus sanguineus based on tensile strength properties. J Am Bamboo Soc 36

  • Esteves B, Domingos I, Pereira H (2008) Pine wood modification by heat treatment in air. BioResources 3(1):142–154

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Esteves B, Videira R, Pereira H (2011) Chemistry and ecotoxicity of heat-treated pine wood extractives. Wood Sci Technol 45(4):661–676

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • GB/T 13942.1-2009 Chinese Standard of Durability of wood. Part 1: method for laboratory test of natural decay resistance. The People’s Republic of China

  • Hakkou M, Pétrissans M, Gérardin P, Zoulalian A (2006) Investigations of the reasons for fungal durability of heat-treated beech wood. Polym Degrad Stab 91(2):393–397

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hill CA (2006) Modifying the properties of wood. Wood modification: chemical, thermal and other processes, San Francisco, pp 19–44

  • Hill CA (2007) Wood modification: chemical, thermal and other processes. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill CA, Farahani MM, Hale MD (2004) The use of organo alkoxysilane coupling agents for wood preservation. Holzforschung 58(3):316–325

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Homan WJ, Jorissen AJ (2004) Wood modification developments. Heron 49(4):360–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang X (2012) Study on the degradation mechanism of heat-treated. Doctoral dissertation, Chicoutimi, University of Quebec

  • Inari GN, Pétrissans M, Pétrissans A, Gérardin P (2009) Elemental composition of wood as a potential marker to evaluate heat treatment intensity. Polym Degrad Stab 94(3):365–368

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jesus MAD, Morais JWD, Abreu R, Cardias MDFC (1998) Durabilidade natural de 46 espécies de madeira amazônica em contato com o solo em ambiente florestal

  • Kamdem D, Pizzi A, Jermannaud A (2002) Durability of heat-treated wood. Holz als Roh-und Werkstoff 60(1):1–6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim GH, Yun KE, Kim JJ (1998) Effect of heat treatment on the decay resistance and the bending properties of radiata pine sapwood. Mater Org 32(2)

  • Kocaefe D, Chaudhry B, Poncsak S, Bouazara M, Pichette A (2007) Thermogravimetric study of high temperature treatment of aspen: effect of treatment parameters on weight loss and mechanical properties. J Mater Sci 42(3):854–866

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mai C, Militz H (2004) Modification of wood with silicon compounds. Treatment systems based on organic silicon compounds—a review. Wood Sci Technol 37(6):453–461

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Militz H (2002) Heat treatment technologies in Europe: scientific background and technological state-of-art. In: Proceedings of conference on” enhancing the durability of lumber and engineered wood products”, February, pp 11–13

  • Militz H, Tjeerdsma B (2001) Heat treatment of wood by the “Plato-Process”. In: Rapp AO (ed) Review on heat treatments of wood. BFH, Hamburg, pp 25–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Momohara I, Ohmura W, Kato H, Kubojima Y (2003) Effect of high-temperature treatment on wood durability against the Brown-rot fungus, Fomitopsis palustris, and the térmite, Coptotermes formosanus. In: 8th international IUFRO wood drying conference, pp 284-287

  • R Core Team (2014) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. http://www.R-project.org/

  • Rapp A (2001) Review on heat treatments of wood. In: Proceedings of special seminar, Antibes, France

  • Scheiding W, Direske M, Zauer M (2016) Water absorption of untreated and thermally modified sapwood and heartwood of Pinus sylvestris L. Eur J Wood Prod 74(4):585–589

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stamm AJ, Baechler R (1960) Decay resistance and dimensional stability of five modified woods. For Prod J 10(1):22–26

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Šušteršic Ž, Mohareb A, Chaouch M, Pétrissans M, Petrič M, Gérardin P (2010) Prediction of the decay resistance of heat treated wood on the basis of its elemental composition. Polym Degrad Stab 95(1):94–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tjeerdsma B, Boonstra M, Pizzi A, Tekely P, Militz H (1998) Characterisation of thermally modified wood: molecular reasons for wood performance improvement. Holz als Roh-und Werkstoff 56(3):149–153

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tjeerdsma B, Stevens M, Militz H, Van Acker J (2002) Effect of process conditions on moisture content and decay resistance of hydro-thermally treated wood, Holz. Holzverwert 5:94–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Viitanen H, Jämsä S, Paajanen L, Nurmi A, Viitaniemi P (1994) The effect of heat treatment on the properties of spruce. A preliminary report. Document-the International Research Group on Wood Preservation, Sweden

  • Weiland JJ, Guyonnet R (2003) Study of chemical modifications and fungi degradation of thermally modified wood using DRIFT spectroscopy. Holz als Roh-und Werkstoff 61(3):216–220

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Welzbacher C, Rapp A (2002) Comparison of thermally modified wood originating from four industrial scale processes-durability. The International Research Group on Wood Preservation. Document no. IRG/WP, 02-40229

  • Welzbacher RC, Brischke C, Rapp A (2007) Influence of treatment temperature and duration on selected biological, mechanical, physical and optical properties of thermally modified timber. Wood Mater Sci Eng 2(2):66–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China

    Kufre Edet Okon, Fengcai Lin, Yandan Chen & Biao Huang

  2. Department of Forestry and Natural Environmental Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, P. M. B. 1017, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

    Kufre Edet Okon

Authors
  1. Kufre Edet Okon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fengcai Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yandan Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Biao Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Biao Huang.

Additional information

Project Funding: This work was financially supported by the Special Scientific Research Fund for Public Service Sectors of Forestry (Grant No. 201504603), Science and Technology Projects of Fujian Province (2014NZ003) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31370560, 31170520).

The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com

Corresponding Editor: Yu Lei.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Okon, K.E., Lin, F., Chen, Y. et al. Decay resistance and dimensional stability improvement of wood by low melting point alloy heat treatment. J. For. Res. 29, 1797–1805 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0537-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0537-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation