Reaction wood drying kinetics: tension wood in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus sylvatica</Emphasis> and compression wood in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea abies</Emphasis>

The drying kinetics of reaction woods in Picea abies (compression wood) and Fagus sylvatica (tension wood) in comparison with their corresponding normal woods was investigated under constant convective drying conditions. Moisture profiles along the thickness of small flat-sawn boards taken from reaction and opposite wood zones were evaluated using a polychromatic X-ray system, a non-destructive method. The results revealed substantial differences in the drying behavior between the reaction and opposite woods. Both reaction woods represented slower drying rate than their matching normal woods mainly during the period of free water loss. However, the reaction and opposite woods reached the final moisture content (MC) of about 12% at the same time due to higher initial MC in the opposite woods. In the case of reaction wood, it took a longer time for the moisture profile to become approximately uniform. Overall, a more striking difference was observed in the drying behavior of compression and opposite wood in P. abies. Some important anatomical differences like the cell and pit dimensions and their proportion give some explanations for these drying behaviors.     

Implementation of a relaxation equilibrium term in the convective boundary condition for a better representation of the transient bound water diffusion in wood

In this work, a relaxation term was added to the convective boundary condition to increase the accuracy of the transient bound water diffusion modeling in wood. The implemented term accounts for a relaxation time constant in the equilibrium moisture content. The inverse finite element analysis approach was used to determine the values of all coefficients of the modified diffusion model. This procedure was performed for beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) in the radial and longitudinal directions. The experimental data obtained by Perré et al. (2007) for transient diffusion configurations were used here. The accurate control of moist air parameters and the improved procedure for mass measurements of a sample during sorption experiments were used. The influence of the modification of the boundary condition on accuracy of diffusion modeling was analyzed.     

Some considerations in heterogeneous nonisothermal transport models for wood: a numerical study

This study compares a number of coupled heat and mass transfer models and presents numerical comparisons of phenomenological coefficients between the four models (Stanish, Perre, Pang, and Avramidis) that are most frequently used in the literature to describe wood-drying processes. The USDA sorption isotherm, the Hailwood-Horrobin model, was adopted to calculate the relations between moisture content in wood and water vapor pressure at any temperature. Due to different assumptions about the driving forces of heat and mass transfer, coefficients in each model represent different values for moisture content and temperature and are closely related to each other. In the case of isothermal mass transfer, the moisture diffusion coefficient in the transverse directions from the Stanish and Pang models increased with decreasing moisture content. This contradicts the Avramidis and Perre models and numerous experimental results. Thermal diffusion effects on the drying process may not be predominant because the nonisothermal state is relatively short. Therefore, the Perre model, which does not consider the thermal diffusion effect, has been used successfully in the drying simulation. However, it may be erroneous in certain cases when the nonisothermal state prevails over the system, such as building physics. The Pang model cannot explain the phenomena of thermal diffusion and moisture thermodiffusion. It might be reasonable to modify the thermal diffusion of the Avramidis model, which is lower than that of the Stanish model. The apparent heat diffusivity was higher than the true heat diffusivity.     

Determining moisture-dependent elastic characteristics of beech wood by means of ultrasonic waves

The present study investigates the influence of moisture content on the elastic characteristics of beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) by means of ultrasonic waves. A set of elastic engineering parameters (i.e. three Young’s moduli, three shear moduli and six Poisson’s ratios) is determined at four specific moisture contents. The results reveal the significant influence of the moisture content on the elastic behaviour of beech wood. With the exception of some Poisson’s ratios, the engineering parameters decrease with increasing moisture content, indicating a decline in stiffness at higher moisture contents. At the same time, wood anisotropy, displayed by the two-dimensional representation of the velocity surface, remains almost unchanged. The results prove that the ultrasonic technique is suitable for determining the elastic moduli. However, non-diagonal terms of the stiffness matrix must be considered when calculating the Young’s moduli. This is shown experimentally by comparing the ultrasonic Young’s moduli calculated without, and allowing for, the non-diagonal terms. While the ultrasonic technique is found to be reliable to measure the elastic moduli, based on the measured values, its eligibility to measure the Poisson’s ratios remains uncertain.     

Study of the release in water of a chemical used for preservation of wood. Effect of the dimensions of the wood

Summary Various chemicals are used for protecting wood samples against fungi, and some of them are released in water, leading to pollution of the water. The kinetics of release of pentachlorophenol in water has here been studied, by considering the diffusion through the wood along the three principal axes of diffusion. The experiments and the modelling of the process is successfully coupled. The numerical model takes the three principal diffusivities, the partition factor, the volumes of wood and water into account. The effect of the length of the wood sample taken along the longitudinal axis of diffusion is especially studied, as the longitudinal diffusivity is much higher than the other two principal diffusivities. The effect of the relative volumes of wood and water is also of considerable interest not only for the concentration of the chemical in water but also for the rate of release.Symbols C concentration of liquid (g/cm³) - C_s, C_eq,t concentration of liquid on the surface, at equilibrium with the surrounding, respectively - C_i,j,k concentration of liquid in the wood at position (i, j, k) - D diffusivity (cm²/s) - h coefficient of mass transfer on the surface (cm/s) - i, j, k integers characterizing the position in the wood - K partition factor - L, R, T dimensions of the parallelepipedic wood sample - Mini amount of chemical contained in the wood at the beginning of the desorption - M_L, M_R, M_T dimensionless numbers - M_t, M amount of chemical released up to time t, up to infinite time, respectively - N half-number of slices taken in the wood parallelepiped along each dimension - V_water volume of the surrounding water - x, y, z coordinates - L, R, T thickness of the slices taken in the wood for calculation - t increment of time     

Influence of accessory substances,wood density and interlocked grain on the compressive properties of hardwoods

Wood samples of nine tropical hardwoods from Peru and sugar maple wood from Quebec were selected to perform moisture sorption tests associated with parallel-to-grain and tangential compression tests using a multiple step procedure at 25°C. Cold-water and hot-water extractives, sequential cyclohexane (CYC), acetone (ACE) and methanol (MET) extracts, ash content (ASH), wood density and interlocked grain (IG) were evaluated on matched samples too. Wood density corrected for the accessory substances was by far the major factor positively affecting the compressive properties of tropical hardwoods. The total amount of accessory substances is required in order to establish better relationships between physico–mechanical properties and density of tropical hardwoods. For a given wood density, the ultimate stress in parallel-to-grain compression was higher in tropical hardwoods than in temperate hardwoods. However, the compliance coefficients for both types of woods were quite similar. Sequential extraction with organic solvents was the most suitable method for evaluating the effect of extractives on compressive properties of tropical hardwoods. The CYC and ACE fractions did not contribute to variation in these mechanical properties. The substances dissolved in MET affected positively the compliance coefficient s ₁₁ in parallel-to-grain compression and negatively the compliance coefficient s ₃₃ in tangential compression. The IG decreased the compliance coefficient s ₁₁ but also decreased the ultimate stress in parallel-to-grain compression. Finally, variations in compressive properties that were due to changes in equilibrium moisture content (EMC) were clearly influenced by wood density; denser woods were more sensitive to changes in EMC than lighter woods.     

An irreversible thermodynamics model for unsteady-state nonisothermal moisture diffusion in wood

Summary A model that predicts heat and moisture transfer through wood in the hygroscopic range and which is based on the principles of irreversible thermodynamics, was evaluated with unsteady-state nonisothermal moisture desorption experimental data. The model predicted the phenomenon of thermal diffusion during the initial stages of desorption and results in a very good simulation of the desorption curve and the center's temperature change with time.Symbols C_p specific heat of air (= 0.24 cal/g K @ 70 °C) - C_T specific heat of wood, cal/g K - D transverse diffusion coefficient, cm²/s - E_b activation energy, cal/mol - E_o heat of vaporization, cal/mol - E_L differential heat of sorption, cal/mol - G specific gravity of wood - H relative humidity, % - h_T convective heat transfer coefficient, cal/cm² s K - h_c convective mass transfer coefficient based on the concentration of moisture in wood, cm/s - h_v convective mass transfer coefficient based on the concentration of moisture in the air in equilibrium with the wood surface, cm/s - K_M coefficient for diffusion due to moisture gradient, g/cm s % - K_T transverse thermal conductivity coefficient, cal/cm K s - M moisture content, % - P_o saturated vapor pressure, atm - R universal gas constant, cal/mol K (= 82.056 cm³ atm/mol K) - t time, s - T temperature, K - x distance, cm Greek Letters evaporation or condensation criterion - wood density, g/cm³ - _W water density (=1), g/cm³ - _a air density, g/cm³ Department of Wood Science and Forest Products Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blackburg, Virginia 24061-0503     

Termite resistance of DMDHEU-treated wood

Four field trials were conducted with wood modified with dimethyloldihydroxy-ethyleneurea (DMDHEU) in contact with subterranean termites. Trials 1 to 3 were conducted with Coptotermes acinaciformis (Froggatt); 1 and 2 in south-east Queensland, and 3 in northern Queensland, Australia. Trial 4 was conducted in northern Queensland with Mastotermes darwiniensis (Froggatt). Four timber species (Scots pine, beech, Slash pine and Spotted gum) and two levels (1.3 M and 2.3 M) of DMDHEU were used. The tests were validated. DMDHEU successfully prevented damage by C. acinaciformis in south-east Queensland, but not in northern Queensland. It also did not protect the wood against M. darwiniensis. Except for beech in trial 4, DMDHEU led to reduced mass losses caused by termite attack compared to the unmodified feeder stakes. Slash pine (in trials 1 and 3) and Spotted gum (in trial 1) presented low mass losses. Modification of Scots pine was more effective against termite damage than the modification of beech.     

Longitudinal shrinkage behaviour of compression wood in radiata pine

The behaviour of longitudinal shrinkage was investigated in the corewood of a swept, 17-year-old New Zealand radiata pine stem. Wood categories in terms of normal wood, mild compression wood and severe compression wood were identified microscopically using autofluorescence of lignin. Average longitudinal shrinkage was collated according to corewood location and wood category within corewood in the leaning and the vertical parts of the stem, and then maximum radial difference of longitudinal shrinkage within growth ring was examined. The results show that the average longitudinal shrinkage is significant (2.4%) in the corewood of the leaning part of the stem. Among wood categories, severer compression wood displays the highest (2.9%) average longitudinal shrinkage. In the context of this study, growth rings may consist of one of three types of wood: (1) only normal wood; (2) a single compression wood type; and (3) mixed-type wood. Where multiple compression woods co-existed with normal wood, the maximum radial difference of longitudinal shrinkage within the growth ring was found to be 4.0%. A strong correlation (R ² = 0.90) between average MFA and average longitudinal shrinkage suggests a significant influence of the average MFA on average longitudinal shrinkage across the three growth ring types.     

Solute diffusion into cell walls in solution-impregnated wood under conditioning process IV: effect of temperature on solute diffusivity

This study has focused on solute diffusing into cell walls in solution-impregnated wood under conditioning, process of evaporating solvent. The amount of the diffusion is known to be determined by the solute diffusivity and the solute-concentration difference between cell walls and cell cavities. Purpose of this paper was to clarify the effect of temperature only on the solute diffusivity that is directionally related to the thermal vibration of the solute molecule. The cross-cut block of hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa), polyethylene glycol (PEG1540), and water was employed as wood sample, solute, and solvent, respectively. The sample impregnated with a 20 mass% solution was conditioned at 20, 35, or 50 °C to finish the solute diffusion evaluated using the dimension of the sample that was conditioned followed by drying in a vacuum. To unify the solute-concentration difference, for all temperatures, the equilibrium moisture content was unified and the solvent-evaporation rate was controlled in three ways during conditioning. The solute diffusivity was higher in order of 35, 50, and 20 °C, which was evaluated by the solute diffusion at the same evaporation rate. It is clarified that the diffusivity increases with increasing the dimension of cell walls rather than with increasing the thermal vibration of solute molecule.     

Colour and chemical changes on photodegraded beech wood with or without red heartwood

The focus of this study was to investigate the chemical and colour changes occurring at different exposure times on artificially photo-irradiated surfaces of normal and red heartwood in beech in order to understand the mechanisms that cause the changes and to evaluate the possibility of usages of beech not only for energy production purposes. In this sense, surface colour modifications are of crucial importance to define the commercial value of beech wood. The artificial photo-irradiation of the wood samples was performed in a Solar Box, equipped with an ultraviolet filter that cuts off the spectrum at 280 nm. Reflectance spectrophotometry and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to assess artificial sunlight influence. The experimental data were statistically treated to evaluate their significance. Colour monitoring revealed that wood surface colour undergoes an important variation due to photo-irradiation, occurring within the first 24–48 h. Moreover, it was found that the chromatic coordinates (L*a*b*) in normal wood and in red heartwood tended to similar values after 504 h. FTIR spectroscopy allowed for investigating the rate of photodegradation of wood surface due to oxidation reactions of wood components. The results were validated by statistical analysis applied both to the colorimetric and spectroscopic data.     

Study of the release in water of chemicals used for wood preservation. Effect of wood dimensions

Summary Various chemicals are used for protecting wood samples against fungi, and some of them are released in water, leading to pollution of the water. The kinetics of pentachlorophenol release in water has here been studied by considering the diffusion through the wood along the three principal axes of diffusion. The experiments and the modelling of the process is successfully coupled. The numerical model takes into account the three principal diffusivities, the partition factor, the volumes of wood and water. The effect of wood sample length along the longitudinal axis of diffusion is studied especially, as longitudinal diffusivity is much higher than the other two principal diffusivities. The effects of the relative volumes of wood and water are also of considerable interest not only for the concentration of the chemical in water but also for the rate of release.Symbols C concentration of liquid (g/cm³)_ - C _c ,C _eq concentration of liquid on the surface, at equilibrium with the surrounding, respectively - C _i,j,k concentration of liquid in the wood at positioni, j, k - D diffusivity (cm²/s) - h coefficient of mass transfer on the surface (cm/s) - K partition factor - i, j, k integers characterizing the position in the wood - M _L ,M _R ,M _T dimensionless numbers - M _t ,M amount of chemical released after time t, after infinite time, respectively - t increment of time - L, R, T thickness of the slices taken in the wood for calculation - N _L ,N _R ,N _T number of slices taken in the wood - x, y, z coordinates - V _water volume of the surrounding water     

Hygrothermolytic wood modification. process description and treatment level characterisation

ABSTRACT

This article describes and explains a relatively unknown thermal wood modification process in pressurised unsaturated steam. Compared to other processes for the thermal conversion of wood, this hygrothermolytic (HGT) process has the unique feature of an additional independent and continuous process variable, enabling the full control of the water activity throughout the entire heating cycle. This process covers the technology gap between dry thermal and hydrothermal processes, offering a potential to optimise between the extreme processes, in search for improved material properties and improved process characteristics. The suitability of four different treatment intensity markers (mass loss, equilibrium moisture content, oxygen/carbon (O/C) atomic ratio and electron spin resonance signal) is tested on beech wood over the entire range from low-pressure (dry) to high-pressure (moist and wet) processes. Each marker has its own merits and different sensitivity for the broad palette of changing physicochemical wood properties during heat treatment, but all methods proved to be useful for routine production quality control. The O/C-ratio has the unique advantage that it provides an absolute thermal treatment level rating, neither requiring a control reference nor the knowledge of the wood species and any of the thermal treatment process details.     

Experimental determination of the convective heat and mass transfer coefficients for wood drying

The knowledge of the convective heat and mass transfer coefficients is required for the characterization of the boundary conditions of the heat and mass transfer equations of a wood drying model based on water potential. A new experimental method for the determination of the convective mass transfer coefficient is presented. This method is based on the measurement of the moisture content, and indirectly the water potential, at the surface of a wood specimen at different drying times. Drying experiments were performed on red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) sapwood from nearly saturated to dry conditions at 56 °C, 52% relative humidity and air velocities of 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 m s⁻¹. The results show that the convective mass transfer coefficient is constant until the wood surface moisture content reaches about 80% and then decreases more or less gradually as the moisture content decreases further. The convective mass transfer coefficient increases with air velocity. A regression analysis shows that there is no significant improvement in considering the water potential gradient near the wood surface when the difference in water potential between the surface and the surrounding air (ψ_s − ψ_∞) is used to determine the convective mass flux at the surface. Also, ψ_s − ψ_∞ is more appropriate than the water vapour pressure difference (pv_s − pv_∞) as the responsible driving force of the moisture flux leaving the wood surface. The convective heat transfer coefficient was determined during the same experiments. A plateau is observed at high values of moisture content corresponding to the constant drying rate period. Received 27 February 1998     

Tension wood in aerial roots of ficus benjamina L.

Summary Ficus benjamina L. produces aerial roots from branches. Once anchored in the ground the roots begin secondary growth. They produce tension wood until they have reached a diameter of 4 ... 10 sometimes up to 15 millimeters. From then on normal wood is formed. Roots contract considerably while they are producing tension wood. This can be shown by planting roots in a pot during the free hanging stage. During subsequent contraction they can lift the pot from the ground. Polarizing microscopy, electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction analysis all indicate that the tension wood of aerial roots is identical in fine structure with tension wood in the upper side of the branches. The fibres of the tension wood possess a very thick unlignified S 2 (G) layer in which the cellulose molecules are arranged almost axially and show a high degree of crystallinity. Preliminary experiments in which auxin paste was applied to taut roots had but a local effect and did not suggest that there was a simple relation between auxin concentration and tension-wood formation.

---

Zusammenfassung Freihängende Luftwurzeln von Ficus benjamina L. haben einen Durchmesser von rd. 3 mm. Sobald sie den Boden erreicht und sich in der Erde verankert haben, beginnt ihr Kambium mit dem sekundären Dickenwachstum. Bis zu einem Durchmesser von 4 ... 10, manchmal auch bis 15 mm wird Zugholz, später normales Holz produziert. Die Anlage des Zugholzes wird von einer beträchtlichen Kontraktion der Wurzel begleitet. Wird das untere freihängende Luftwurzelende in einen Topf gepflanzt, so beginnt sofort das sekundäre Dickenwachstum, währenddessen die Kontraktion der Wurzel den Topf vom Boden abhebt. Untersuchungen mit dem Polarisationsmikroskop, dem Elektronenmikroskop sowie röntgenanalytische Untersuchungen zeigten, daß das Zugholz der Luftwurzeln mit dem Zugholz der Astoberseite identisch ist. Zugholzfasern haben eine gut entwickelte S 2 (G) Schicht, in der die Cellulosemoleküle axial gelagert sind und einen hohen Krystallisationsgrad aufweisen. In vorläufigen Untersuchungen wurde Auxinpaste auf gespannte (d. h. Zugholz produzierende) Luftwurzeln gegeben. Der Effekt war jedoch nur ein lokaler und zeigte, daß die Zugholzdifferenzierung nicht in einem einfachen Verhältnis zur Auxinkonzentration steht.

     

Dead wood volume to dead wood carbon: the issue of conversion factors

Requirements for emission reporting under the Kyoto protocol demand an estimate of the dead wood carbon pool in forests. The volume of dead wood consists of coarse woody debris, smaller woody debris and dead roots. The measurement of dead wood volume was included in the most recent National Forest Inventory in Switzerland. To convert dead wood volume into carbon two conversion factors are required: (a) carbon (C) concentration and (b) wood density. So far internationally accepted default values for C concentration (50%) and for wood density (density of alive trees) were used as default values to estimate dead wood carbon, since local measurements were lacking. However, in a field study at 34 sites in Switzerland, the C concentration and density of CWD from Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica of four decay classes were measured recently. The results showed that C concentration in CWD differed significantly between species but did not change due to decay class. The density of CWD decreased significantly with an increase in decay class and it also differed between species. The decrease in CWD density was more pronounced for F. sylvatica than for P. abies. We assessed correlations between climate attributes and CWD density using regression analysis. The modeled densities and measured C concentrations were then expanded with the help of CWD volume data from the NFI3. Spruce CWD and thus spruce CWD carbon is much more abundant in Swiss forests than beech CWD carbon. The majority of spruce CWD is located in the Alps and Pre-Alps. The CWD volume from P. abies was 10 times higher than that from F. sylvatica. Thus, changes in conversion factors for P. abies CWD affected the overall estimate of dead wood carbon in Swiss forests much more than changes in conversion factors for F. sylvatica CWD. Current improvements in CWD conversion factors decreased the estimated amount of spruce CWD carbon by 23.1% and that of beech by 47.6%. The estimated amount of CWD carbon in Swiss forests is decreased by 31%. Since improved estimation methods are currently not applied to smaller woody debris and dead root material, the estimated amount of dead wood carbon is only reduced by 15%. Improving conversion factors for all dead wood fractions would presumably decrease the amount of dead wood carbon by additional 16%.     

Promoting fungal pigment formation in wood by utilizing a modified decay jar method

The role of test block placement within a modified decay jar system for promotion of fungal pigments was investigated. Beech and sugar maple blocks were inoculated with common pigment producing fungi and incubated for 10?weeks. Blocks were placed either below the vermiculite or resting on its surface; no feeder strips were utilized. Amount of pigmentation differed with block placement with Arthrographis cuboidea (on sugar maple and beech) and Xylaria polymorpha (only on sugar maple) producing more pigment when placed on the surface of the vermiculite. The differences in pigmentation, however, were not necessarily due to moisture content differences within test blocks, as moisture content did not vary significantly by block placement with A. cuboidea. Results indicate that placement of wood above vermiculite may increase pigmentation; however, reasons for the increase appear to differ among fungi.     

Research on the effect of microwave pretreatment on moisture diffusion coefficient of wood

Based on the pathway of moisture diffusion in wood below FSP, an improved moisture diffusion model has been proposed. The theoretical solution of the mathematic model shows that the diffusion coefficient for microwave pretreated wood was increased no more than 3% compared with that of wood without being treated even under extreme condition. Experiments indicate that the pit membrane structure can be effectively destroyed during microwave pretreatment, but the moisture diffusion coefficient can not be significantly improved. In practice, the effect of microwave pretreatment on moisture diffusion coefficient can be ignored. The drying rate of wood during the sequent conventional drying can not be significantly improved by microwave pretreatment.     

Distribution of lignin in normal and compression wood of Pinus taeda L.

Summary The distribution of lignin in normal and compression wood of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) has been studied by the technique of lignin skeletonizing. Hydrolysis of the wood carbohydrates with hydrofluoric acid left normal wood tracheids with a uniform distribution of lignin in the S1 and S2 cell wall layers. However, the S3 region of both earlywood and latewood tracheids consistently retained a dense network of unhydrolyzable material throughout, perhaps lignin.Lignin content in compression wood averaged about 7% more than in normal wood and appears to be concentrated in the outer zone of the S2 layer. The inner S2 region, despite helical checking, is also heavily lignified. The S1 layer, although thicker than normal in compression wood tracheids, contains relatively little lignin.Ray cells, at least in normal wood, appear to be lignified to the same extent, if not more so in certain cases, than the longitudinal tracheids. Other locations where lignin may be concentrated include initial pit border regions and the membranes of bordered pits.This report is a detailed excerpt from the Ph. D. dissertation of R. A. P. Financial support provided by the College of Forestry at Syracuse University and the National Defense Education Act is hereby gratefully acknowledged.