Utilization of wood cell wall components

This article summarizes current utilizations of wood cell wall components in relation to biorefinery of woody biomass as a separation method of its constituents. Especially, utilization of isolated lignins, involving transformation and molding, are demonstrated with respect to productions of carbon fibers and their further functionalization, such as developments of activated carbon fibers and electrodes for second battery and electric double-layer capacitor.     

Equilibrium moisture content and the movement of water through wood above fibre saturation

The present work brings together the results of two previous studies on the diffusion coefficient and on capillary pressure, both above fibre saturation. The hypothesis making the data mutually consistent, is the constancy of the diffusion coefficient where capillary pressure is the driving force. Also given is an isotherm for wood which extends over the full range of moisture content, from dry to complete saturation. A further consequence of the work is the probability density function for capillary pressure with respect to water adsorbed and the corresponding distribution of capillary sizes.     

Nonisothermal moisture movement in wood

In order to analyze the effect of temperature gradient on moisture movement during highly intensive drying, such as microwave-vacuum drying, the profile of the temperature and moisture content in sealed wood whose opposite faces were subjected to temperature gradient for a short time was measured. The ratio of the moisture content (MC) gradient to the temperature gradient (dM/dT) was calculated and the factors influencing moisture movement under nonisothermal conditions were discussed. The results indicate that moisture moved in wood from the warm surface to the cold one even if opposite faces of the sealed wood assembly were exposed continuously to different but constant temperatures for a short period. The moisture content on the cold surface was higher than that on the warm surface. The moisture content gradient opposite to the temperature gradient was established, and the dM/dT was below 0.9%/°C. The temperature in the sample and the distance from the hot surface of the sample was strongly linearly correlated. With an increase in temperature, initial moisture content and experimental time, the dM/dT was significantly increased. __________ Translated from Journal of Beijing Forestry University, 2005, 27(2): 96–100 [译自: 北京林业大学学报, 2005, 27(2): 96–100]     

Modeling the kinetics of moisture adsorption by wood

Summary Modeling of the kinetic of moisture adsorption by wood has been studied by using cubic samples. The model is based on an explicit numerical method with finite differences. Experiments have been carried out either for determining the data necessary for calculations (diffusivity, amount adsorbed at equilibrium) and for testing the validity of the model. Two different experiments have been done in case of the longitudinal adsorption: the one by increasing the relative humidity of the atmosphere following a discontinuous step by step process. The other by determining the kinetic adsorption of moisture by samples previously equilibrated under the same conditions when they are contacted with atmosphere at various R. H. Good correlations are obtained between calculated values and experiments in both cases. Although the actual paper is concerned with constant diffusivity, the model is capable to use concentration-dependent diffusivities.This work has been done with the help and support of the French C.T.B. (Wood Technical Center), 10 Av. St.-Mandé, Paris     

Differential calometric analysis of wood and wood components

Summary The prolysis of cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin preparations, and wood was studied by differential calorimetric analysis (DCA) for the range of 25° to 800° C. The test samples included powdered and filter paper celluloses; hardwood xylan; softwood galactoglucomannans, compression wood galactan, and arabinogalactan; a synthetic (DHP), sulfuric acid, Björkman, Brownell, and cellulase lignins; and unextracted and extracted hardwoods and softwoods. Heats of reaction were determined from the DCA thermal transition areas. Distinct differences were found between the thermograms of each hemicellulose and lignin sample. Although wood species could not be separated thermally, hardwood and softwood thermograms differed because of the hemicellulose degradation pattern.Trade names and company names are included for the benefit of the reader and do not imply any endorsement or preferential treatment of the product by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Formerly Research Technologist, Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Laboratory is maintained at Madison, Wis. 53705, in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin. Present address: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802.     

Transient moisture effects on wood creep

To gain insight into the physical nature of the coupling between mechanical stress and humidity variations, the behaviour of thin wood strips was studied using specially developed apparatus for creep/recovery and relaxation/blotting-out tests in a controlled humidity environment. The load time and the rate of viscoelastic creep were found to have little influence on mechano-sorptive creep. Moreover, creep trajectory curves for specimens with continuous and interrupted humidity cycles indicated divergence from simple creep-limit behaviour. The effect of transient moisture was also modelled numerically at the molecular level using an idealized cellulose-based composite. Preliminary results suggest that: (i) during free shrinkage, the cellulose chains in elementary fibrils may bend perpendicular to the planes of the hydrogen bonded sheets which form the crystalline lattice; (ii) transient hydrogen bonding between the crystalline cellulose and amorphous polymer owing to the introduction or removal of water may accelerate shear slip between the two phases in the presence of an external load. Received 6 July 2000 The financial support of the Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science is gratefully acknowledged.     

Transmission electron microscopical localization of salt preservative components in wood cell walls

Summary The study is concerned with the possibility of demonstrating in the transmission electron microscope components such as copper, chromium and arsenic of preservative salts in the wood cell walls using secondary reactions with chemicals. Among the 18 substances tested only 9 showed a substantial positive effect, which was established on the basis of the electron contrast or depositions obtained within the various wall layers. It is suggested that copper is adsorbed onto the matrix substances of the wood cell wall rather than on cellulose.This investigation is part of the doctoral thesis of G.A. Peters     

PEG bulking of wood cell walls as affected by moisture content and nature of solvent

Movement of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1000 from wood cell lumens into adjacent cell walls was studied for different cell wall moisture contents (MCs) and PEG solvents; relative amounts of PEG that penetrated into the cell walls were estimated by Raman microscopy. It was shown that samples treated with PEG from chloroform solution adsorb less PEG than samples treated with PEG-water solution even in the case of samples with open cell wall structure near fibre saturation point MC. Reconditioning of PEG-chloroform treated samples at high relative humidities enhanced PEG bulking of cell walls, but not to the maximum amounts observed with PEG-water treatments. Raman microscopy was a useful tool for estimating relative PEG amounts in the cell walls.     

The viscoelasticity of wood at varying moisture content

Wood is regarded as a viscoelastic material. Creep deformations that arise from variations in the moisture content are described by a theory of hydroviscoelasticity developed by the author. Two different types of behaviour have been apparent: one, arising from a continuously increasing strain with periodic variation in the moisture content, and another with no cumulative effect. The theory has been applied to previously published experimental results concerned with beech, pine, hoop pine, klinki pine, along with birch and spruce plywood. Birch and spruce plywood have been used for experiments concerned with periodically-cycling bending moment and moisture content. The results obtained have been compared with the theory presented. Glue-laminated beams have been subjected to long-term outdoor loading extending for five years. A brief discussion is given of the results obtained.     

Influence of moisture content on the vibrational properties of hematoxylin-impregnated wood

The vibrational property of hematoxylinimpregnated wood was investigated from the aspect of moisture content dependence. The specific dynamic Young's modulus (E/) and loss tangent (tan) of hematoxylin-impregnated wood were determined in the relative humidity (RH) range of 0%–97%, and were compared with those of the untreated and some conventional chemically treated woods. The changes in theE/ and tan of wood with increasing RH were suppressed by acetylation and formaldehyde treatment because of a marked reduction in the hygroscopicity of the wood. Although the hematoxylin impregnation did not significantly affect the hygroscopicity of the wood, its influence onE/ and tan were similar to that of formaldehyde treatment at low RH and of acetylation at medium RH. It was supposed that at low to medium RH hematoxylin restrains the molecular motion of amorphous substances in the cell wall because of its bulkiness and rigidity. On the other hand, at high RH it seems to work as a plasticizer with adsorbed water molecules.     

Effect of moisture content on the ultrasonic acoustic properties of wood

We determined the ultrasonic velocity and en-ergy attenuation value of three tree species (basswood, elm, and fir) 1 per tree in different moisture content levels, using RSM-SY5 ultrasonic testing inst...     

Physical and mechanical properties of wood after moisture conditioning

Some properties of wood (hinoki:Chamaecyparis obtusa) moisture-conditioned by an adsorption process from a dry state and by two desorption processes (from a water-saturated state and from a state with a moisture content slightly below the fiber saturation point) were investigated. The moisture contents of wood conditioned by the adsorption process and by the desorption process continued to approach to one another for the moisture-conditioning period of over 50 weeks. Accordingly, sorption hysteresis should be regarded as a transitional phenomenon that occurs during the process of approaching the true equilibrium, which requires a long time. The wood conditioned by the desorption process beginning from a water-saturated state showed slightly smaller dimensions than those conditioned by the adsorption process with the same moisture content; however, the wood conditioned by the desorption process from a moisture content below the fiber saturation point showed slightly larger dimensions than those conditioned by the adsorption process. The wood conditioned by the adsorption process from a dry state showed a higher modulus of elasticity and modulus of rupture than did the wood conditioned from a water-saturated state with the same moisture content. The mechanical properties of the wood also varied based on the states at which the desorption process was started. This is a notable characteristic of the relation between the drying condition and the mechanical properties of wood.     

Forever amber a story of the secondary wood components

Summary From prehistoric periods, mankind used tree exudates and extractives of various woods and barks and these were at times of major commercial importance. Only amber, tannins, oleoresins and rubber continue to be significant. The study of exudates and extractives has provided a major part of the foundations of organic chemistry and aspects of plant biochemistry such as biosynthesis and chemotaxonomy. The polyphenols in the Eucalyptus genus and those formed in different tissues of the tree stem illustrate the alternative pathways existing in the cells and the complexity of biosynthesis. Basic studies have provided understanding of means of alleviating numerous problems encountered in the industrial use of wood. Attension is drawn to the continuum of development and the contribution of many disciplines. Future studies will be mainly concerned with the control of the formation of secondary components in plantation species, the improvement of quality standards of products and the collection of basic data relevant to biotechnology and other fields. Developments will be dependant on the support of those who are not professional workers in the field.The Academy Lecture presented on 24 April, 1985 at Pretoria, South Africa to Fellows of the International Academy of Wood Science and participants of the Symposium Forest Products Research International — Achievements and the Future. The Lecture was illustrated with many coloured slides and is condensed in this publication. Reprints of the unabridged version are available from the author     

Bending creep behavior of wood under cyclic moisture changes

This study examined the bending creep behavior in the longitudinal direction of six species under cyclic moisture content (MC) changes. For each species, tests were made at 20°C with five cyclic relative humidity changes between 65% and 95%, beginning from moisture adsorption. A load corresponding to 25% of short-term breaking load of the species was applied to the radial section of each specimen with four-point bending. The effect of MC change on instantaneous compliance was also investigated under the same condition. The quantitative relation between mechano-sorptive (MS) compliance and MC change was examined, and the material parameter KM for the relation in specific sorption was determined. Results indicated that the total compliance in the six species with different behavior increases with sorption time. As an integral part of total compliance, instantaneous compliance changes linearly with MC and influences to a greater or lesser extent the total compliance behavior. In general, with increasing MC change, the MS compliance linearly increases during the first adsorption and all desorption and decreases slightly during subsequent adsorption. The material parameterK _M varies markedly not only with species but also with specific sorption. The first adsorption causes the largest deformation, followed by desorption.This paper was presented at the 48th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society in Shizuoka, Japan. April 1998     

Hygroexpansion of wood during moisture adsorption and desorption processes

In order to investigate the shrinking and swelling behavior of wood at a non-equilibrium state, the moisture sorptlon processes of wood under constant and changing conditions were studied. For the static sorption experiment, Chinese fir （Cunninghamia lanceolata） specimens were subjected to the adsorption processes at 25℃, 10 different relative humidity environments and the moisture contents were measured at distinct time intervals of adsorption processes. For the dynamic sorption experiment, the specimens were exposed to periodically and linearly varying relative humidity between 45% and 75% at 25℃. Moisture content as well as radial and tangential dimensional changes in response to the changing relative humidity were measured. The main results from the experiments indicated that： the moisture sorption isotherms of Chinese fir at equilibrium state and different stages of adsorption processes could be characterized by S-shape curves. From the non-equilibrium state to the equilibrium state, the sigmoid moisture sorption isotherms changed from smooth, gradually increasing values to a steep rise at 100% humidity. Furthermore, under dynamic conditions with a constant temperature and a linearly and periodically varying relative humidity, the moisture content as well as radial and tangential dimensional changes of the specimens generally waved but lagged behind the relative humidity change.     

Theory to estimate the stress due to moisture in wood using a transmission-type microwave moisture meter

 In recent years a microwave transmission-type moisture meter has been developed in Japan. Its purpose is to measure the average moisture content of thick woods. Since its development I have realized that there is a negative correlation between the moisture content of wood and the power voltage of the meter. This realization suggests that an invisible stress has an effect on the attenuation constant of the wood. The presence of such a stress in the wood could easily be proven by the slicing technique. In this article a theory is presented to explain further the effect of this stress on the attenuation constant. The theory was applied to softwood specimens in various states of moisture. It was concluded that the calculated strain distributions of the various specimens approximated those of the experimental results. Thus, the proposed theory presented herein has validity or adaptability with regard to qualitatively understanding the stress. Future research efforts would also be expected to detect the stress in wood due to moisture. Received: November 30, 2001 / Accepted: March 18, 2002 Acknowledgments The author thanks Mr. K. Hayashida and Mr. T. Taniguchi (former students of Fukui University of Technology) for their assistance in the experiment. The author also thanks Dr. Okada of the Kawasaki Kiko Co. and Prof. Dr. Sobue of Shizuoka University for their valuable discussions and suggestions. Part of this report was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Central District of the Japan Wood Research Society, Gifu, September 2000 Correspondence to:T. Takemura     

CLASSIFICATION AND COMPARISON OF WOOD DRYING MODELS

The Various models established by many scholar in the near years areclassified and compared between them.