Diffusion of bound water in wood

Summary A model for isothermal bound water diffusion in wood is derived from Babbitt's (1950) analysis of diffusion in adsorbing solids. Calculations of the energy required for water molecules to become dissociated from their sites is identified as one component of the activation energy for diffusion. Consideration of the resistance to diffusion leads to a second component of activation energy associated with overcoming the attraction of water molecules for themselves. Also, an approximate expression for the resistance coefficient is developed. These results are combined into a transport model for bound water. The model shows that equations for bound water movement based on fluid mechanics (Babbitt 1950) and thermodynamics (Katchalsky, Curran 1965) are identical when the driving force for diffusion is defined as the moisture flux per unit transport coefficient. Activation energies and diffusion coefficients derived from the model compare favorably with literature values.The author wishes to thank Dr. Christen Skaar for his interest and advice during preparation of this paper for publication