Thermal Modification of Wood—A Review

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Review of the manuscript ID: suschem-3722011

 

Thermal modification of wood – A Review: State-of-the-art 2025

 

This peer-reviewed review article on thermally modified wood is a very valuable and carefully prepared compendium of knowledge in this field. The Authors provide the reader with a concise and logical introduction to the issues related to this method of wood modification.

Noteworthy is the detailed discussion of the physicochemical phenomena occurring during the thermal treatment process and their impact on the mechanical and functional properties of wood. The authors reliably present both the benefits of thermal modification and its limitations and potential disadvantages, thanks to which the text remains objective and analytical.

Another important advantage of the work is that it outlines prospects for further research, covering both technological aspects and the possibilities of using thermally modified wood in various industrial sectors. The article fits well with the needs of the scientific community and practitioners interested in modern wood processing methods.

The study is characterized by a high level of content, a clear structure, and great editorial care. The authors have demonstrated a very good knowledge of the current literature on the subject, and the sources used are appropriately selected and well-integrated with the content.

Apart from one editorial error on page 5, I do not notice any other significant editorial or substantive shortcomings that would affect the quality and substantive value of the article.

In summary, this is a very good, reliable, and comprehensive review article that fully achieves the objectives of this type of publication. It can be a valuable source of knowledge for both researchers and practitioners involved in wood technology. It definitely deserves to be published.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thank you for the very kind words about our manuscript.

Authors

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript submitted for review addresses an interesting topic. The paper discusses the characteristics of wood subjected to thermal treatment. It is a review article, and therefore it does not follow a classical research structure, as the authors cite already published works. From the available literature, the authors have selected over 80 publications, which have been organized into five chapters, including the introduction.

The article is sensibly written and focuses on discussing key issues related to thermal wood treatment processes. In my opinion, the topics highlighted by the authors have been appropriately selected. It is difficult to suggest additional publications, as there are many, and the authors have adopted their own selection model for the literature reviewed.

Some of the issues discussed are, of course, quite basic—general knowledge for those who deal with thermal wood treatment at a fundamental level. Other topics may be less familiar to people generally involved with wood processing.

The article could perhaps benefit from a more critical perspective on thermal wood modification processes, such as an analysis of economic aspects or whether the outcomes justify the relatively high energy consumption of such processes. Nevertheless, the publication can remain in its current form.

Author Response

Thank you for the very kind words about our manuscript.

Authors.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Once in a while it is of importance to have updated review articles on important engineering topics, which is relevant for industrial development. This constitutes such a piece of work. Thermal modification of wood has been for quite some years, a useful method to improve certain properties of wood. There is also recent research which contributes to the field, which has been incorporated in this review. For persons new to the area, it is a quick and efficient way to read a review paper, to get a picture of the main issues in a certain research area. Judging from the year and distributions of the references, this work provides an updated and balanced assembly of the current state of art, where pros and cons of thermal treatment, and key future challenges are delineated. I thus only have some formal suggestions of improvements:

1. Figures 1 and 2 are obsolete. Such figures are normally only put in funding proposals to show the activity in a certain field. Readers of a review are well aware of these facts, and don’t need such a motivation. Please remove the figures and the text explaining them.
2. A newly published review should be updated, otherwise it is not novel. It is taken for granted. Thus, no reason to state state of the art and 2025 in the title, and lots of places in the text. It is obvious that it should be up to date, and relevant for the year of publication.
3. Many figures are schematics showing a collection of concepts like in a Powerpoint presentation, and not quantitative data. Are they necessary? It looks like graphical illustrations to make the reading more enjoyable and colourful, rather than sharing new information. Consider revising. Fig 7 is misplaced in the middle of the text.

On general and contents-wise, this work provides a useful overview, and would therefore be a welcome publications to new people entering the area of heat wood modification to get a grasp of the state of the art.

Author Response

Has been changed: 

A title: Thermal modification of wood - A review

Has been changed: 

Figure 2 was deleted and so was something in the text.

Has been changed: 

The location of Figure 7 has been adjusted.

For the sake of interest and the aesthetic appearance of the manuscript, we would like to leave Figures 3 and 5 in the manuscript.