Thermal Modification of Wood: Process and Properties

Dear Colleagues,

Even though wood is widely used in many applications, due to its structure (cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin, and some low amounts of extractives and/or resins), its resistance to different environmental factors (biodegradation, weathering conditions) is sometimes limited.

Thermal treatment is largely used to improve the physical and biological characteristics of wood for some particular purposes, such as dimensional stability, reduced moisture uptake and increased durability, if it is to be exposed to chemicals or biological agents, or to frequently be used under natural environmental conditions. During the thermal treatment process, wooden structures undergo transformations induced by dehydration, decarboxylation, and oxidation reactions, coupled with heat and mass transfer. If a certain amount of relative humidity is present in the medium during the treatment, the reactions develop faster, and wood also undergoes hydrolysis reactions, and the crystallization of wood cellulose might be affected. All the reactions occurring in wood structure during the treatment, as well as its final properties, are directly related to treatment temperature, relative humidity during the treatment, presence or absence of oxygen (i.e., vacuum treatment), treatment time and by the nature of the wood species used. The resulting materials present lower hygroscopicity with a major influence on both dimensional stability and durability.

The aim of this Special Issue is to update the latest processes on thermal modification of wood and wood-based products with improved/modified treatment time, temperature, relative humidity or vacuum during the treatment, and to highlight the properties of the new materials. Therefore, we encourage review papers and research articles dealing with new processes for thermal modification of wood, improved or modified parameters, as well as physical, chemical, aesthetical, and sorption properties of the new materials and the use of thermally modified wood in wood-based composites.

Dr. Carmen-Mihaela Popescu
Prof. Dr. Holger Militz
Guest Editors

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