Advanced Technologies in Physical and Mechanical Wood Modification

Dear Colleagues,

Wood is a material with physical and mechanical properties so impressive that it is difficult to substitute it with alternatives. Due to both its physical structure and its chemical composition (cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, and other components), it is a valuable material in many applications. However, the use of wood also has its limitations. Due to its size and limited resistance to biodegradation (and weathering), it often requires additional technological treatment. Such processes are generally aimed at improving the physical, biological, and in many cases mechanical properties of wood. All reactions occurring in the wood structure, as well as its final properties, are directly related to the type of agents used for such wood treatment. In this area, we can distinguish thermal treatment, mechanical treatment (often used to change the density of the wood but also to change its form), and processes of saturation/impregnation or transformation of wood to another form. These processes result in materials with significantly improved characteristics compared to the wood used. The resulting material is often characterized not only by the improvement of a given feature (assumed in the technological process) but often additionally by other features that further broaden its application.   

The aim of this Special Issue is to update the knowledge on the latest wood modification processes and to present wood-based products with improved or modified properties. This issue is also intended to provide a space for the presentation of not only new technological solutions for wood modification but also to identify features as well as drawbacks of wood that need to be improved.  Therefore, we encourage you to submit both purely scientific articles as well as review papers or even interesting expert opinions on new processes of both shallow and deep wood modification. The papers may also indicate directions for the use of modified wood or wood materials.

Dr. Radoslaw Mirski
Dr. Dorota Dziurka
Guest Editors

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