Enhancement on Physicomechanical Properties of Short-Rotation Teak Woods by Non-Biocide Chemical and Thermal Treatments
Keywords:
Thermal modification, Chemical modification, Dimensional Stability, Strength, Short rotation teakAbstract
Lactic acid (LA), citric acid (CA), and glycerol (G) are renewable and environmentally friendly chemicals that could improve the qualities of short-rotation teak (SRT) woods. This study investigated the effect of thermal and chemical modification using 20% aqueous solutions (w/w) of LA, CA, and G and their mixtures in the same composition on physical and mechanical properties of SRT teak wood. The impregnation process was initiated by vacuum process for 1 h and pressure (12.2 bar) for 2 h, followed by thermal (150 °C) treatment for 6 h on the SRT wood samples after being removed from the vacuum-pressure tube. Retention (R), weight percent gain (WPG), density (D), anti-swelling efficiency (ASE), leachability (WL), modulus of elasticity (MOE), and modulus of rupture (MOR) were measured. FTIR spectrometry and SEM analyses were performed. The wood impregnated with a mixture of 10% LA + 10% CA provided the highest ASE values of 50.1%, and the lowest leaching resistance of 1.54%. Based on wood strengths (MOE and MOR) and physical properties, as well as supported by FTIR and SEM analysis, the use of 10% LA + 10% CA is the most prospective as an impregnant formula for SRT wood modification of this research.