Long durability of products in exterior use is essential for several applications including wooden materials, and where wood can be used as a substitute for other alternatives. Due to public awareness leading to governmental directives, the use of biocides is strongly restricted or banned in several countries. Therefore the demand for methods and materials applied for wood protection without biocides is continuously increasing. In this study we have investigated a part of the chemistry that has not been used as a wood protection method yet; wood modification by polyesterification of polyols and citric acid.
For the initial study we have used sorbitol as it is widely available, low priced and easy to handle. As a screening for wood protection, several studies were conducted; Resistance to staining fungi, brown and white rot fungi, water uptake and the chemical behavior of the solution has been investigated.
Keywords: Citric acid, Sorbitol, Wood protection, Wood modification
Authors
Larnøy E.
Ph.D, Department of Wood technology, Norwegian institute of bioeconomy research, Norway
Karaca A.
B.Sc., Institute of Technical Chemistry, Clausthal University of Technology, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
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