Polyesters have shown to have a real potential used as wood treatment. Indeed, they are relatively inexpensive, as they are composed of an acid and a polyol, readily available, and can be bio-sourced. The main acid studied is citric acid, which can be produced from the fermentation of glucose and glucose/sucrose products, and is commercially available [1]–[3]. In order to achieve cross-linking, a polyol can be added in order to obtain a more efficient wood treatment. In this case, sorbitol is being used. It is a sucrose-alcohol naturally present in fruits and is now used as a sweetener [4], [5]. The treatment SorCA (citric acid and sorbitol) has been studied by Kurkowiak et. al. [6], [7]. When it comes to wood treatment, curing, one of the critical processes, plays a pivotal role in determining the final quality and characteristics of wood products. This work comprehensively investigates the effects of different curing conditions on wood treated with SorCA and various catalysts. Several duration and temperatures of the drying/curing cycle were studied. These treatment conditions aimed to shed light on the optimal curing conditions. Regarding polyesters treatment, the usual temperatures studied ranged from 120ºC to 160ºC. In this work
temperatures ranging from 80ºC to 140ºC were studied for durations up to 15 days. The experimental work ranged from analyzing the newly obtained WPG and CWB, to the leaching resistance and dimensional stability ASE, as well as mechanical tests. Those mechanical tests were done on solid wood samples (three points bending) and microveneers (0-span tests).
Keywords: SorCA, Curing conditions, Catalysts
Authors
Adèle Chabert
University of Göttingen – Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Katarzyna Kurkowiak
University of Göttingen – Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Holger Militz
University of Göttingen – Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
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