Thermal analysis of wood of the main tree species of Central Siberia

Abstract

Thermal decomposition of wood from coniferous and deciduous species of Siberia has been studied using thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The tree species were larch Larix sibirica Ledeb., Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L., spruce Picea obovata Ledeb., fir Abies sibirica Ledeb., Siberian pine Pinus sibirica Du Tour., birch Betula pendula Roth., and aspen Populus tremula L. Thermal analysis of wood samples was carried out under oxidative (air) and inert (argon) atmospheres from 25 to 700 °С at heating rates 10, 20, 40 °С • min–1 (TG/DTG) and from 25 to 590 °С at heating rates 10, 40 °С • min–1 (DSC). The stages of thermal decomposition, the temperature intervals, the mass loss, the mass loss rate, the temperature of DTG/DSC peaks, and heating effects were determined for each tree species. The kinetic thermal degradation parameters of wood were obtained by the Broido and Ozawa–Flynn–Wall models. The wood of coniferous and deciduous species of Siberia was characterized on the base of analysis of activation energy values at various stages of thermal decomposition and the relations of activation energy on conversion level of wood substance of different tree species, and also the comparison of mass loss at the same stages of thermal destruction, heating effects, residual mass and other parameters of TG/DTG, DSC. In our opinion, the results of this work present interest for researchers and specialists in the field of forest pyrology, wood science, dendrochemistry.

Keywords

• wood
• thermal oxidative destruction
• pyrolysis
• thermogravimetry
• kinetic characteristics
• differential scanning calorimetry
• thermal effects