Correlation Analysis between Mass Loss of Wood due to Thermal Modification and Equilibrium Moisture Content of Thermally Modified Wood

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the correlation between the mass loss (ML) of wood due to thermal modification and the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of thermally modified wood. After thermal modification of larch lumber under various temperature and time conditions, ML according to treatment temperature and time was measured, and the (EMC) of the thermally modified wood was evaluated for each treatment condition. As the treatment temperature increased and the treatment time became longer, the ML of wood due to thermal modification increased. In addition, as the treatment temperature increased, the difference in EMC between the non-treated wood and the thermally modified wood tended to increase. Finally, a robust logarithmic correlation was observed between the ML due to thermal modification and the EMC of the thermally modified wood. These results suggest that the EMC of thermally modified wood can be predicted by simply measuring the weight of wood before and after thermal modification.

Keywords

• thermal modification of wood
• temperature
• time
• mass loss
• equilibrium moisture content
• correlation