Acetylation of pine wood in Uruguay

IRG/WP 22-40927

C M Ibáñez, L Castillo

As a renewable material, wood is susceptible to decay by biologic (fungi, insects) and non biologic (water, radiation, mechanical wear, etc) agents. Such agents are controlled by using wood species of high natural durability, or by protecting the wood through drying, construction design, or the application of preservatives. The latter method has been and still is the most used in Uruguay, usually applying low cost and high effectiveness products, but which are also highly toxic. However, the use of alternative products and processes that are both non toxic and sustainable is currently being analyzed. Chemical modification is studied as an alternative in the present work, in which the behavior of two commercial wood species used in Uruguay, Pinus taeda and Pinus ellioti, is analyzed when subjected to acetylation at a laboratory level. Density, weight percent gain and water content of small samples were determined before and after being impregnated by vacuum-pressure with acetic anhydride-acetic acid, and later cured at 120 °C for 1 or 2.5 hours. To determine the chemical reaction between wood and the reactives, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis was carried out. Finally, dimensional stability was evaluated. Pinus taeda presented the highest weight percent gain, while dimensional stability improved for both species.


Keywords: acetylation, Pinus taeda, Pinus elliotti

Conference: 22-05-29/06-02 Bled, Slovenia


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