Wood treatment process developed in EuropeOn the back of the recently completed Wood Preservation 2012 series in Australia and New Zealand comes news that a consortium from Europe have created a new system that they believe will produce better quality timber as well as be more economically viable for small to medium sized enterprises.The present state-of-the-art large-scale drying and chemical treatment processes for wood are highly expensive, and it takes between 24-80 hours for the drying and treating process to be completed. These processes use a variety of heating systems in an inert gas water vapour atmosphere, and while they are attractive to large-scale enterprises, they are impractical for smaller enterprises due to factors such as the cost of the technology and smaller volumes of output. As well as cost limitations, these heat treatment methods affect the chemical and physical structure of the timber. This, along with the fact that some of the preservative chemicals used mean that the timber cannot be used for interior applications, has created a need for a more cost-effective and efficient system for the treatment of wood. The new process, devised by Jean-Baptiste Saget and supported by a consortium of other partners, will give smaller enterprises the ability to heat-treat wood species such as spruce, pine birch, aspen, beech and plywood. The process that has been developed over the course of the Torchwood project involves a 2-stage system. The first part is a novel heat treatment process that utilises microwaves to preserve the timber by directly heating it, while the second stage involves the application of a natural oil formulation to the hot timber while it is still in the heating chamber. This secondary process helps to restore the natural mechanical and physical properties of the wood. For further details on the story and process, check out the latest R&D Works Newsletter
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