Effect of chemical modification on dimensional stability of Pinus radiata D. Don using acetic anhydride

Chemical modification is used to efficiently improve some properties of wood to make it suitable for specific end uses. Modification using acetic anhydride (AA) is found suitable to make the wood more stable dimensionally. Pinus radiata wood samples treated with pyridine catalyzed AA were exposed to four different treatment methods comprising vacuum dipping and full cell method (cured with and without chemical). Physical properties like weight percentage gain (WPG), bulking coefficient, swelling coefficient (S) due to the chemical, water absorption and anti-swelling efficiency (ASE) were assessed for a comparative analysis. Results indicated a significant reduction in water absorption of acetylated wood. The swelling coefficients of all the treatments were found in the range of 3.86-4.96, which was twice to three times less than in the control (11.72) attributing 55-64% improvement in dimensional stability. Samples treated with full cell method and cured in the chemical mixture showed minimum swelling coefficient and best anti-swelling efficiency. All the four treatment methods chosen for the study returned significantly better dimensional stability as compared to untreated wood.