Research on the effect of microwave pretreatment on moisture diffusion coefficient of wood

Based on the pathway of moisture diffusion in wood below FSP, an improved moisture diffusion model has been proposed. The theoretical solution of the mathematic model shows that the diffusion coefficient for microwave pretreated wood was increased no more than 3% compared with that of wood without being treated even under extreme condition. Experiments indicate that the pit membrane structure can be effectively destroyed during microwave pretreatment, but the moisture diffusion coefficient can not be significantly improved. In practice, the effect of microwave pretreatment on moisture diffusion coefficient can be ignored. The drying rate of wood during the sequent conventional drying can not be significantly improved by microwave pretreatment.