Preparation of wood with thermoplastic properties Part 2. Simplified technologies

Aspen wood (Populus tremula) as sawdust was chemically modified through a two-step procedure: esterification with maleic anhydride and subsequent oligoesterification with glycidyl methacrylate and maleic anhydride. Simplified techniques consisting of impregnation by immersion followed by thermal treatment using conventional or microwave heating were employed. Chemical analyses and infra-red spectroscopy showed some differences in the chemical composition and structure of the resulting oligoesterified wood depending on the synthesis technique. However, the thermoplastic properties, clearly revealed by thermomechanical analysis, were quite similar and comparable to those exhibited by the oligoesterified wood resulting via classical synthesis. Moreover, similar degrees of chemical modification were obtained for a significantly shorter duration of the process when microwave heating was employed instead of conventional heating.