Effect of wood characteristics on pressure responses during supercritical carbon dioxide treatment

The potential for using the anatomical properties of wood to predict response to supercritical fluid impregnation was investigated using an array of hardwood and softwood species. Longitudinal resin canals were a reasonable predictor of softwood response to pressure application, while radial gas permeability and/or fiber dimensions were useful for the same predictions in hardwoods. Most other anatomical characteristics were poorly correlated with pressure response. The results suggest that there is some ability to use limited anatomical measurements to predict the receptivity of a given species to supercritical fluid impregnation, thereby reducing the need for iterative treatment trials to assess suitability of a species for use in this process.