A Summary of The Article

‘Treatability of wood for pressure treatment processes:

a literature review’
(Emphasizing on point 5 & 9)

Course no- FES 317

Submitted to
Dr. Mizanur Rahman
Professor at Dept. of FES, SUST.

Submitted by
Reg: 2017631013

Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet.

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Two types of methods are used in wood preservative treatment, (1) Non-pressure treatment and
(2) Pressure treatment. This article discussed about the pressure treatment method in wood
preservation. In the wood preservation industry main concern for pressure treatment is about
inadequate and non-uniform penetration. Treatability is a measurement of the extent to which a
porous material such as wood can be impregnated with wood preservatives. The treatability of
wood are also important for other process including wood modification, pulping, bonding and
coating technologies. This article focuses on different aspects of the wood treatability for
pressured based preservation system.
Classification of wood treatability: Based on the guidelines of the standard and empirically for
aqueous wood preservatives the treatability of wood species can be categorized into four classes:
(a) Easy to treat (Class I)
(b) Moderately easy to treat (Class II)
(c) Difficult to treat (Class III)
(d) Extremely difficult to treat (Class IV)
It depends on the ratio of heartwood and sapwood in timbers. In the sapwood the preservatives
can go deeper but, in the heartwood, it is difficult to reach preservatives in deeper. As for
example US southern pine species are widely used in pressure treatment because the proportion
of difficult-to-treat heartwood is quite small.
Fluid flow in wood: Interconnected or isolated pores can be found in wood. The interconnected
pores only contribute to the fluid flow in the porous material. Four type of bulk flow can be
occurred when fluid passes through wood. (i) Laminar (viscous), (ii) Turbulent, (iii) Non-linear,
(iv) Molecular slip.
Fluid flow aspects of wood impregnation with preservatives: Deeper and more uniform
penetration of preservatives is possible with pressure processes. Bulk flow of the treating
solution through capillaries is the dominant mechanism during pressure impregnation of wood,
and diffusion process through the cell walls is negligible.
Parameters affecting the wood treatability:
1) Porous structure of wood
a) Softwoods: Bordered putting on the tracheid cell walls is the most important anatomical
structure of softwood that impacts the wood treatability, “pit aspiration” significantly
reduces the treatability of the Pinaceae. Dry earlywood of the conifers shows less
treatability with both oil and water based preservatives compared to the latewood due to
more pit aspiration.
b) Hardwood: The flow path of a fluid is more complicated in these woody species. The
movement of liquids through wood is primarily along the grain. Treatability is greatly
affected by the size and distribution of vessels and intervessel pitting features as well as
half bordered pit pairs.
c) Between and within tree variations: Same species grow in different environment and
site condition grow differently. It causes differences in their height and the ratio of
heartwood and sapwood. These variations explain the treatability differences. Timber of

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 different clones and origin show variation in the anatomical or chemical characteristics
such as ring width, latewood portion, ring density, heartwood content.
2) Drying method of wood
Drying of softwood timber with low surface tension methods results in better treatability.
Vacuum freeze-drying improves liquid penetration through Moso Bamboo. But these methods
are too expensive for lumber drying. Kiln drying and air seasoning are two common methods of
timber drying prior to pressure treatment with preservatives.
3) Wood moisture content
It is required that the moisture content of wood should be less then fiber saturation point.
Extreme dryness also affects the treatability. The desirable moisture content of wood is 20% for
pressure method.
4) Preservative formulation
Different types of preservatives have different type of ability. Different preservative has
difference in polarity, viscosity and surface tension. The flow rate of nonpolar liquids such as oil
is greater than polar liquids of same viscosity. Preservative solution with high viscosity and low
diffusion have low penetration ability and show uneven distribution in the wood structure and
vice-versa.

Strategies for improving the wood treatability

1. Streaming, Boultonizing and heat treatment:

Pre-steaming treatment occur in a steaming cylinder with suitable distribution of the steam, at a
maximum temperature of about 120℃ and relative humidity close to 100 percent for several
hours to reduce the drying time or drying defects.
Boultonizing process involves boiling of wood under vacuum in the oil-borne preservatives at
lower temperature than steaming usually about 82-104℃.
Heat treatment have an improving effect on the wood treatability, depending on fluid
characteristics, wood species, heat treatment conditions and temperature used.
2. Incising/Boring/kerfing
The lateral surfaces of difficult-to-treat timbers or poles are often incised to a certain depth using
steel knives, needles and laser or water jet to obtain deeper and more uniform penetration of
preservatives.
Kerfing and boring are also used for the same purpose.
The mechanical incising negatively affects the visual appearance of the treated wood, and
consequently, the incised wood is mostly used for ground contact timbers, such as sleepers, posts
and similar products where the aesthetic properties are not important.
3. Supercritical Fluids (SCF)
Supercritical fluids enhanced the treatability. These fluids have low viscosity and high diffusion
rate with properties between gas and liquids. These fluids remove occluding substances and
extractives from the bordered pits.
4. Penetration enhancing agents

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Penetration enhancing agents helps preservatives to go deeper on the timber. When the
preservation can go deeper it helps to improve the treatability. As for example the penetration of
copper amine-based preservatives can be improved by addition of ammonia.
5. Heating preservative solution
Controlled heating of the preservative solution enhance the penetration depth of some
preservatives into wood without serious damage. The use of heated water-based preservative
solution result in a zonal treatment of wood. Oil-type preservatives can penetrate the wood more
easily at high temperature.
6. Innovative treatment process
Different species require different type of treatment. Scientist select appropriate process based on
the wood species, preservative types, carrier agents and the hazard classes. Vacuum or pressure
treatment is currently used for industrial-scale treatment of wood.
7. Microwave irradiation
High intensity microwave (MW) irradiation enhances the treatability of difficult-to-treat wood
species. This technology could be used for increasing the permeability of any wood species.
Optimization of this technique is necessary to avoid a considerable reduction in the mechanical
strength of the irradiated wood.
8. Biological methods
This method is required to improve the treatability of wood without negative effects on the other
properties such as mechanical properties. This method of treatability uses variety of fungi and
enzymes. Because of the uneconomic and slow process, these pretreatments are not applicable in
the industry.
9. Mechanical stressing
Applying mechanical force can be enhanced the treatability of some wood species. This
treatment uses pressure rollers or plates that enhances the penetration process. These contributes
to open fluid pathways.
10. Sonic/Ultrasonic treatment
Treatment of wood with sonic or ultrasonic energy provides better penetration of preservatives
compared to the conventional hydraulic pressure treatment.

11. Other methods

Wood ponding for several weeks or several months can enhance the treatability due to the effects
of bacteria in the water on the parenchyma cells and pit membrane. This pre-treatment is not
effective for all wood species.

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