Research Proposal

Comparison Of Water Absorption In Wood Treated

With Natural And Artificial Chemicals

P.A.U.Ishani
170239F
Proposed Supervisor:
Prof. Rangika Halwathura

17th January 2021

Department of Civil Engineering

Faculty of Engineering
UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA - SRI LANKA
Table of Contents

1. Introduction............................................................................................................................ 3

2. Problem statement.................................................................................................................. 4

3. Significance of the research.................................................................................................... 5

4. Scope of the study................................................................................................................... 6

5. Aims and objectives............................................................................................................... 6

6. Proposed methodology........................................................................................................... 6

7. Proposed work plan............................................................................................................... 8

8. Resources required and budget.............................................................................................. 9

9. Reference list......................................................................................................................... 9

170239F_P.A.U.Ishani 2
Introduction

Wood is a structural tissue existing in the plant stem or roots, which can be elaborated as
a composite buildup of cellulose fibres . The outermost layer of a tree covered by the bark is
known as sapwood, and it consists of water and nutrient-transport tissues generally cited as
xylem. The inner layer is composed of numerous dead xylem tubes, considered as heartwood, is
normally used for manufacturing of wooden structures . Wood is the most ancient construction
material utilized ,however , is presently replaced by concrete, bricks, or steel. Nevertheless, to
date it remains a highly luxurious and favored building unit due to its lightweight, high strength:
weight ratio and environmental friendliness. Wood modification is conducted to rule out weak
points in wood related to moisture sensitivity, low dimension stability, hardness and wear
resistance and vulnerability to fungi attack(Sandberg et al., 2017). According to Sandberg et
al.(2017), there are 4 main wood modification techniques :
(1) chemical treatments(Acetylation, Furfurylation)
(2) thermo-hydro (TH) and thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) treatments
(3) treatments based on biological processes
(4) physical treatment with the use of electromagnetic irradiation or plasma.
Wood modification can be simply classified into two sections as active modification, where a
chemical change in the material enhances the wood and passive classification, where a change in
properties of the wood occur without mutating the chemistry(Sandberg et al., 2017). The above
(1) and (2) methods are active modification techniques. In most of these treatments, a reagent
interacts with plant cell-wall polymer hydroxyl groups as indicated in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1
Schematic diagram illustrating the effect of chemical modification (courtesy: Emil Engelund
Thybring, University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

3
Note. From “Wood modification technologies - a review,” by D. Sandberg, A. Kutnar, and G.
Mantanis, 2017, IForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, 10,
p.897(https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor2380-010) Copyright 2017 by SISEF

As Ringman et al.(2019) states, wood is hygroscopic, meaning it can absorb water in liquid and
gaseous states . Consequently, this quality of wood ensures that it permanently consist of a
certain percentage of moisture. The limit where cell walls are filled and cell cavities are empty is
referred to as the Fiber Saturation Point(FSP) and where it is exceeded (cavities also get saturated
with water molecules), the maximum water absorption occurs. In untreated wood, under the FSP
limit wood moisture can be explained as bound water existing the cell wall of wood (Ringman et
al., 2019).When wooden structures are exposed to moisture, an unbearable amount of water
molecules enter the cell walls , destroying the treatment(the chemicals will diffuse into the water
as leachate) causing the wooden structure to absorb water and decay(Barbero-López et al., 2021).
It will result in swelling, deformation, fungal growth, and other infections which paves path to
permanent damage. Hence, evaluation of water absorption of treated wood is of utmost
importance.

Problem statement

Understanding which wood modification techniques (artificial and natural)are more effective and
sustainable requires an effort, as there are many preservatives in the market. The different
constituents of these modification methods maybe harmful to the environment if they are
leached. Some chemicals would be less resistant against natural wood deterioration . Factors such

4
as mold growth , swelling, discoloring, structural failure due to changes in grain orientation of
wood and durability depend on water absorption. Hence, a comparison and evaluation of water
absorption of differently treated wood will be helpful in sorting out the better preservation
methods .

Significance of the research

This research explores a specific nature of timber, water absorption, with varying wood
preservation methods. Timber is an essential construction material and a natural resource, which
however, depletes annually with deforestation. Although wood is required for numerous
purposes, frequent and reckless cutting down of trees could not be accepted ,hence, wood
modification methods for a longer lasting period are anticipated. Furthermore, reducing the water
absorption of wood is extremely important . The reasons are all outdoor structures being exposed
to rainwater, snow and moisture, indoor wooden creations may experience damp conditions and
hydraulic structures are continuously exposed to flowing or stagnant water.

Presently, many artificial wood preservation methods are utilized in the timber industry.
CCA or Chromated Copper Arsenate treatment is widely used, however, it is banned for outdoor
applications in some countries due to the toxicity of its leachates (Kaur et al., 2016).
Nevertheless, according to Lloyd et al.(2020), borates(Borax-Boric and CCB-Copper Chrome
Boron) can be presented as minimally harmful preservatives which have a low cost and high
ability to destroy fungal organisms. Furthermore, regarding the natural water repellant and fungi-
proof nature of the tree-bark, preservatives have been developed combining the bark-extract and
other plant-based products. As water absorption is the key point in swelling, deformation of
structure and fungi-attack the analysis of water absorption and parasitic growth of different types
of wood with different preservation techniques has a significant importance.

In the end, we would be able to arrive at a conclusion which wood type and which
modification method confronts better with moisture and water(retaining its strength), lasts longer
and less vulnerable to fungi attack. The improvements which could be done when developing a
new eco-friendly preservative to minimize water absorption of wood could also be fathomed.

5
Scope of the study

The research must be set by boundaries due to the vastness of the subject. Initially, it is limited to
3 types of wood, namely Mango(Mangifera indica), Rubber(Alstonia macrophylla) and
Alastonia(Alstonia macrophylla). Here, both Mango and Rubber is categorized under class 3 of
wood classification while Alastonia is in class 2. Two artificial preservatives, namely CCB(
Copper Chrome Boron) and Borax Boric(Borax and Boric acid) will be used. Two natural
preservatives made of plant-leaf extract (produced in Sri Lanka) shall be used for the comparison.
Only the chemical dip wood modification method will be used as a treatment. Water absorbed
would be calculated in means of gross retention and the growth of fungi would be observed with
time .As a limitation, the swelling of wood would not be calculated due to the extra resource
consumption.

Aims and Objectives

• Compare the quantities of water absorbed by identical wood samples treated separately
with natural and artificial chemicals
• Decide which wood modification(artificial or natural) is preferable
• Identify the mold growth with the different treatment

Proposed Methodology

i. Collection of literature and identification of problem parameters.

ii. Gather the resources which are needed for the experimental process such as treated wood
,electronic scale, glass tanks, water sealants ,etc.
iii. Understand how the experiment should be carried out by watching similar experiments
online and obtaining instructions from the supervisor.
iv. Perform the experiment using the available resources.
• Get three cube shaped wood samples(2inch x 2inch x 2inch) from each wood
type(Mango, Alastonia and Rubber) to be treated using the chemical dip wood

6
 preservation method by CCB, Boron treatment and the two natural treatments
separately. Keep untreated samples as a controlled experiment.
• Test the samples for water absorption with the aid of three glass tanks(CCB
treated, Boron treated, and two natural chemicals treated samples are kept
separately in different glass tanks ).Compare the observations with the controlled
experiment. Get the weight of the water absorbed to 0.01g accuracy, by measuring
the wood samples using an electronic scale before and after testing.
• Then take similar samples and test for Sorptivity by letting only the base surface
of cubes touch the water surface by keeping them on iron rods in the glass tanks.
• Next, to observe mold growth, take cuboid-shaped (6inch x 4inch x 5 mm) wood
slices from each of the three wood types. Get them treated using the preservation
method and observe the mold growth both in indoor and outdoor environments.

v. Compare the results and arrive at conclusions.

7
Proposed Work Plan

(iii)Understan
(v)Compare
(i)Collection d how the (iv) Perform
(ii)Gather the the results and
Task of research experiment the
resources arrive at
data should be experiment
conclusions
done

Dec-20

Jan-21

6th sem exams

Feb-21
Industrial Training

Mar-21

Apr-21

May-21

Jun-21

Jul-21

Aug-21

Sep-21

Oct-21

Nov-21

Dec-21

8
 Resources required and budget

• Wood samples(Rubber, Mango, Alastonia) treated with artificial chemicals(CCB and

Borax-Boric) and natural chemicals
• 3 Glass tanks(6 inch x 6 inch x 6 inch)
• Electronic scale
• Magnifying glass to clearly observe mold growth
• Water sealant
• MS Excel software to analyze results

Estimated cost = Rs. 6000.00

Reference list

Sandberg, D., Kutnar, A., & Mantanis, G. (2017). Wood modification technologies—A review.

IForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, 10, 895–908. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor2380-010

Kaur, P. J., Satya, S., Pant, K. K., & Naik, S. N. (2016). Eco-Friendly Preservation of Bamboo

Species: Traditional to Modern Techniques. BioResources, 11(4), 10604–10624.

Ringman, R., Beck, G., & Pilgård, A. (2019). The Importance of Moisture for Brown Rot Degradation

of Modified Wood: A Critical Discussion. Forests, 10(6), 522. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10060522

9
González-Laredo, R. F., Rosales-Castro, M., Rocha-Guzmán, N. E., Gallegos-Infante, J. A., Moreno-

Jiménez, M. R., & Karchesy, J. J. (2015). Preservación de la madera usando productos naturales.

Madera y Bosques, 21. https://doi.org/10.21829/myb.2015.210427

Lloyd, J. D., Taylor, A. M., Brischke, C., & Irby, N. (2020). Protecting the heartwood of wood

infrastructure – improving performance with borate dual treatments. Wood Material Science &

Engineering, 15(6), 361–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/17480272.2020.1749881

Barbero-López, A., Akkanen, J., Lappalainen, R., Peräniemi, S., & Haapala, A. (2021). Bio-based

wood preservatives: Their efficiency, leaching and ecotoxicity compared to a commercial wood

preservative. Science of The Total Environment, 753, 142013.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142013

Wood: A construction material for tall buildings | Nature Reviews Materials. (n.d.). Retrieved January

4, 2021, from https://www.nature.com/articles/natrevmats201751

Timber Classification. (n.d.). Retrieved January 4, 2021, from

http://www.timco.lk/stc/index.php?module=web&action=timberClassification&lang=en

10