TY  - EJOU
AU  - Grosse, Charlotte 
AU  - Noël, Marion 
AU  - Thévenon, Marie-France 
AU  - Rautkari, Lauri 
AU  - Gérardin, Philippe 

TI  - Influence of Water and Humidity on Wood Modification with Lactic Acid
T2  - Journal of Renewable Materials

PY  - 2018
VL  - 6
IS  - 3
SN  - 2164-6341

AB  - Impregnation of dry wood with pure lactic acid oligomers (OLAs) followed by heat treatment confers promising properties to wood because of OLA's good diffusion, in-situ polymerization and persistence in cell walls. Treatment provides drastic reduction of the equilibrium moisture content, high dimensional stability and good durability. The presence of water during treatment has been evaluated. Curing of OLA impregnated dry wood in humid atmosphere leads to a strong and global degradation of the material. OLA treatment of wet wood only impacts the water leaching rate negatively. Treatment of dry wood with OLA diluted in water additionally decreases the biological resistance and is not efficient for decreasing hygroscopicity. Treatment of dry wood with lactic acid solution leads to a lower polymerization level but confers good properties.
KW  - Wood modification
KW  -  lactic acid
KW  -  wood impregnation
KW  -  heat treatment

DO  - 10.7569/JRM.2017.634176