Flammability and Acetic Acid Emissions from Acetylated Wood under Well-Ventilated Burning Conditions

Abstract

Acetylation is a type of commercial wood modification used to enhance the durability of wood. Despite its adoption, especially in outdoor environments, there are mixed data on how acetylation affects the combustion of wood. This paper evaluates the differences in acetylated and untreated wood using a cone calorimeter in combination with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to look for acetic acid vapors in the combustion gases. Two thicknesses of acetylated pine boards were tested and compared against an untreated board from the same genus. No differences were observed between the peak heat release between the acetylated and untreated boards. Likewise, there were no trends in the time to ignition between the acetylated wood and the control group. Differences were observed however in the chemical composition of the combustion products. An increase in acetic acid in the products of combustion was observed for the acetylated samples that corresponded with the peak heat release of the sample.