THERMAL DEGRADATION AND MORPHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF FOUR WOOD SPECIES USED IN LUMBER INDUSTRY

Matheus Poletto

doi:10.1590/0100-67622016000500018

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was characterize four wood waste samples from lumber industry in order to obtain previous information about structure and properties of wood before use it as a biofuel or as reinforcement in composite formulations. The influence of wood components on the thermal degradation stability of different wood species has been investigated using thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. Four wood species, Eucalyptus grandis (EUG), Pinus elliottii (PIE), Dipteryx odorata (DIP) and Mezilaurus itauba (ITA), were used in this study. The results showed that higher extractives contents may form a thin film on the wood fiber surface which can accelerate the degradation process and reduce the wood thermal stability

Highlights

Wood flour is a common waste generated at different stages of the wood processing in lumber industries of Brazil (SIMIONI et al, 2010; DE MENDOZA et al, 2010)
The lignin content is higher for Pinus elliottii (PIE) and Eucalyptus grandis (EUG) than Dipteryx odorata (DIP) and ITA
The mechanical and thermal properties of the lignocellulosic fibers are mainly influenced by their composition, based on cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin content (ORNAGHI JR et al, 2014; POLETTO et al, 2012b) As an example, higher tensile strength and higher thermal stability are obtained for wood fibers that contain more crystalline cellulose (GÜMÜSKAYA et al, 2003)

Summary

Introduction

Wood flour is a common waste generated at different stages of the wood processing in lumber industries of Brazil (SIMIONI et al, 2010; DE MENDOZA et al, 2010). Thermoplastic composites filled with wood flour are materials that offer an alternative for using this waste viewing the production of light materials with some specific properties. The low degradation temperature of wood is a limitation found when considering their use as filler for thermoplastic composites. The degradation of wood due to high temperatures can lead to undesirable properties, such as odor and discoloration which promotes the loss of wood mechanical strength and produces composites with low mechanical properties (SHEBANI et al, 2008)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion