Abstract
AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and MMA–styrene in treating batai (Paraserianthes falcataria) wood. The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, physico-mechanical properties of the treated wood, and moisture sorption isotherm using dynamic vapour sorption (DVS) apparatus. Physico-mechanical properties of the modified batai wood were improved. The MMA-treated batai wood showed better improvement in terms of physical and mechanical properties compared to the MMA–styrene-treated batai wood. The equilibrium moisture content (EMC) for untreated batai wood was higher than that of treated samples. At 95% RH, the EMC for untreated batai wood was 20.7%, whereas the EMC for MMA- and MMA–styrene-treated samples was 7.9 and 8.8%, respectively. The findings indicate that the modified batai wood absorbed less moisture compared to the untreated batai wood. Moreover, the untreated batai wood had larger hysteresis loop than the treated batai wood. The highest hysteresis value was observed at 80% RH for untreated batai wood (3.8%), followed by MMA–styrene-treated batai wood (1.7%) and MMA-treated batai wood (1.2%). Both MMA and MMA–styrene proved to be effective treatments for batai wood because they reduced its hygroscopicity.
Highlights
Paraserianthes falcataria or locally known as batai, belongs to the family Leguminosae
The findings indicate that the modified batai wood absorbed less moisture compared to the untreated batai wood
Similar to the findings reported by Yap et al (1991), three peaks were observed in the region of 1390–1490 cm−1 for the methyl methacrylate (MMA)-treated wood, which could be attributed to the deformation of C–H bonds in the methyl group
Summary
Paraserianthes falcataria or locally known as batai, belongs to the family Leguminosae. It is a very fast-growing species and light-density wood. Both the heartwood and sapwood of batai are white to light brown in colour with a pink tinge. From the aspect of durability and treatability, batai is non-durable, attacked by fungi, and not amenable to preservative treatment, especially the heartwood (Lim and Chung 2002). An effective way to reduce the amount of moisture absorbed by wood is to modify the wood by either thermal treatment (Lee et al 2018) or impregnating it with chemicals or resin (Leemon et al 2015). Various polymers and resins have been used for chemically modifying wood; one of them is methyl methacrylate (MMA) (Zhang et al 2006a,b)
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