Home Care In Aspen Woods, AB

Highlights

Abstract

Catalytic hydrogenolysis in the medium of supercritical organic solvents is a promising way of wood lignins depolymerization into liquid products.

In this study, for the first time, the catalytic properties of bifunctional catalysts Ru/C, Pt/ZrO₂, NiCuMo/SiO₂, containing nanosized metal particles on acidic groups are compared in the processes of aspen wood and ethanol lignin hydrogenolysis in supercritical ethanol.

The most active catalysts are Ru/C and Pt/ZrO₂ which provide the high conversion of wood (to 78.0 wt%), significant yield of liquid products (to 50.6 wt%) and low yield of solid rest (to 22.0 wt%) at temperature 250 °C and H₂ pressure 9.0 MPa. These catalysts increase the yield of monomeric compounds in liquid products from 10.5 % to 50.4 % on mass of lignin.

GC–MS analysis shows that alkyl derivatives of methoxyphenols (mainly propyl syringol and propyl guaiacol) are dominated in liquid products. Solid products of aspen wood catalytic hydrogenolysis contain mainly cellulose (to 82.2 wt%). Therefore, the catalytic hydrogenolysis in supercritical ethanol in the presence of by functional catalysts Ru/C and Pt/ZrO₂ allows to fractionate the aspen wood biomass on cellulose and liquid products enriched with propyl syringol and propyl guaiacol.

In catalytic hydrogenolysis of ethanol lignin the yield of alkyl derivatives of methoxyphenols is lower compared to wood. This is probably due to the reduced content of reactive β-O-4 bonds in the structure of ethanol lignin compared to native lignin of aspen wood. As follows from the results obtained, native lignin of wood is easier depolymerized to monomeric compounds in the process of catalytic hydrogenolysis than ethanol lignin, isolated from wood.

According to GPC data, the catalysts shift to the region of lower molecular mass the molecular mass distribution of liquid products of aspen wood and ethanol lignin hydrogenolysis.

Graphical abstract

Introduction

Wood lignin, being a renewable source for producing valuable phenolic and aromatic hydrocarbons, remains a little used raw material [[1], [2], [3], [4], [5]]. The hydrolysis industry produces condensed lignin as a byproduct which is difficult to process into valuable chemicals. One of the promising method of lignin isolation is the extraction of lignocellulosic materials with organic solvent or its mixtures with water [6,7]. The resulting organosolv lignins do not contain sulfur and have a higher reactivity compared to traditional technical lignins. However, when organosolv lignins are isolated the undesirable polymerization processes can occur, leading to a decrease in their yield and reactivity [8]. These circumstances make it urgent to develop methods of lignin depolymerization which eliminate the additional stage of its isolation from lignocellulosic material.

Catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignocellulosic biomass in the medium of supercritical organic solvents allows to combine the stages of lignin isolation and its catalytic depolymerization [[9], [10], [11]].

In particular, the influence of acid high silica zeolites catalysts on the depolymerization of aspen wood in supercritical ethanol medium at 270 °C was studied [12]. The most active catalyst with ratio Si/Al = 30 produces 86.0 wt% of liquid products at 270 °C and pressure 6.4 MPa. They are mainly represented by compounds formed from wood polysaccharides: 5-HMF, furfural, levulinic acid, ethyl esters etc. The catalyst NiCuMo/SiO₂ gives the high yield of liquid products (near 90.0 wt%) in the depolymerization of aspen ethanol lignin in supercritical ethanol at 300 °C and 11.6 MPa [13]. This catalyst reduces the content of phenol and benzene derivatives and increases the content of esters, aldehydes and ketons in hexane soluble liquid products.

In the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen-donor compounds, an increase in the yield of liquid products of lignin catalytic depolymerization can be expected due to intensification of the reactions of CO and CC bonds rupture. The reductive depolymerization of lignocellulosic biomass is carried out in organic solvents in the presence of metal-containing catalysts (Pd/C, Ru/C, Ni/C, Ni/Al₂O₃ etc) [[14], [15], [16]]. In the processes of biomass hydrogenolysis the low molecular weight soluble products are formed from hemicelluloses and lignin, while cellulose remains as a solid residue. The lower aliphatic alcohols with hydrogen donor properties are usually used as organic solvents. In the process of catalytic hydrogenolysis of biomass they extract the products of biomass depolymerization, alkylate and reduce the reactive intermediates, preventing their condensation [17]. Ethanol is a promising solvent, which can be obtained in the required quantities using existing industrial technologies [18].

The use of solid bifunctional catalysts on the basis of platinum metals and less expensive metals (Ni, Mo) on oxide (Al₂O₃, SiO₂) and carbon supports allows to intensify the depolymerization of lignin and to increase the yield of monomeric phenol derivatives [[19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24]]. Catalysts NiCu/SiO₂ and NiCuMо/SiO₂ were developed for the process of bio-oil hydrodeoxygenation [25]. These catalysts were successfully used for depolymerization of aspen aceton lignin in the medium of supercritical butanol [26,27]. The most active catalyst NiCuMо/SiO₂ increases by 2.4 times the yield of liquid products compared to non-catalytic process. The catalyst Ru/C is active in the processes of hydrogenolysis of birch ethanol lignin [28,29], abies wood and ethanol lignin [30] and catalyst Ni-Cu/ZrO₂ – in the process of biodiesel and anisole hydrodeoxygenation [31].

In the present study, for the first time, the catalytic properties of bifunctional catalysts Ru/C, Pt/ZrO₂, NiCuMо/SiO₂, containing nanosized metal particles and acid groups are compared in the processes of aspen wood and ethanol lignin hydrogenolysis in supercritical ethanol medium. Optimal process conditions providing the high yield of monomeric derivatives of phenol have been established.

Section snippets

Initial wood materials

The air-dry sawdust (fraction 2–5 mm) of aspen wood (Populus tremula) with chemical composition (wt%): cellulose – 46.3, lignin – 20.4, hemicellulose – 24.1, ash – 0.5 and elemental composition (wt%): C – 49.9, H – 6.1, O – 44.0 was used in the experiments.

Ethanol lignin was isolated from aspen wood according to procedure described in [32] by extraction of wood fraction ≤ 1 mm with 60 % ethanol at 190 °C during 3 h. The soluble ethanol lignin was precipitated by cold water (−4 °C), separated

Thermal depolymerization of aspen wood in supercritical ethanol medium

The impact of temperature and pressure of the process of aspen wood thermal depolymerization in supercritical ethanol on the wood conversion and on the yield of liquid, solid and gaseous products was studied. At the process temperatures 270 °C and 350 °C the conversion of wood significantly increases with the rise of pressure from 4.0 MPa to 20.8 MPa (Fig. 2).

The highest conversion of aspen wood (95.5 wt%) is reached at the process temperature 350 °C and pressure 20.8 MPa. In subcritical

Conclusion

Catalytic properties of bifuctional catalysts Ru/C, Pt/ZrO₂, NiCuMo/SiO₂, containing nanosized metal particles on acidic supports were compared in the processes of aspen wood and ethanol lignin hydrogenolysis in supercritical ethanol at 250 °C and 9.0 MPa.

In non-catalytic hydrogenolysis of aspen wood at 250 °C the conversion of wood is 55.0 wt%, yield of liquid products 42.5 wt% and yield of solid rest 45.0 wt%. All studied catalysts increase the conversion of wood and yield of gaseous products

Funding

The reported study was supported by Russian Science Foundation, Grant No. 16-13-10326.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

B.N. Kuznetsov: Conceptualization. V.I. Sharypov: Methodology. S.V. Baryshnikov: Visualization, Investigation. A.V. Miroshnikova: Visualization, Investigation. O.P. Taran: Writing - review & editing. V.A. Yakovlev: Writing - original draft. A.V. Lavrenov: Writing - original draft. L. Djakovitch: Writing - original draft.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

The equipment of Krasnoyarsk Regional Research Equipment Centre of SB RAS was used in present work.

The authors are grateful to Yu.N. Malyar and A.S. Kazachenko for help in obtaining experimental data.

References (49)

Cited by (13)

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More and more in recent years, moose have been making their way onto the prairies in what biologist and author Chris Fisher calls an "opportunistic adaptation."

Normally found in the boreal forest and Rocky Mountains — where they usually spent the winter months feeding on trees and bushes — moose have moved in recent years as they seek out new and easier-to-acquire food sources.

"It's not unusual going for a drive that certainly we'll see a lot of pronghorn, elk and deer, but every now and again, you'll see a big old moose trotting along on the prairie where there's not a tree in sight," Fisher, the author of Mammals of Alberta, told the Calgary Eyeopener on Wednesday.

"They're very opportunistic. On the prairies … there's a lot of grain that is spilled after harvesting so there is a lot of good food. For an animal that is used to eating splintered wood most of the winter, all this spilled grain and canola is like a Michelin five-star restaurant. It's a great banquet for them."

Moose even make their way into cities on occasion, including Calgary.

In early February, a pair of moose were spotted wandering around the neighbourhoods of Aspen Woods and Strathcona Park. Alberta Fish and Wildlife enforcement spokesperson Brendan Cox said it's best to give any wild animal a wide berth.

"If you don't have to walk in the direction where the moose is, then don't," he told CBC News in an earlier interview.

Another reason for moose movement, said Fisher, is the fact there's more room for them to move into as in many places the people have moved out.

"Back 100 years ago, there were homesteads all over the place, and the concentration of people has really been reduced," he said.

"Once, where you'd have an area that would have 40 people on it, now there might be a single family farming that entire area. So [moose] are not as disturbed as much. And these homesteaders have left behind a couple of trees where their house was … or perhaps a willow bush, and that provides them a little bit of cover as well."

There's also a dearth of natural predators

"Grizzlies and wolves that were on the prairies in previous centuries are now gone," Fisher said.

"Those would all have made life a little bit more difficult on the moose. Nowadays, you have the occasional hunter and road traffic — those would be the biggest threats."

Researchers have begun looking at the effects of moose migration, which Fisher says has so far been limited to "the periphery of the prairie."

"A single moose weighs as much as the entire offensive line of the Calgary Stampeders. They can chow down on a lot of food," he said.

"But it seems to be only concentrated on wheat and canola, and in areas that are closest to the forested areas. That's where you have more moose."

​With files from the Calgary Eyeopener

Start your car — this multi-million dollar stunning home has had its price reduced to $8,950,000 after being on the market for more than three and a half years!

And when I say ‘start your car,’ you can start all seven of them because that’s the number of garages this exquisite manor has, with front and rear drive access.

To get to this stone-wrapped home in the Aspen Estates, you’ll have to cruise through the private cul-de-sac first, naturally.

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

This warm three-level home is also accompanied by a carriage house — more the merrier, right?

And if you like to have options, you can always build a third house, or garage, on the second lot at 10 Aspen Ridge Lane.

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Say it out loud, “welcome to my home!”

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Socks optional — there’s heated floors to keep your toes warm inside this charming house and a grand fireplace in the living room as you walk inside.

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

With couches you can melt in, it will be country comfort as you look outside of the wooden-framed windows topped with high ceilings to see the greenery.

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Don’t worry, you’re never far away from that cozy spot when you need to cook some meals with this gourmet kitchen right beside the living space.

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Depending on how you’re feeling, you have two dining areas to choose from: First (pictured above), if you’d like something more casual, you can choose to pull up some bar stools to these cool high countertops or a quaint table if that’s not enough room.

If you’d like something more sophisticated to impress guests with, you have a beautiful dining area (pictured below) complimented with warm beige and brown tones and green accents that allow you to stick to your country roots.

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

After all that hosting, you’ll need somewhere practical to lay down and unwind — this little piece of heaven should do the trick.

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

When you’re getting ready for the day, you can either use the bathroom or powder room — both options are great!

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Not tired yet?

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

What kind of country house doesn’t have a pub downstairs?

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

‘What are you havin’ today?’ — has a good ring to it.

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Time for some fresh air…

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

How many people do you think you could BBQ for on this 1,200 sq. ft. patio?

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Address: 6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary

Neighbourhood: Aspen Woods

Listing Price: $8,950,000

Listing agent: Kirby Cox & Associates

Elevator Pitch: A classic country home in Aspen Woods has two separate lots on a beautifully landscaped property. This warm three level family house is completely wrapped in stone and offers you 10,000 sq. ft. of cozy living space completed with a seven-vehicle garage.

Highlight: Rain or shine this country manor has you covered: a big and beautiful patio overlooking the neighbourhood and greenery as you BBQ with family and friends, or for those cold Calgary nights you can stay cozy by the luxurious fireplace or pop on a movie in your built-in home theatre.

Potential turn off: The stone-wrapped country house has everything you need, however, it appears the backyard doesn’t have much green space considering it’s sitting on a little more than an acre, and while there’s an extra lot for you to decide what to do with, either way it’ll mean extra work and money.

Specs

For when you need some quiet time…

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Movie night anyone?

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Hot tub room that lets you feel like you’re outside!

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Billiards Room

6 Aspen Ridge LN SW, Calgary/Kirby Cox & Associates

Take the whole Tour here:

A Calgary man is concerned that the removal of trees to make way for the West Calgary Ring Road will hurt wildlife in his neighbourhood.

Lee Girardo lives in Aspen Woods near the site of a planned interchange that will connect Bow Trail to the ring road.

He believes too many trees will be taken out as part of preparations for construction on the interchange.

“It’s a very busy little patch of forest. We’ve got an owl that nests there, an eagle that nests there, deer and moose travelling through there on a regular basis, you hear coyotes all the time, jackrabbits, all kinds of little critters,” Girardo said.

“So this is a bustling little ecosystem.”

Click to share quote on Twitter: "So this is a bustling little ecosystem."

An official with Alberta Transportation, the provincial government department in charge of the project, says construction managers will be taking steps to limit any potential damage to the environment.

“We are going to be removing trees in the near future,” project director Shane De Lorey said. “The trees that we are removing are the trees that would be required to be removed to progress the project.

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

“We are leaving a buffer of trees in every location that we can. We are only removing the trees that are required to be removed for the project.”

1:57

Girardo says he has talked with several neighbours who share his concerns about the removal of trees in the area.

“(I) fully respect that some of it needs to be taken down, so I would just like to appeal to the province: pause, rethink this, plan out a little better with the proper balance between preserving some natural environment and putting in the road that we all want.”

Managers with the ring road project held a public information session on construction-related blasting Wednesday night.

The meeting was held at Canada Olympic Park, near the Cougar Ridge neighbourhood.

Some residents of that area had expressed concerns in December 2019 that the blasting might damage their homes. The blasting was halted while engineers reviewed what was going on.

After they concluded that the blasting wasn’t causing any damage to nearby homes, blasting resumed in January 2020. It’s scheduled to continue for the next six to eight months.

There will be another public information meeting on ring road construction blasting at Canada Olympic Park in March.

The West Calgary Ring Road project is scheduled to be finished by the fall of 2022.

Abstract

In musical instrument making, there is a strong need to find alternatives to the traditional endangered and expensive tropical wood species used today. The present study examined whether different commercial and experimental modified wood materials have the necessary acoustic qualities under different humid conditions (dry, standard and wet) to contribute to the use of raw materials for wooden musical instruments. The materials were thermally-modified wood (ash, aspen and birch), acetylated wood (beech, maple and radiata pine), melamine- and phenol formaldehyde-treated beech and furfurylated Scots pine (Kebony Scots pine). Investigations involved physical (density ρ, Equilibrium moisture content EMC, volumetric shrinkage) and dynamic elastic testing by a free-free flexural vibration method to determine various acoustic characteristics: specific dynamic modulus (MOE_dyn/ρ), damping coefficient (tanδ), speed of sound (c), specific acoustic impedance (z), sound radiation coefficient (R) and acoustic conversion efficiency (ACE). The modified materials and especially acetylated wood showed low EMC values and high dimensional stability at each humidity level, which are considered important factors for making quality musical instruments. Based on the obtained value ranges of all acoustical properties, the different modified wood materials could find uses in musical instruments where specific characteristics of sound are required. Furthermore, most of the modified materials showed an excellent acoustic performance in the three humid conditions based on a high ACE and low tanδ. Furfurylated Scots pine and phenol formaldehyde-treated beech showed an inferior acoustic quality with the lowest ACE and the highest tanδ, which is a less favourable combination for most of the musical instruments.

Graphical abstract

Introduction

The quality of a musical instrument depends on the choice of wood materials for the different parts and their harmonized arrangement when it is constructed. The main criteria for makers of musical instruments (wind, string or percussion) to choose wood with superior acoustical performance include dimensional stability, homogeneity of the grain, hardness, flexibility and plasticity. Tropical hardwoods are typically used in musical instruments as they satisfy these criteria [1], [2]. For example, ebony is used in fretboards for its high density, lack of grain, elegant contrast and more importantly superiority as sound transmitter; Brazilian rosewood and mahogany are used in violins, bottom and ribs of guitars for their high density and low damping; pernambuco is used in bows of stringed instruments for its excellent flexibility and strength; African blackwood, rosewood, Macassar ebony, granadilla, cocuswood are used in flute, clarinets, piccolos and oboes for their high dimensional stability, high density and fine structure [1], [3]. However, those tropical hardwood species are often illegally harvested while some of them (e.g. Brazilian rosewood, some mahogany species, pernambuco) are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES [4].

Nowadays, the demand to replace tropical wood in musical instruments is higher than ever before due to the obvious problem of commercial availability. Even though the musical industry has looked at alternative wood species, which are less expensive and readily available, the traditional woods are still preferred [5], [6]. The reason is that they possess inferior acoustical properties and they do not fulfill the required physical, mechanical and chemical properties. Furthermore, their acoustic behavior can change over time under varying moisture conditions [7]. Such alternative wood species used as for example in string instruments are maple or Honduras mahogany for the neck; maple for fretboard; alder, ash, basswood, maple, poplar and walnut for the body; spruce for soundboards [1], [8], [9]. On the other hand, high quality wood for musical instrument making is getting harder to find as well as more expensive [10]. Since there is a huge potential of using such alternative wood materials in musical instrument industry, the interest in technologies that can ensure the improvement or stabilization of their acoustical properties has been increased [4]. An additional potential also exists for restoration and reconstruction of old musical instruments by using the new species in case these technologies could provide them with similar sound characteristics to naturally aged wood.

Musical instrument manufacturers have been trying to minimise the negative characteristics of the wooden raw materials by applying special treatments for a century [4]. However, the question arises today whether the modern wood modification processes can be used to enhance the specific functionalities of inexpensive common wood species needed for various instruments. That could potentially help to satisfy the increasing demand of high-quality wood in this industry and reduce the pressure on endangered, expensive tropical and exotic hardwood species.

Thermal, chemical and impregnation modification of wood has received considerable attention in recent years, mainly as an environmental-friendly alternative to conventional wood preservation [11], [12]. Some of these wood modification have been commercialized in different parts of the world. The most important thermal modification process is performed by the ThermoWood® Association (Finland, Sweden), where steam is used as a heat transferring media and the treatment is performed at 185–215 °C for 2–3 h. During the thermal modification process, degradation of hemicelluloses, modification of lignin, redistribution of extractives, increase of cellulose crystallinity and the reduction of hydrophilic hydroxyl (-OH) groups in the cell wall resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of moisture absorption [13], [14]. Acetylation is one type of chemical modification and the name of commercial product is Accoya® (The Netherlands) where reaction between the chemical molecule of acetic anhydride and the -OH groups of the wood substrate takes place and generates acetylated wood. This process is a single site reaction, meaning that one acetyl group is attached to one hydroxyl group, without polymerization and results in reduction of moisture absorption [15]. Another type of chemical modification that has also been commercialized is Kebony® (Norway), uses furfural alcohol. After impregnation with furfural alcohol, the wood is heated for the polymerization of the furfural alcohol, so that the resulting polymer is permanently locked into the wood cells giving a better stability [16]. Treatments with silicones/silanes [17], [18] have a small industrial capacity (e.g. Sioo, UK/Sweden and OrganoClick, Sweden). Other types of impregnation modification include resin modification (DMDHEU, melamine, phenol formaldehyde) and treatments with waxes, oils and paraffin. In resin modification, a full cell impregnation process with vacuum and pressure steps in closed vessels allows the resin molecules to diffuse in the cell walls and finally curing is accomplished at 70–130 °C. Resin modification ensures high anti-swelling efficiency of wood [19], [20]. However, with the exception of DMDHEU under Belmadur® for some years no commercial products are available today.

In principle, wood modification is applied to increase its durability following an alteration in material properties, such as reduced pore size in the cell wall matrix and/or lower cell wall moisture content. As a consequence, additional wood properties are improved which encompass increased dimensional stability, reduced water uptake, improved hardness and resistance to weathering. Usually, static and dynamic mechanical properties remain unchanged or even increase depending on the modification method and intensity [21], [22]. The enhanced properties as well as the pleasant appearance of modified wood made it ideal for many interior or exterior uses. A few studies have also been carried out on the acoustical properties of modified wood with aim finding an appropriate suitability and quality balance for making musical instruments. Mild thermal treatments were found to improve the sound characteristics of wood, which are required for musical instruments [4], [23], [24], [25]. Due to an improved hydrophobicity and dimensional stability, the sound properties of hydrothermally-modified wood became better at humid conditions [26]. Thermally improved wood was suggested for the restoration and reconstruction of old musical instruments as it showed similar sound characteristics to naturally aged wood [27]. Acetylated wood has shown very positive results when used for instruments like violin, piano soundboard, guitar, recorder, bagpipe chanter, trumpet and trombone mouthpieces [6]. Different chemical treatments, such as with a low molecular weight phenolic resin, resorcinol/formaldehyde treatment and saligenin/formaldehyde, resulted in improved sound characteristics of wood by increasing the specific dynamic Young’s modulus and decreasing damping (tanδ) without greatly increasing its specific gravity [28].

This paper further report on the acoustical properties of different modified wood materials, especially taking into account variations in humidity that has been little researched so far. It is well known that wood is a hygroscopic material and its dimensions change due to changes of its moisture content. This eventually affects the dimensional stability of wood products, in this case wooden musical instruments and may cause degradation of their tone quality. It is anticipated that the acoustic behavior of modified wood will vary little under different humid conditions.

Section snippets

Modified wood

In total, nine different types of modified wood were used as to represent the different technologies existing today both at commercial and research levels. Those were experimental material of phenol formaldehyde-treated beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) with 25% resin content and melamine-treated beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) with 25% resin content (Georg-August University of Goettingen, Germany); commercially produced thermally-modified ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) treated at 200 °C, aspen (Populus

Results and discussion

The material properties that are critical for the acoustical performance of wood are density, Young’s modulus, damping, dimensional stability and are all highly dependent upon its moisture content [33]. For every RH level, the acetylated samples followed by the thermally-modified ones had the lower equilibrium moisture content (EMC) values (Table 1). Kebony Scots pine and melamine and phenol formaldehyde-treated beech showed similar EMC values with the reference wood materials. Acetylated wood

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

Financial support from Strandberg guitars AB, Uppsala, Sweden is highly appreciated and acknowledged (project number 67810053). We are also thankful to this company for providing the reference samples as well as to the companies ThermoWood Association, Accsys Technologies PLC and Kebony for providing the modified wood materials.

Research data for this article

Data not available / Data will be made available on request

Further information on research data

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