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Adhesives based on renewable resources have inferior efficiency compared to the synthetic ones. To improve the adhesive properties of soy protein isolate (SPI) adhesives, a new method of thermally modifying SPI was developed. The commercial SPI powder was thermally modified in a vacuum chamber at different temperatures (50, 100, 150, and 200 °C). Thermally modified and unmodified SPI powders were dispersed in distilled water and stirred at 24, 50 or 90 °C. Dispersions were prepared without and with pH adjustment to 10.0. The viscosity of the resulting adhesives was measured. Effective penetration and bond strength in longitudinal tensile shear were tested with bonded beech specimens. Regardless of the pH value and dispersion preparation temperature, SPI thermally modified at 150 and 200 °C exhibited no adhesive properties, while adhesive bonding was achieved with SPI modified at 50 and 100 °C. Adhesives without pH adjustment had viscosity below 28 mPas and exhibited no adhesive penetration. pH adjustment increased the viscosity and adhesive penetration, which improved the adhesive bond strength. Thermal modification at 50 °C resulted in improved wet shear strength, while the temperature of 100 °C deteriorated it. Increased dispersion preparation temperature to 50 °C increased wet shear strength, while temperature of 90 °C decreased it. The combination of thermal modification at 50 °C, dispersion preparation at 50 °C, and pH increase resulted in an adhesive with the highest shear strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of artificial weathering on the wettability of three heat-treated North American wood species (jack pine, aspen, and birch) is studied from the point of view of the structural and chemical changes taking place on the wood surface. Weathering increases wettability of all three heat-treated woods by water. Changes in wettability during artificial weathering differ according to heat treatment procedure and wood species and are likely due to combination of structural and chemical changes of the surfaces. Scanning electron microscopic analysis indicates that cracks form due to degradation taking place during weathering. As a result, water has easier entry into the cell wall, which consequently increases wettability. IR spectra suggest that the OH/CH ratio for heat-treated specimens is inversely proportional to the contact angle regardless of the type of wood species. The presence of cellulose-rich layer on wood surface and increasing amount of amorphous cellulose transformed from crystallized cellulose due to weathering result in increase in hydroxyl; consequently, it increases heat-treated wood wettability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study the thermoplastic flow behavior of steamed wood flour was investigated. First it was demonstrated that steamed Japanese beech flour flowed out of the nozzle under compression at high temperature in a thermal flow test with a capillary rheometer. The effects of the steaming temperature, steaming time, compressive pressure, and moisture content of wood flour on the thermal flow temperature were examined. It was shown that the higher the steaming temperature and compressive pressure, the lower the thermal flow temperature. Also, the thermal flow temperature of the sample steamed at 200°C for 20 min became lowest and increasingly higher over time. Furthermore, the thermal flow temperature became linearly low with increasing moisture content of the sample under 15%, whereas it became essentially constant over 15%. It is clarified that compressive pressure and moisture content as well as the steaming conditions profoundly affect the thermoplastic flow behavior of steamed wood flour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]