Glycerol and Citric Acid Treatment of Lodgepole Pine

As part of a research program to expand the potential of wood products in exterior applications, lodgepole pine wood was impregnated with a solution of glycerol and citric acid to improve its dimensional stability and other relevant properties. Two catalysts were studied: one liquid (hydrochloric acid, HCl) and one solid (nanoclay, Cloisite 30B). After impregnation, the specimens were polymerized at two temperatures (160°C and 180°C). The nanoclay dispersion and reticulation analysis were performed by XRD and TEM methods. Other analysis methods such as SEM, DSC, TGA, FT-IR were used to characterize the treatment solutions, polymers and treated specimens. The dimensional stability, hardness, adhesion strength and roughness of the specimens were measured and analyzed. Cloisite 30B proved to be a good catalyst, as it contributed to improving the dimensional stability and hardness of the wood while outperforming the HCl catalyst in counteracting the adhesion strength loss attributed to the wood-polyme...