title: Changes of wood cell walls in response to hygro-mechanical steam treatment.
abstract: The effects of compression combined with steam treatment (CS-treatment), i.e. a hygro-mechanical steam treatment on Spruce wood were studied on a cell-structure level to understand the chemical and physical changes of the secondary cell wall occurring under such conditions. Specially, imaging FT-IR microscopy, nanoindentation and dynamic vapour absorption were used to track changes in the chemical structure, in micromechanical and hygroscopic properties. It was shown that CS-treatment resulted in different changes in morphological, chemical and physical properties of the cell wall, in comparison with those under pure steam treatment. After CS-treatment, the cellular structure displayed significant deformations, and the biopolymer components, e.g. hemicellulose and lignin, were degraded, resulting in decreased hygroscopicity and increased mechanical properties of the wood compared to both untreated and steam treated wood. Moreover, CS-treatment resulted in a higher degree of degradation especially in earlywood compared to a more uniform behaviour of wood treated only by steam.
authors.affiliation: Department of Wood Anatomy and Utilization, Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Wood Anatomy and Utilization, Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China.
authors.forename: Kunlin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm SE-10044, Sweden; Innventia AB, Box 5604, Stockholm, SE-11486, Sweden. Electronic address: lennart.salmen@innventia.com.
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salmén
authors.affiliation: Department of Wood Anatomy and Utilization, Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; Wallenberg Wood Science Center, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm SE-10044, Sweden. Electronic address: yingyafangcaf@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yafang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008422:Materials Testing; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D028222:Picea / Q000166:cytology; D011312:Pressure; D013227:Steam; D013696:Temperature; D014934:Wood / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D013227:Steam
keywords: Biopolymer components; Cell wall; Earlywood; Hygro-mechanical steam treatment; Latewood