Abstract

The effectiveness of presteaming for improving CCA treatability on refractory Japanese larch heartwood was investigated in this study. Presteaming was effective on improving treatability, and the extent of improvement was dependent on moisture contents of wood specimen and steaming conditions. Green wood showed higher average value in both preservative retention and penetration than dry wood, and steaming under pressure conditions also had higher treatability than steaming at atmospheric conditions. The degree of improvement for treatability was increased with the extension of steaming period. Treatability of dry wood pres teamed under pressure conditions more than 6 hours and green wood for 3 hours was similar to that enhanced by conventional incising. Presteaming green wood under pressure conditions more than 6 hours was more effective than conventional incising in improvement of CCA treatability, and resultant treatability satisfied a minimum value required for CCA-treated wood for being used at the regions of hazard class H3 and H4. In addition, an improvement of treatability by presteaming was due to an increase in permeability resulted from the degradation of hemicelluloses within aspirated pit membrane and cell wall, not the removal of extractives from pit membrane. The reduction in strength, measured as longitudinal compressive strength, due to pres teaming was related with the degradation of hemicelluloses, and was increased as steaming conditions were severe. The degree of strength reduction associated with presteaming treatment to obtain required treatability could be quantified from the relatively good relation between the increase in treatability and the decrease in strength.

Keywords

• Presteaming;
• treatability;
• Japanese larch;
• heartwood;
• CCA