Physical and anatomical characteristics of Bombax ceiba L. wood after undergoing heat treatment

Abstract

Heat treating wood is an efficient and eco-friendly method to enhance its dimensional stability and longevity. This process involves subjecting wood to high temperatures under precisely controlled conditions. In the current study, wood samples were heat treated for 2, 4, and 6 hours at 80, 120, 160, and 200 °C in a stability oven that was under vacuum. The study found that the physical characteristics of Bombax ceiba heat treated wood differed significantly. The maximum moisture content of 23.86 per cent was observed in control, whereas minimum value of moisture content (1.01%) was recorded at 200 °C. The highest Maximum Moisture Content (177.45%) was observed in the control, while the minimum value (133.55%) occurred at 200 °C. The fiber length found to be non-significant and ranged between 1.79 to 1.93 mm. The vessel diameter with different temperature varied from 129.89 to 131.41 µm. The colour of wood becomes darker while no significant differences were observed in the texture of wood.