Water vapour sorption behaviour and physico-mechanical properties of methyl methacrylate (MMA)- and MMA–styrene-modified batai (Paraserianthes falcataria) wood

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and MMA–styrene in treating batai (Paraserianthes falcataria) wood. The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, physico-mechanical properties of the treated wood, and moisture sorption isotherm using dynamic vapour sorption (DVS) apparatus. Physico-mechanical properties of the modified batai wood were improved. The MMA-treated batai wood showed better improvement in terms of physical and mechanical properties compared to the MMA–styrene-treated batai wood. The equilibrium moisture content (EMC) for untreated batai wood was higher than that of treated samples. At 95% RH, the EMC for untreated batai wood was 20.7%, whereas the EMC for MMA- and MMA–styrene-treated samples was 7.9 and 8.8%, respectively. The findings indicate that the modified batai wood absorbed less moisture compared to the untreated batai wood. Moreover, the untreated batai wood had larger hysteresis loop than the treated batai wood. The highest hysteresis value was observed at 80% RH for untreated batai wood (3.8%), followed by MMA–styrene-treated batai wood (1.7%) and MMA-treated batai wood (1.2%). Both MMA and MMA–styrene proved to be effective treatments for batai wood because they reduced its hygroscopicity.

Development of an Optimized Method to Obtain a Limonene‐Rich Concentrate from the Discarded Lemon Peels

“…The bands appeared at 774 and 805 cm −1 are caused by the C=C bending vibrations while the small shoulder observed at 1489 cm −1 shows C=C stretching vibrations of terpenoids [35,36] . The bands appeared at 774 and 805 cm −1 are caused by the C=C bending vibrations while the small shoulder observed at 1489 cm −1 shows deformation of C−H bonds of methyl groups [35,37,38] …”

“…[35,36] The bands appeared at 774 and 805 cm À 1 are caused by the C=C bending vibrations while the small shoulder observed at 1489 cm À 1 shows deformation of CÀ H bonds of methyl groups. [35,37,38] Table 4. Lemon aroma compounds described in the literature.…”