The present disclosure relates to wood template-supported phase change material (PCM) composites having thermal energy storage applications. A wood template-supported PCM composite may include a wood template that has had at least a portion of its xylan and/or lignin removed and saturated with a PCM. The PCM may be stabilized with a cross linkable network for improved infiltration into the wood template. The wood template-supported PCM composite may be formed by extracting xylan and/or lignin from the wood to create a wood template, densifying at least a portion of the wood template, and inserting a PCM into the wood template.

Alcoholic spirits may be artificially aged under highly pressurized carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide may form carbonic acid, which may cause various esters to form in the presence of wood as well as to mellow the flavor when no wood is present. Wood may be pretreated with ozone, which may extract lignin which may further convert to vanillin during pressurized CO2 treatment, giving a vanilla note. After processing with pressurized CO2, a post-treatment of ozone may be given to the spirit, which may cause a mild oxidation and further mellowing of the spirit.

A continuous wood modification by heat process, that comprises: stacking wooden boards on a trolley at intervals; exerting pressure on said wooden boards; transferring said wooden boards to a heating kiln, pre-heated by microwave and hot air circulation, that has a water vapor flow of 2-5 meter3/hour, a temperature range of 60-100° C., and a humidity range of 50%-100%; transferring said wooden boards to a shallow drying kiln, pre-heated by microwave and hot air circulation, that has a drying temperature of 100-120° C.; transferring said wooden boards to a deep drying kiln, pre-heated by microwave and hot air circulation, that has a drying temperature of 120-120° C., an oxygen content range of 1-10%, and a water vapor flow rate of 1-10 m3/hour; transferring said wooden boards to a carbonization kiln, pre-heated by microwave and hot air circulation, that has a temperature range of 120-180° C., an oxygen content range of 1%-5%; transferring said wooden boards to a slow cooling kiln, that has a temperature range of 120-130° C., and an oxygen content range of 1%-10%; transferring said wooden boards to a fast cooling kiln, that has a temperature range of 90-100° C.; transferring said wooden boards to a rewetting kiln, that has a humidity range of 50%-100%; providing water vapor to said rewetting kiln; while being in said rewetting kiln, and when a temperature range of said wooden boards is 40-60° C., and a moisture content of said wooden boards is 6%-10%, transferring said wooden boards out of said rewetting kiln; wherein each of said heating kiln, said shallow drying kiln, said deep drying kiln, said carbonization kiln, said slow cooling kiln, said fast cooling kiln, and said rewetting kiln comprises a fan, a partition board, a shunt hood, and an exhaust port; wherein said partition board divides an interior of each of said heating kiln, said shallow drying kiln, said deep drying kiln, said carbonization kiln, said slow cooling kiln, said fast cooling kiln, and said rewetting kiln into an upper chamber and a lower chamber; wherein said shunt hood is disposed in said upper chamber; wherein said fan, said shunt hood, and said lower chamber are connected and form a air channel; wherein said lower chamber comprises a shunt plate, disposed along left and right walls of a kiln; wherein said shunting plate comprises a plurality of sieve holes that are disposed gradually dense from top to bottom; wherein one end of said shunt plate is connected with said partition board and the other end is connected with the bottom of a kiln.

The present invention describes a method for thermo-treatment of wood, where said method comprises the following steps: a) selecting the wood to be as free from knots as possible b) introducing the wood to a temperature increase up to approximately 173° C.; c) maintaining the wood at an ambient temperature of 173° C. for 3-5 hours; d) decreasing the temperature to approx. 20° C.; e) introducing the wood into an autoclave wherein a mixture of linseed oil and mineral oil is applied to the wood, and allowing the mixture to penetrate the wood f) retrieving and storing the treated wood. Furthermore a timber member made with wood treated according to the method is disclosed.

A super strong and tough densified wood structure is formed by subjecting a cellulose-based natural wood material to a chemical treatment that partially removes lignin therefrom. The treated wood retains lumina of the natural wood, with cellulose nanofibers of cell walls being aligned. The treated wood is then pressed in a direction crossing the direction in which the lumina extend, such that the lumina collapse and any residual fluid within the wood is removed. As a result, the cell walls become entangled and hydrogen bonds are formed between adjacent cellulose nanofibers, thereby improving the strength and toughness of the wood among other mechanical properties. By further modifying, manipulating, or machining the densified wood, it can be adapted to various applications.

The invention relates to a process for forming a wood-base product comprising the steps of a) providing particles of wood, b) resinating the particles of wood with a binder, c) compressing the resinated particles of wood to form a wood-base product, wherein before, during or after step b) the particles of wood and/or the binder are brought into contact with a broken dispersion. The invention also relates to the use of a polyfunctional compound as demulsifier for breaking a wax-containing dispersion containing an aqueous phase as continuous phase, a disperse phase containing wax and at least one emulsifier. The invention further relates to a broken dispersion for hydrophobicizing lignocellulose-containing material, wherein the broken dispersion is obtainable by mixing at least mixed a wax-containing dispersion A) containing the following components: i) at least one aqueous phase as continuous phase, ii) at least one disperse phase containing wax, and iii) at least one emulsifier, with a demulsifier B) having at least one functional group. The invention additionally relates to a two-component system (kit-of-parts) containing at least two components A and B: a wax-containing dispersion A) containing at least one aqueous phase as continuous phase, at least one disperse phase containing wax, and at least one emulsifier, and a demulsifier B) having at least one functional group for breaking the wax-containing dispersion.

The present disclosure describes a treated cellulosic material comprising: a cellulosic material having a porous structure defining a plurality of pores, at least a portion of the pores containing a treating agent comprising: a polymer comprising an olefin-carboxylic acid copolymer; and a modifying agent comprising a hydrophobic amine.

The present invention relates to furniture panels, and more particularly, to a method for preparing functional engineered wood. It includes the following steps: make veneer blanks by rotary cutting or splicing, and cut the veneer blanks into desired dimensions to obtain veneers A. Soak the veneers A in a ternary mixed solution of a biomass nanocellulose solubilizer, a fire retardant and an acid dye for toughening, fire retardation and dyeing to obtain veneers B. Add a formaldehyde decomposing powder into a modified MUF adhesive, mix them up, coat the veneers B with the mixture to obtain veneers C. Assemble and cold-press the veneers C to obtain flitches D, and saw the flitches D into desired patterns and dimensions to obtain finished products.

Methods for treating cellulosic materials comprising introducing a liquid treating composition into the cellulosic material, the treating composition comprising a solution prepared from at least: (i) one or more of a copper amine complex or copper ammine complex, such as copper tetraamine carbonate, (ii) one or more of ammonia or a water-soluble amine and (iii) water; and exposing the cellulosic material provided thereby to carbon dioxide and/or carbonic acid to provide treated cellulosic material, and treated cellulosic materials prepared thereby.

A layered material includes a first carrier material and a second carrier material. The first carrier material is coated or saturated with a modified bitumen. The modified bitumen is a bitumen to which is added an agent selected from a wax, a silicone oil, stearic acid, alkene ketene dimer (AKD), alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA), and mixtures thereof. The first carrier material is continuously attached to the second carrier material.