A piece of natural fibrous plant material, such as wood or bamboo, can be infiltrated with a chemical solution and subsequently subjected to a temperature of at least 80? C. to produce a softened piece of fibrous plant material having modified lignin therein. The content of modified lignin in the softened piece can be at least 90% of the content of native lignin in the natural fibrous plant material. The modified lignin retained in the softened piece can have shorter macromolecular chains than that of the native lignin. The softened piece can be subjected to densification, for example, to yield a high-strength structural material, or to subsequent drying, for example, to yield a flexible or anisotropically-clastic material. The processing of the natural fibrous plant material can avoid, or at least reduce, the production of black liquor or other waste liquids.

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.

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to methods and systems for impregnating wood with a polymer solution and products thereof. In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a method of processing a wood piece to generate a wood product, the method comprising: (a) placing the wood piece into a reactor having a chamber pressure of a vacuum environment; (b) exposing the wood piece to a polymer solution; (c) performing an iterative process where each cycle of the iterative process comprises a pressurizing period during which the chamber pressure is increased to an increased chamber pressure and a stabilizing period during which the chamber pressure is monitored to measure a chamber pressure decrease, if any; (d) when the decrease of chamber pressure during the stabilizing period is less than or equal to the certain threshold change, normalizing the reactor chamber to a normalized pressure; and (e) setting the wood piece to generate the wood product. The present disclosure further relates to a wood product generated by a method of processing a wood piece.

A delignified wood material is formed by removing substantially all of the lignin from natural wood. The resulting delignified wood retains cellulose-based lumina of the natural wood, with nanofibers of the cellulose microfibrils being substantially aligned along a common direction. The unique microstructure and composition of the delignified wood can provide advantageous thermal insulation and mechanical properties, among other advantages described herein. The thermal and mechanical properties of the delignified wood material can be tailored by pressing or densifying the delignified wood, with increased densification yielding improved strength and thermal conductivity. The chemical composition of the delignified wood also offers unique optical properties that enable passive cooling under solar illumination.

The present invention relates to the manufacturing a wood-polymer composite. It is directed to a method for manufacturing such a composite, including the provision of a wood element (1), the impregnation of the wood element with a lactic acid water-based solution (2), and then the thermal treatment of the impregnated wood element (3) at a heating temperature higher than a nominal temperature where the in-situ polymerization of the lactic acid is initiated, in order both to induce the diffusion of the lactic water-based solution acid water-based solution within the impregnated wood element and to initiate the in-situ polymerization of the lactic acid. According to the invention, the thermal treatment (3) includes the acceleration of the increase of the heating temperature and/or the decreasing of the nominal temperature.

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, the polymer comprising a polyurethane polymer. The present disclosure further describes a method for preparing a treated cellulosic material comprising providing a cellulosic material; and a first treatment protocol comprising impregnating the cellulosic material with an aqueous dispersion comprising a polymer, the polymer comprising a polyurethane polymer; and a second treatment protocol comprising impregnating the cellulosic material with a modifying agent, the modifying agent comprising a hydrophobic amine.

A protectant and sealant solution and method of use thereof, configured to protect wood from premature decay when disposed in contact with the earth. The solution is composed of processed hemp oil which is mixed with bio-diesel and other oils to form the protectant solution. The wood is then impregnated with the solution via pressure treatment within a retort cylinder. The solution is configured to protect utility poles and other wooden construction members which are known for prolonged contact with soil. The solution is designed as a safe replacement for pentachlorophenol solutions which have been found to be harmful to the soil and water table.

A process for the production of acetylated wood elements, a cooling system and a wood acetylation plant are described. A process for the production of acetylated wood elements comprises acetylating wood elements and cooling the acetylated wood elements wherein the cooling comprises supplying liquid water to the acetylated wood elements to provide wetted wood elements and exposing the wetted wood elements to a gas flow.

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 process is provided for treating wood products including lumber, plywood and other engineered wood products comprising the steps of contacting a composition comprising a polypropylene glycol, a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol, a polyether polyol having low solubility in water, or a polytetrahydrofuran, or hydrophobic polyether polyol, with the wood product. The invention also provides wood products comprising a polypropylene glycol, a high molecular weight polyethylene glycol, a polyether polyol having low solubility in water, or a polytetrahydrofuran, or hydrophobic polyether polyol, that have greater dimensional stability compared to an untreated wood product.