The present invention relates to the creation of thermally insulating materials derived from cellulosic materials by selectively depolymerizing the materials anatomy. Cellulosic materials may be comprised of three main biopolymers: lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. The present invention relates to the chemical and physical removal of lignin and hemicellulose, while leaving the cellulose unaltered to induce increased porosity within the material and the material's macrostructure matrix for use as thermal and acoustic insulation. The increased porosity will be due to the creation of closed cell voids within the cellulosic matrix. These voids will increase the thermal and acoustic insulating performance of the cellulosic materials. The selective removal of secondary biopolymers from cellulosic materials allow for isolation of other value added products that can be regenerated through fewer reactions/steps. This is a novel advantage over other similar processes that dissolve cellulose completely, making it harder to extract and isolate secondary off-stream products.

The invention relates to a process for treating a lignocellulosic material, preferably wood, comprising the following steps: (1) soaking of the material with organic fluid in order to dissolve at least 40% and at most 85%, in weight %, of the lignin of the material; (2) washing with organic fluid so as to discharge the dissolved lignin; (3) filling with a filling compound; and (4) finishing, so as to obtain a composite formed of a three-dimensional network of transformed filling compound incorporated into a cellulose and lignin network. The invention also relates to a composite structure able to be obtained in this way, and to any part comprising at least one such structure.

In some embodiments, a material comprises a contiguous block of chemically-modified wood infiltrated with an index-matching polymer. The contiguous block has a first section that is substantially transparent to light and a second section that is translucent or opaque. The first section can have a lower lignin content than the second section. Alternatively, the first section can have a chromophore state altered from that of the wood in its natural state, and the lignin in the second section can retain a chromophore state of the wood in its natural state. In some embodiments, a material comprises a section of wood chemically-modified such that chromophores of lignin within the wood in its natural state are altered or removed, and the section retains at least 70% of the lignin of the wood in its natural state. Methods for forming such materials are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a process for treating a lignocellulosic material, e.g., wood, comprising the following steps: providing a lignocellulosic material; removing at least some but less than all lignin from the lignocellulosic material to yield a delignified structure; and densifying the delignified structure to yield the delignified, densified material, wherein the delignified, densified material is equal in size or is smaller in size relative to the lignocellulosic material provided; where densifying may include contacting said delignified structure, at least in part, with at least one fluid at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. The invention also relates to a composite structure able to be obtained in this way, and to any part comprising at least one such structure.

Method of treating wood products to improve fire resistance thereof. The method comprises treating wet wood objects with compositions comprising an aqueous solution of bisphosphonate selected from 1-hydroxyethane 1,1-diphosphonic acid, an alkanol amine, and optionally an alkaline agent, the composition having a pH in the range of 4.0 to 7.0 to impregnate the object with the compositions, and subjecting the object so obtained to drying to achieve aspiration of the pits of the wood object. The method can be used for protecting wood not only against fire but also against mould, rot, blue stain, insect such as termite attacks on wood, dimensional changes, or a combination thereof due to environmental influence.

The present invention relates to the creation of thermally insulating materials derived from cellulosic materials by selectively depolymerizing the materials anatomy. Cellulosic materials may be comprised of three main biopolymers: lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. The present invention relates to the chemical and physical removal of lignin and hemicellulose, while leaving the cellulose unaltered to induce increased porosity within the material and the material’s macrostructure matrix for use as thermal and acoustic insulation. The increased porosity will be due to the creation of closed cell voids within the cellulosic matrix. These voids will increase the thermal and acoustic insulating performance of the cellulosic materials. The selective removal of secondary biopolymers from cellulosic materials allow for isolation of other value added products that can be regenerated through fewer reactions/steps. This is a novel advantage over other similar processes that dissolve cellulose completely, making it harder to extract and isolate secondary off-stream products.

The present invention relates to a method for producing an engineered wood, comprising the steps of: (a) breaking down a veneer to increase its porosity; (b) impregnating the veneer from step (a) with an adhesive material; (c) drying the veneer from step (b) to a predetermined moisture content level; (d) arranging a plurality of the veneers from step (c) in a mould; and (e) pressing the plurality of the veneers in the mould. The engineered wood has an appearance of natural timber, and is able to withstand extreme weather conditions and have minimum warping, rotting and termite infestation.

The present invention relates to an improved method for impregnating a porous material, such as wood, more specifically a method in which an active ingredient to be deposited within the porous material is dissolved in condensed carbon dioxide and impregnated in the material.

The present invention provides a paraffin-reinforced wood and a method for manufacturing the same, and more specifically, a paraffin-reinforced wood in which a natural wood is vacuum impregnated with dissolved paraffin and processed, thereby preventing a penetration of moisture into the wood and increasing durability and corrosion resistance of the wood, such that the reinforced wood is very useful as various deck-wood, agricultural wood posts, water wood posts, etc., and a method and apparatus for manufacturing the same.

The present description relates to processes, water-based wood treatment solutions and kits for treating wood substrates so as to obtain colored (or altered) wood substrates, where mineral compounds that impart the color or other desirable characteristic(s) to the wood substrates are formed in the colored or altered wood substrates. The mineral compounds formed comprise the products of a chemical reaction which occurs between the wood substrate, a metal salt, and an oxygen source.