Effect of drying on the hydroxyl accessibility and sorption properties of pressurized hot water extracted wood

Abstract Hot water extraction (HWE) treatment changes the physicochemical properties of wood, including hygroscopic properties. HWE decreases hydroxyl accessibility but relevance other mechanisms that change are not fully understood. This study investigates effect drying on and sorption wood. Pressurized hot was applied at 140 °C for 1–5 h to Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood samples in order remove increasingly more hemicellulose from cell wall matrix. Following treatment, half wood were oven-dried then re-soaked, while kept a saturated state. The investigated by applying new approach based deuteration accessible groups, which followed measurement mass loss due re-protonation. Sorption studied measuring moisture content, isotherms dimensional changes. present results showed group content decreased only removal during unaffected oven-drying. However, oven-drying enhanced treatments reducing water-saturated dimensions Therefore, additional reductions hygroscopicity related site density.