Reducing wood drying time by application of ultrasound pretreatment

Abstract

Industrial wood is typically dried artificially after felling. The drying process is often very lengthy and consumes a large amount of energy, however, and inappropriate drying schedule can cause defects in the wood. Pretreatments such as ultrasound show the potential to reduce wood drying time without impacting quality. This study investigated the influence of ultrasound pretreatment on vacuum drying behavior, hydroxyl content, and microstructural properties of fast-growing wood samples. Pretreatments were performed at ultrasound intensity of 10 W cm−2 and frequencies of 28 and 40 kHz, respectively, for 30, 60, and 90 min, respectively, then pretreated samples were dried at 40°C temperature under absolute pressure of 0.08 MPa. Results showed that ultrasound pretreatment did shorten the wood vacuum drying time, increase effective water diffusivity, open water channels, decompose wood extractives, and decrease hydroxyl content. In effect, ultrasound pretreatment can be applied to successful reduce wood drying time.