Review of Wood Modification and Wood Functionalization Technologies

Samuel L. Zelinka*, Michael Altgen, Lukas Emmerich, Nathanael Guigo, Tobias Keplinger, Maija Kymäläinen, Emil E. Thybring, Lisbeth G. Thygesen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

74 Citations (Scopus)
19 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Wood modifications are becoming popular as a way to enhance the performance of wood, either to make it more durable, improve the performance of wood, or give it new functionality as a multifunctional or smart material. While wood modifications have been examined since the early 1900s, the topic has become a dominant area of study in wood science over the past decade. This review summarizes recent advances and provides future perspective on a selection of wood modifications, i.e., the methods that are currently commercialized (acetylation, furfurylation, and thermal modification), a rediscovered ancient practice (charring), a family of polymerization modifications that have so far made it to the pilot scale, and examples of novel wood-based functional materials explored at laboratory scale.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1004
JournalForests
Volume13
Issue number7
Number of pages46
ISSN1999-4907
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

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