Accelerated weathering performance of plantation-grown juvenile poplar and Chinese fir woods

Yang Yu; Zefang Xiao; Daxin Liang; Yonggui Wang; Holger Militz; Yanjun Xie

doi:10.1515/hf-2022-0133

Article

Accelerated weathering performance of plantation-grown juvenile poplar and Chinese fir woods

Yang Yu , Zefang Xiao , Daxin Liang , Yonggui Wang , Holger Militz and Yanjun Xie

Published/Copyright: December 20, 2022

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From the journal Holzforschung Volume 77 Issue 2

Abstract

Plantation-grown juvenile wood species are extensively used as raw materials in the Chinese wood industry. The weathering performances of the wood are crucial for outdoor application. Two of the most important plantation-grown juvenile woods, poplar (Populus × euramericana cv. ‘74/76ʼ) and Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata Hook), were sliced into thin veneers and compared in this study to observe their weathering performance during exposure to UV alone for 504 h and UV/water for 168 h. The color difference, weight loss, and tensile strength loss of both veneers all increased with exposure time. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the initial structural deterioration originates from the corner of the middle lamella and pit, followed by cell separation, cell wall thinning, deformation, and collapse. Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy, electron resonance spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed a decrease in lignin-based infrared absorption intensity and radical generation, as well as an increase in O/C ratio throughout the exposure. Water spray considerably accelerated deterioration by washing away the degraded fragments, thereby exposing the fresh substrate underneath. Compared to poplar wood, Chinese fir showed durable structural integrity but more darkening during weathering. These findings reveal the anatomically structural weak phase and photo-degradation performance of two plantation-grown woods during weathering. The results of this work may facilitate the proper external use and further photo-stabilization treatment of plantation-grown juvenile wood products.

Keywords: deterioration; juvenile wood; lignin; photooxidation; plantation-grown forest; radical generation; weathering

Corresponding authors: Zefang Xiao, Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Hexing Road 26, Harbin 150040, P. R. China, E-mail: zxiao@nefu.edu.cn; and Yanjun Xie, Engineering Research Center of Advanced Wooden Materials (Ministry of Education), Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, P. R. China, E-mail: yxie@nefu.edu.cn

Funding source: National Natural Science Foundation of China

Award Identifier / Grant number: No. 31890772

Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 31890772).
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2022-08-17

Accepted: 2022-12-06

Published Online: 2022-12-20

Published in Print: 2023-02-23

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/hf-2022-0133

Keywords for this article

deterioration; juvenile wood; lignin; photooxidation; plantation-grown forest; radical generation; weathering