Wood is an important natural resource that is used around the
world for building and construction. Since it is a versatile
material from renewable sources, it is likely to continue to play
a significant role in construction in the future. As such, different
woods must be well characterised and their properties
understood in various climatic conditions. Atmospheric
changes may vary over the course of hours or years, leading
to rapid or more gradual changes in structural properties. Wood
is also a renewable fuel, from which energy may be extracted.
However, the combustion process used to release this energy
must be optimised for the moisture content of the wood, in
order to maximise the energy output and minimise potentially
polluting effects. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of water
sorption inside wooden fuels is also an important area of
research.
As a biological material, wood is also susceptible to parasite
infection, mould and fungus growth and natural decay
processes [1] unless properly preserved. Such preservation
processes may involve the treatment of wood to make it less
sorbing, preventing transport of water through the material by
sealing the surfaces. Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS)
measurements can play a vital role in assessing the suitability
of types of wood for construction or fuels, or assess its
susceptibility to natural decay. In this application note, we
demonstrate the use of the Hiden Isochema IGAsorp to determine the specific water sorption properties and mechanisms
of a common wood, Scotch pine.
