ukrainian news - 21.05.2007
Microwave Drying of Timber Could Revolutionise Industry
The revolutionary wood drying technology, which has been developed by
scientists at the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Wood Innovations,
combines microwave technology with more traditional drying techniques,
such as solar drying or kiln drying, to speed up the time it takes to dry
timber.
The CRC for Wood Innovations is a joint collaboration between research
institutes including the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of
Technology, Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries,
Forest Products Commission (WA), CSIRO Manufacturing and Infrastructure
Technology and Furntech (Tasmania). A number of industry partners are also
involved in the CRC.
University of Melbourne researcher Mr. Graham Brodie says, “At present it
can take a year or more to convert some Australian timber into top quality
furniture or flooring. Much of this time is needed to dry the wood after
it has been sawn.”
“The new technique can reduce the drying time to a matter of months or
less.”
Work on the drying technique has been in progress for several years and
members of the CRC team are currently running pilot microwave conditioning
and drying trials on commercial timbers.
“A brief burst of high powered microwave energy before drying drastically
shortens timber-drying time without changing the visual appearance of the
wood”, says Mr. Brodie, who was recently named as one of 16 finalists in
the national Fresh Science Awards.
“Quicker drying means increased processing rate and reduced costs for the
timber industry. These potential savings could be passed onto customers,
making wood cheaper and more consistent in quality.”
The microwave treatment also makes the wood more permeable, making wood
processing such as preservative treatment more rapid.
“Microwave processing allows timber to be impregnated with resins or
preservative to improve its strength, stability and durability,” says
Professor Peter Vinden, CEO of CRC Wood Innovations. “Microwave technology
enables acceleration of preservative treatment to a few minutes, and
generates a more environmentally friendly product.”
Earlier experiments used a modified domestic microwave oven and a home
made solar drier to treat small pieces of wood. The CRC microwave team has
graduated to commercial scale microwave generators, which are many times
more powerful, to treat much larger pieces of wood. A new microwave
generator that has 300 times the power of a domestic microwave oven is
currently under construction
“We hope that this technology will become a commercial reality soon,”
Professor Vinden says.
See also:
- — EU adopted Commission’s proposal to repeal the so called “knots in the wood” directive
- — Germany: Production of stationary woodworking machines rose 18.8 per cent in 2006
- — Price increase of forests in Sweden
- — Good prospects for timber trade in Finland
- — Successful Selling at Ligna+ 2007
