Promotion effect of NP fire retardant pre-treatment on heat-treated poplar wood. Part 1: color generation, dimensional stability, and fire retardancy

Abstract

Abstract Heat treatment (HT) enhances various properties of wood (W), but it takes a relatively long time and WHT is a source of fire hazard. To improve the properties of WHT, Populus beijingensis W. Y. Hsu wood was impregnated with nitrogen-phosphorus (NP) fire retardant (10% aqueous solution) and the effects of the combined NP treatment and HT were observed. Control groups included native wood and samples from WHT200°C, 120 min and WHT220°C, 120 min. The surface color, dimensional stability, and combustion properties of the treated samples were examined. NP pre-treatment intensified the effectivity of HT150°C, where the treatment time decreased by 75%. The decomposition and catalytic dehydration of NP treatment enhanced the dimensional stability and darkened the wood surface. After HT, the NP fire retardant was transformed from dispersive particles into a uniform layer on the inner surfaces of wood. The heat release rate (HRR) decreased by 60.3% and the residual mass (RM) increased by 61.1% in WNP, HT compared to normal WHT200°C poplar.