Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A NMR study of water distribution in hardwoods at several equilibrium moisture contents

  • ORIGINAL
  • Published:
Wood Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The water state of one tropical (Robinia coccinea) and two temperate (Acer saccharum and Fagus grandifolia) hardwoods was determined at different equilibrium moisture contents (EMC) during desorption at 25°C. NMR technique was used to separate different components of water in wood. The species studied presented different structures, which were apparent on the spin–spin relaxation T2 values. Three different water components were separated: slow T2 (liquid water in vessel elements), medium T2 (liquid water in fiber and parenchyma elements) and fast T2 (bound or cell wall water). The NMR results showed that even at equilibrated conditions a region exists where loss of liquid water and bound water takes place simultaneously. This region will vary according to the wood structure. Finally, liquid water was present at EMC lower than the fiber saturation point, which contradicts the concept of this point when considered as a bulk property of wood.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Almeida G (2006) Influence de la structure du bois sur ses propriétés physico-mécaniques à des teneurs en humidité élevées. Ph.D. Thesis, Université Laval, Québec

  • Almeida G, Hernández RE (2006a) Changes in physical properties of tropical and temperate hardwoods below and above the fiber saturation point. Wood Sci Technol 40(3):599–613

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Almeida G, Hernández RE (2006b) Changes in physical properties of yellow birch below and above the fiber saturation point. Wood Fiber Sci 38(1):74–83

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Araujo CD, MacKay AL, Hailey JRT, Whittall KP (1992) Proton magnetic resonance techniques for characterization of water in wood: application to white spruce. Wood Sci Technol 26:101–113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Araujo CD, MacKay AL, Whittall KP, Hailey JRT (1993) A diffusion model for spin–spin relaxation of compartmentalized water in wood. J Magn Reson B 101(3):248–261

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Araujo CD, Avramidis S, MacKay AL (1994) Behaviour of solid wood and bound water as a function of moisture content. A proton magnetic resonance study. Holzforschung 48(1):69–74

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brownstein KR, Tarr CE (1979) Importance of classical diffusion in NMR studies of water in biological cells. Phys Rev A 19(6):2446–2453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brownstein KR (1980) Diffusion as an explanation of observed NMR behavior of water absorbed on wood. J Magn Reson 40(3):505–510

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Casieri C, Senni L, Romagnoli M, Santamaria U, De Luca F (2004) Determination of moisture fraction in wood by mobile NMR device. J Magn Reson 171(2):364–372

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Flibotte S, Menon RS, MacKay AL, Hailey JRT (1990) Proton magnetic resonance of western red cedar. Wood Fiber Sci 22(4):362–376

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez GC, Siau JF (1978) Longitudinal liquid permeability of American beech and eucalyptus. Wood Sci 11(2):105–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Goulet M (1968) Phénomènes de second ordre de la sorption d’humidité dans le bois au terme d’un conditionnement de trois mois à temperature normale. Seconde partie: Essais du bois d’érable à sucre en compression radiale. Note de recherches N° 3, Département d’exploitation et utilisation des bois, Université Laval, Québec

  • Hart CA, Przestrzelski PJ, Wheeler FJ (1974) Entrapped lumen water in hickory during desorption. Wood Sci 6(4):356–362

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartley ID, Kamke FA, Peemoeller H (1994) Absolute moisture content determination of aspen wood below the fiber saturation point using pulsed NMR. Holzforschung 48(6):474–479

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hernández RE (2006) Moisture sorption properties of hardwoods as affected by their extraneous substances, wood density and interlocked grain. Wood Fiber Sci (in press)

  • Hernández RE, Bizoň M (1994) Changes in shrinkage and tangential compression strength of sugar maple below and above the fiber saturation point. Wood Fiber Sci 26(3):360–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernández RE, Pontin M (2006) Shrinkage of three tropical hardwoods below and above the fiber saturation point. Wood Fiber Sci 38(3):474−483

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsi E, Hossfeld R, Bryant RG (1977) Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation study of water adsorbed on mill northern white-cedar. J Colloid Interface Sci 62:389–395

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Labbé N, De Jéso B, Lartigue J-C, Daudé G, Pétraud M, Ratier M (2002) Moisture content and extractive materials in maritime pine wood by low field 1H NMR. Holzforschung 56:25–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menon RS, Mackay AL, Hailey JRT, Bloom M, Burgess AE, Swanson JS (1987) An NMR determination of the physiological water distribution in wood during drying. J Appl Polym Sci 33(4):1141–1155

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Merela M, Sepe A, Oven P, Serša I (2005) Three-dimensional in vivo magnetic resonance microscopy of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) wood. Magma 18(4):171–174

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Naderi N, Hernández RE (1997) Effect of a re-wetting treatment on the dimensional changes of sugar maple wood. Wood Fiber Sci 29(4):340–344

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Panshin AJ, de Zeeuw C (1980) Textbook of wood technology, 4th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York

  • Rosenkilde A, Glover P (2002) High resolution measurement of the surface layer moisture content during drying of wood using a novel magnetic resonance imaging technique. Holzforschung 56(3):312–317

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Riggin MT, Sharp AR, Kaiser R, Schneider MH (1979) Transverse NMR relaxation of water in wood. J Appl Polym Sci 23(11):3147–3154

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Siau JF (1995) Wood: Influence of moisture on physical properties. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, VA

  • Tiemann HD (1906) Effect of moisture upon the strength and stiffness of wood. USDA Forest Service, Bulletin 70

  • Wen YH, Kalff J, Peters RH (1999) Pharmacokinetic modeling in toxicology: a critical perspective. Environ Rev 7:1–18

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler EA (1982) Ultrastructural characteristics of red maple (Acer rubrum L.) wood. Wood Fiber Sci 14(1):43–53

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development of Brazil (CNPq) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de recherche sur le bois (CRB), Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt, Université Laval, G1K 7P4, Québec, QC, Canada

    Giana Almeida & Roger E. Hernández

  2. Département de biochimie et de microbiologie, Université Laval, G1K 7P4, Québec, QC, Canada

    Stéphane Gagné

Authors
  1. Giana Almeida
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stéphane Gagné
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Roger E. Hernández
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roger E. Hernández.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Almeida, G., Gagné, S. & Hernández, R.E. A NMR study of water distribution in hardwoods at several equilibrium moisture contents. Wood Sci Technol 41, 293–307 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-006-0116-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-006-0116-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation