Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of changes in micropores and mesopores in the wood cell walls of sapwood and heartwood

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

Abstract

The objective of this paper was to investigate size distribution of micropores and mesopores within the wood cell walls between sapwood and heartwood by using nitrogen adsorption method and to find out implications for the biological durability and further processing such as in drying and preservation treatment. The pore shape, specific surface area and pore size distribution of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) were evaluated using the hysteresis loops, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and density functional theories, respectively. Both the sapwood and heartwood exhibited slit-shaped pores with regard to the H3 type of hysteresis loop of the isotherm. However, more mesopores were found in the sapwood, while the micropores increased with a decrease in mesopores in the heartwood. Furthermore, the earlywood and latewood in the sapwood had a higher BET-specific surface area (2.088 and 1.255 m2 g−1, respectively) compared with the earlywood (1.058 m2 g−1) and latewood (0.787 m2 g−1) in the heartwood. This could be caused by an increase in depositions in the extractive that partly filled the mesopores of the heartwood cell walls during the transformation from the sapwood. Additionally, a larger amount of mesopores existed in the earlywood in comparison with the latewood in the sapwood. However, there was no significant difference in the amounts of the micropores and mesopores, when comparing the earlywood with the latewood in the heartwood.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adam MT, Barbara LG, Jeffrey JM (2002) Heartwood formation and natural durability—a review. Wood Fiber Sci 34:587–611

    Google Scholar 

  • Aguilera A, Zamora R (2009) Surface roughness in sapwood and heartwood of Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon R.Br.) machined in 90–0 direction. Euro J Wood Prod 67:297–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Epel O, Gharyal PK, Schindler M (1988) Pectins as mediator of wall porosity in soybean cells. Planta 175:389–395

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauch J, Berndt H (1973) Variability of the chemical composition of pit membranes in bordered pits of gymnosperms. Wood Sci Technol 7:6–19

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bertaud F, Holmbon B (2004) Chemical composition of earlywood and latewood in Norway spruce heartwood, sapwood and transition zone wood. Wood Sci Technol 38:245–256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Borrega M, Kärenlampi PP (2011) Cell wall porosity in Norway spruce wood as affected by high-temperature drying. Wood Fiber Sci 43:206–214

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chang S, Clair B, Ruelle J, Beauchene J, Renzo FD, Quignard F, Zhao G, Yamamoto H, Gril J (2009) Mesoporosity as a new parameter for understanding tension stress generation in trees. J Exp Bot 60:3023–3030

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chang S, Hu JB, Clair B, Quignard F (2011) Pore structure characterization of poplar tension wood by nitrogen adsorption-desorption method. Sci Silvae Sin 47:134–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Dehon L, Macheix JJ, Durand M (2002) Involvement of peroxidases in the formation of the brown coloration of heartwood in Juglans nigra. J Exp Bot 53:303–311

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gray RL, Rickey RG, Hergert HL (1983) The influence of sapwood-heartwood conversion of bordered pit tori in western hemlock on bisulfite pulping. Wood Fiber Sci 15:251–262

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grigsby WJ, Kroese H, Dunningham EA (2013) Characterisation of pore size distributions in variously dried Pinus radiata: analysis by thermoporosimetry. Wood Sci Technol 47:737–747

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo J, Song K, Salmén L, Yin Y (2015) Changes of wood cell walls in response to hygro-mechanical steam treatment. Carbohydr Polym 115:207–214

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • He Y, Li Z, Xi H, Guo J, Xia Q (2004) Research progress of gas-solid adsorption isotherms. Ion Exch Adsorpt 20:376–394

    Google Scholar 

  • Hillis WE (1968) Chemical aspects of heartwood formation. Wood Sci Technol 2:241–259

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hillis WE (1971) Distribution, properties and formation of some wood extractives. Wood Sci Technol 5:272–289

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang Z, Tsai CJ, Harding SA, Meilan R, Woeste K (2010) JnCML-like, an EF-hand motif-containing gene seasonally upregulated in the transition zone of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.). Plant Mol Biol Rep 28:222

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jin Z, Yan X, Yu Y, Zhao G (2014) Sustainable activated carbon fibers from liquefied wood with controllable porosity for high-performance supercapacitors. J Mater Chem A 2:11706–11715

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kampe A, Magel E (2013) New insights into heartwood and heartwood formation. Cell Asp Wood Form 20:71–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kojiro K, Miki T, Sugimoto H, Nakajima M, Kanayama K (2010) Micropores and mesopores in the cell wall of dry wood. J Wood Sci 56:107–111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuo ML, Arganbright DG (1980) Cellular distribution of extractives in Redwood and Incense Cedar. Part II. microscopic observation of the location of cell wall and cell cavity extractives. Holzforschung 34:41–47

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lu Y, Sun Q, Yang D, She X, Yao X, Zhu G, Liu Y, Zhao H, Li J (2012) Fabrication of mesoporous lignocelluloses aerogels from wood via cyclic liquid nitrogen freezing-thawing in ionic liquid solution. J Mater Chem 22:13548–13557

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakatani T, Ishimaru Y, Iida I, Furuta Y (2008) Micropore structure of wood: change in micropore structure accompanied by delignification. J Wood Sci 54:252–255

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakato K (1973) Pore structure of wood (in Japanese). Mokuzai Gakkaishi 22:903–907

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishida N, Noguchi M, Kuroda K, Ueda M (2014) A design for control of apoptosis in genetically modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 78:358–362

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • ÖstlundÅ Köhnke T, Nordstierna L, Nydén M (2010) NMR cryoporometry to study the fiber wall structure and effect of drying. Cellulose 17:321–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papadopoulos AN, Hill CAS (2003) The sorption of water vapour by anhydride modified softwood. Wood Sci Technol 37:221–231

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Polmion C, Leprovost G, Stokes A (2001) Wood formation in trees. Plant Physiol 127:1513–1523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qin T, Huang L, Zhou Q (2004) Studies on longitudinal variation of main chemical compositions in Chinese-fir and Poplar × euramaricanaI-72/58 trees. For Res 17:47–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawabe O, Kitagawa S (1978) Pore structure in swollen native cellulose: association with structural feature of native cellulose (in Japanese). Mokuzai Gakkaishi 24:164–170

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sawabe O, Mori K, Takeuchi T (1973) Micro-pore structure in cell wall of wood (in Japanese). Mokuzai Gakkaishi 19:55–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Sing KSW, Everett DH, Haul RAW, Moscou L, Pierotti RA, Rouquerol J, Siemienewska T (1985) Reporting physisorption data for gas-solid systems. Pure Appl Chem 57:603–619

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Song K, Liu B, Jiang X, Yin Y (2011) Cellular changes of tracheids and ray parenchyma cells from cambium to heartwood in Cunninghamia lanceolata. J Trop Forest Sci 23:478–487

    Google Scholar 

  • Song K, Yin Y, Salmén L, Xiao F, Jiang X (2014) Changes in the properties of wood cell walls during the transformation from sapwood to heartwood. J Mater Sci 49:1734–1742

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stone JE (1964) The porous structure of wood and fibres. Pulp Pap Mag Can 65:3–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone JE, Scallan AM (1965) A study of cell wall structure by nitrogen adsorption. Pulp Pap Mag Can 66:407–414

    Google Scholar 

  • Streit W, Fenge D (1994) On the changes of the extractive composition during heartwood formation in Quebrachocolorado (Schinopsisbalansae Engl.). Holzforschung 48:15–20

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sundberg A, Sundberg K, Lillandt C, Holmbom B (1996) Determination of hemicelluloses and pectins in wood and pulp fibres by acid methanolysis and gas chromatography. Nord Pulp Pap Res J 11:216–219

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thygesen LG, Engelund ET, Hoffmeyer P (2010) Water sorption in wood and modified wood at high values of relative humidity. Part I: results for untreated, acetylated, and furfurylated Norway spruce. Holzforschung 64:315–323

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Li J, Li S (2011) Components of Cunninghamina lanceolata heartwood extracts. Mater Sci Forum 685:188–194

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yin Y, Bian M, Song K, Xiao F, Jiang X (2011a) Influence of microfibril angle on within-tree variation in the mechanical properties of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata). IAWA J 32:431–442

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin Y, Berglund L, Salmén L (2011b) Effect of steam treatment on the properties of wood cell walls. Biomacromolecules 12:194–202

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zauer M, Pfriem A, Wagenführ A (2013) Toward improved understanding of the cell-wall density and porosity of wood determined by gas pycnometry. Wood Sci Technol 47:1197–1211

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zauer M, Hempel S, Pfriem A, Mechtcherine V, Wagenführ A (2014a) Investigations of the pore-size distribution of wood in the dry and wet state by means of mercury intrusion porosimetry. Wood Sci Technol 48:1229–1240

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zauer M, Kretzschmar J, Großmann L, Pfriem A, Wagenführ A (2014b) Analysis of the pore-size distribution and fiber saturation point of native and thermally modified wood using differential scanning calorimetry. Wood Sci Technol 48:177–193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Tang Z, He F, Wang M, Zhang B (1997) Characterizing the pore structure of mesporous activated carbon fiber using nitrogen adsorption isotherms. Ion Exch Adsorpt 13:113–119

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported financially by the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation (No. 31370559 and No. 30972303). We would like to express our gratitude for the assistance on nitrogen adsorption testing given by Mr. Junbo Shang from the College of Materials Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, and for assistance with the sample preparation provided by Mrs. Mingkun Xu and Ph.D student Lichao Jiao at the Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry. We also like to acknowledge the assistance with language editing done by Kevin Austin of BizTech English AB.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wood Anatomy and Utilization Department, Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, No.1Dongxiaofu, Beijing, 100091, China

    Jiangping Yin, Kunlin Song, Yun Lu & Yafang Yin

  2. College of Materials Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, No.35 East Qinghua Road, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jiangping Yin & Guangjie Zhao

  3. School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Kunlin Song

Authors
  1. Jiangping Yin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kunlin Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yun Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Guangjie Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yafang Yin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yafang Yin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yin, J., Song, K., Lu, Y. et al. Comparison of changes in micropores and mesopores in the wood cell walls of sapwood and heartwood. Wood Sci Technol 49, 987–1001 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-015-0741-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-015-0741-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation