Differences in Particulate Matter (Dust) Between Non-modified and Light-Modified (170°C) Wood Species

Abstract

There has been much speculation on whether the practice of heat modification of various wood species has a direct effect on the dust created when these woods are machined. An initial study was initiated to compare non-modified wood species with their lightly modified (170 °C) counterparts, specifically as a gravimetric characterization of the wood particulate matter (PM) generated through typical cutting practices. Five different species were compared, including: Yellow Poplar, Red Maple, White Ash, Aspen and Balsam Fir. Aerosol wood PM sampling was conducted at the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) as collaboration between the Wood Utilization Materials & Bio-Economy (Wood Group) and the Mineral/Materials Characterization Group, a sub-group within the Minerals – Metallurgy - Mining (M3) NRRI Initiative Group. The study was designed primarily as a first-pass analysis in which size-fractionated sampling, based on aerodynamic diameter of the dust particles, was utilized to evaluate if there were any dramatic differences between the non-modified and light modified (170 °C) wood species.