Boron fixation in wood: studies of fixation mechanisms using model compounds and maritime pine

The purpose of the research work reported in this paper was to study the kinetics and thermodynamics of reactions of some boron compounds with some simple wood model compounds and with maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.). The wood model compounds were selected in order to reproduce in a simple way the possible reactions boron may undergo with wood. Two boron compounds were tested with the wood: sodium tetraborate decahydrate (borax) and boric acid. Boron containing solutions applied to wood and model compounds were tested in such a way that they could lead to the insolubilization of boron or to its chemical fixation. Thermodynamics of boric acid fixation on the wood surface was studied. Results suggest that, even though boron reacts faster with polysaccharides than with lignin, all reactions are very slow at 20 degrees C. Adsorption should be the preferential mechanism for the bonding of boric acid to wood. This weak bond explains why boron tends to leach out from wood in wet conditions after conventional preservative treatments.