Scale-up of a bio-based wood coating using a pilotclave® pressure reactor

Reactor: pilotclave®
 

Wood materials exposed to sunlight undergo bond cleavage and hydrogen abstraction, primarily affecting the natural polymer lignin. These reactions lead to the formation of radicals and peroxides, which subsequently decompose into colored fragments. Rain can wash out these fragments from the wood surface, causing discoloration, increased hydrophilicity, and greater susceptibility to fungal attack.

Within an Innosuisse-funded project, Schilliger Holz AG, Blumer-Lehmann AG, the Wood Material Science Group at ETH Zürich and Empa are collaborating to develop a fully bio-based coating for wood surface preservation, suitable for both outdoor and indoor applications. They successfully scaled up the coating emulsion synthesis for large-scale wood surface treatment using the reactor made by Büchi AG.