Accelerated Aging Effect on Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Thermally Treated Spruce Wood

TL;DR

Heating spruce wood reduces volatile chemical emissions, and aging it further lowers these emissions, improving indoor air quality.

Contribution

The study reveals how thermal treatment and aging change VOC emissions from spruce wood, with significant reductions and compositional shifts.

Findings

Thermal treatment at 210°C reduced total VOC emissions by up to 376-fold compared to untreated wood.

Accelerated aging decreased TVOC by 42% in samples treated at 160°C and altered VOC composition.

Thermal modification reduced terpene content and increased carbonyl compounds like furfural.

Abstract

Thermal modification is widely applied to improve the durability and dimensional stability of wood; however, it alters the emission profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which may affect indoor air quality. This study evaluated the effect of accelerated aging on VOC emissions from thermally modified Norway spruce (Picea abies) wood. Untreated and thermally treated samples (160, 180, and 210 °C) were subjected to accelerated aging in a xenon test chamber for 600 h. VOC emissions were analyzed using headspace gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS), and total VOC emissions (TVOC) were calculated from peak areas. Thermal modification significantly reduced TVOC compared to untreated wood, with samples treated at 210 °C showing up to a 376-fold decrease. Increasing modification temperature reduced the amount and variability of emitted VOCs and altered their chemical composition. Terpenes dominated in untreated wood, particularly α-pinene (51%), whereas thermally treated samples showed lower terpene content and higher proportions of carbonyl compounds such as furfural. Accelerated aging further affected VOC emissions, including a 42% decrease in TVOC for the 160 °C sample and compositional shifts characterized by the disappearance or formation of specific compounds. Thermal modification and subsequent aging substantially modify VOC emission profiles and improve emission stability of thermally treated spruce wood.

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