JPS5847328B2 - Method for improving the quality of processed vegetable materials such as wood and bamboo - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention takes advantage of the natural properties of processed plant materials such as various types of wood and bamboo, and artificially adds various properties to achieve higher quality than natural materials. The aim is to produce high-quality plant-based processed materials.

Since ancient times, humans have used wood and bamboo as raw materials to make various tools that are closely related to daily life, and have actively used these tools as wood and bamboo products.

This plant-based processed material provided by nature can be easily obtained by cutting down planted trees and bamboo, and it is loved by people today because it has a good appearance and feel, and is easy to process. But wood and bamboo products are in great demand.

However, since this processed vegetable material is originally a plant created by nature, its characteristics are not something humans could have created in the past.

Therefore, its range of use is naturally limited, and its characteristics are often not suitable depending on the application.

For this reason, people have tried to improve the materials by applying various processing treatments to these woods and bamboo materials to make them even slightly more suitable for each purpose.

The present invention is also one of the methods for improving the characteristics of natural vegetable processed materials in accordance with their uses and purposes.

The present inventor previously discovered that when processed vegetable materials such as wood and bamboo are subjected to high-temperature, high-pressure treatment in an atmosphere of nonflammable gas, depending on the treatment conditions, the wood becomes like a buried tree and the bamboo becomes like a soot-like bamboo. Knew.

This buried wood is the result of a dense forest that grew locally or a pile of driftwood from a flood that was buried in a large amount of volcanic ash and altered in quality about 4 million years ago. It is something that has been exposed to smoke and heat for decades or hundreds of years on the hearth of an old house and has deteriorated in quality.

The alteration characteristics of both types are common in the following points.

(a) It is completely brown to the core.

(b) Since the cell tissue is completely dead, it does not expand or contract due to changes in temperature or humidity, and when used as processed material, it will not cause dimensional deviations or cracks.

←→The cell structure is stable and homogenized, improving machinability.

(→The exterior is beautiful and has a brown color, so there is almost no need for painting.

Processed materials with the above-mentioned alteration characteristics are highly prized and valued in the woodwork and bamboo product industries due to their excellent characteristics and rarity.

Therefore, the inventor started by industrially producing a processed vegetable material in a short time that has almost the same characteristics as buried wood, which can be called a valuable underground resource, and sooty bamboo, which can only be produced over a long period of time and in a special environment. Researched and developed the method.

The development of these artificial buried trees and artificial soot bamboo was also significant as a countermeasure against depleted resources, and the development goal was to make them have characteristics as similar to natural materials as possible.

The present invention goes one step further with the development aimed at reproducing natural objects as described above, and considers wood and bamboo as raw materials for human use, and in addition to the characteristics given by nature, they are easier to process. so that it is more suited to human senses and tastes, more durable, more strong,
The aim is to further improve the quality of the processed material by adding characteristics that satisfy usage requirements such as making it easier to use.

In other words, the aim is to industrially produce completely new, high-quality plant-based processed materials in a short period of time by adding highly practical properties that go beyond those given by nature, depending on the intended use and use. .

The present invention will be described in detail below based on examples.

In the present invention, first, wood or bamboo material is placed in a pressure vessel, the pressure inside the vessel is released, and the above-mentioned nonflammable gas is added to create an atmosphere of 90% or more nonflammable gas inside the vessel.

Nonflammable gases include argon, krypton,
Any so-called inert gas such as helium, ammonia, sulfur dioxide gas, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide gas may be used, and the gas may be a single gas or a mixture of two or more gases.

This nonflammable gas allows wood and bamboo to withstand high-temperature treatments, giving them a moderate brown color.

Incidentally, at this time, a very small amount of oxygen or air may be included in this nonflammable gas.

This is to adjust the degree of browning of vegetable materials and construction materials, and when oxygen or air is added in this way, the degree of browning becomes darker depending on the amount of oxygen or air mixed in.

However, if there is too much oxygen, it will burn and the product will not be good in terms of processability or appearance.

Therefore, the range in which the nonflammable gas atmosphere is good is 90% or more.

It has also been found that by changing the type and mixing method of the nonflammable gas, and changing the composition of the gas, the brown hue of the same raw material can be subtly changed.

In other words, during production, the degree and color of the brown color can be adjusted to a desired level by considering the type of gas, the mixing method, the amount of oxygen mixed in, etc.

In addition, vegetable processed materials are a general term for both wood and bamboo materials, and wood includes all types of trees that have been cut as materials, and bamboo materials include all types of bamboo, types, and bamboo. Contains.

Next, the temperature inside the container is heated to a high temperature of 100℃ to 300℃, and at the same time, the pressure inside the container is increased to 1.2kg.
/crA to 100 kg/crti.

This is so-called high temperature and high pressure treatment. The high temperature and high pressure treatment under these conditions is maintained for 30 minutes or more and then returned to normal temperature and pressure.

As a result, the processed vegetable wood and bamboo wood turn brown to the core, and their surfaces are smooth and shiny, giving them the appearance of being painted.Moreover, the processed materials made in this way have improved machinability, and We confirmed that it was well dried and that no dimensional deviations or cracks occurred.

It has also been found that the deterioration of the properties in this nonflammable gas changes subtly by changing the processing conditions, resulting in a product with a certain unique taste.

Furthermore, depending on the type of processed vegetable material, i.e., the type of wood or bamboo material, even if processed under the same conditions, there will be subtle differences in the appearance color and condition, resulting in some unique characteristics. I also found that it had a good taste.

The temperature conditions for the high temperature and high pressure treatment are suitably in the range of 100°C to 300°C.

The processing temperature varies depending on the type of wood and bamboo material.
Although it varies depending on the size of the raw material and the desired hue, in general, the most preferable temperature for wood is about 170°C to 250°C, and for bamboo wood, the most preferable temperature is 150°C. C. to about 180.degree. C. is the most preferable state in terms of appearance and workability.

If the temperature is below 100 degrees Celsius, neither the wood nor the bamboo material will turn brown, and at best the green bamboo will only bleach its color, and the unique flavor will not be produced.

On the other hand, if the temperature exceeds 300°C, the cell tissue becomes brittle, resulting in decreased workability and durability, and the color darkens, making it less attractive.

Regarding processing pressure conditions, 1.2 kg/cst to 10
0 kg/cfL is an appropriate range.

The optimum conditions for this processing pressure vary depending on the type and thickness of the raw material, but if the pressure is increased, the processing time can be shortened to a certain extent.

If the pressure is less than 1.2 kg/cA, the core will not be colored brown or the color will be uneven, making it unsuitable. On the other hand, if the pressure is more than 100 kg/cA, it will physically affect the cell tissue and make it fragile. This is not a desirable condition.

Next is the processing time condition, which also varies greatly depending on the type and thickness of the raw material.

However, the minimum processing time is 30 minutes or more.

Otherwise, good properties cannot be obtained.

In general, it is sufficient to obtain desired property changes in the case of wood for 4 to 8 hours, and in the case of bamboo for 2 to 6 hours.

In other words, the above-mentioned high-temperature, high-pressure treatment of vegetable processed materials in a nonflammable gas atmosphere results in browning of the surface to the core, as well as improvements in dimensional stability and durability due to the death and drying of the fiber cells. However, when viewed as a processed material, although there are differences in degree depending on the type of raw material, there is still a lack of range in strength, color, weight, hardness, texture, and machinability. It is often insufficient depending on the purpose and use.

Therefore, we thought of combining the following processing methods in order to exceed the limits of the characteristics of cell tissues created by nature and turn them into high-quality ones.

That is, resin oils and/or inorganic salts are allowed to penetrate before or after high temperature and high pressure treatment.

Here, the resin oils refer to both natural resins such as lignin, linseed oil, wax, and tung oil, and synthetic resins containing polymers and monomers.

The penetration of these resin oils is gloss, weight, strength, smoothness,
The purpose is to reinforce waterproofness, etc.

Inorganic salts include nickel sulfate, copper sulfate, chromium salts, sodium silicate, etc., and the main purpose of dipping with these is to improve the appearance of color and stain, and to add weight.

Next, the method of penetration of the above resin oils and inorganic salts will be described.

The first is the decompression method. This involves enclosing wood or bamboo material in a resin oil or the like, reducing the pressure inside the container to a degree of vacuum of about 10++ mHg, maintaining the reduced pressure state for 30 minutes to several hours, and then releasing the atmospheric pressure.

This allows resin oils etc. to penetrate.

The second method is the pressurization method.

This is a method in which wood or bamboo material is sealed in resin oil or the like, the inside of the container is pressurized to about 20 kg/cr/, the pressure is maintained for 30 minutes to several hours, and then the pressure is released to atmospheric pressure.

The third method is the reduced pressure and combination method.

This method is a method in which a second pressurization method is performed in combination after the first depressurization method.

There are two methods for infiltrating resin oils and inorganic salts, but in this case, the conditions such as the degree of vacuum, degree of pressure, or time vary depending on the thickness and density of the raw material.

Further, the setting conditions for the degree of vacuum, pressure, and time vary depending on the viscosity and surface tension of the resin oil.

As mentioned above, we change the characteristics of natural wood and bamboo into valuable buried wood and soot bamboo, and we also impregnate them with resin oils and inorganic salts to improve their quality into vegetable-based processed materials that are easier to use than natural materials. However, when using this processed material as a raw material for woodwork, for example, it is possible to infiltrate it with natural resins to give it weight and brown luster, giving it a luxurious feel. When used as a furniture material, it is required to have sufficient strength and plasticity in tension, compression, bending, etc. However, when wood and bamboo are subjected to high temperature and high pressure treatment, the plasticity Since this decreases, plasticity and strength can be reinforced by infiltrating this with synthetic resin.

Furthermore, by impregnating it with inorganic salts, it can be used to remove the brown hue, give it a calmer color, and improve its quality.

In this way, by selecting one or more types of resin oils or inorganic salts according to the use and purpose and infiltrating them, it is possible to add properties that fully meet the desired requirements. The scope of its use has become extremely wide.

As described above, the present invention is capable of processing vegetable processed materials such as wood or bamboo at 100°C in an atmosphere of 90% or more nonflammable gas.
1.2 kg/c while heating to 300℃
rit to 100 kg/cA for 30 minutes or more, high temperature and high pressure treatment, and infiltration with appropriately selected resin oils and/or inorganic salts to meet various needs according to the purpose of use. This is a quality improvement method that adds properties that exceed those of natural products.

In other words, by performing high-temperature, high-pressure treatment in a nonflammable gas atmosphere and at the same time infiltrating it with resin oils and inorganic salts, it is possible to prevent browning down to the core of buried wood and sooty bamboo, as well as cracks and dimensions. At the same time, it has the effect of preventing the deviation of the
Practical quality improvements can be made by adding properties such as weight, gloss, color tone, flexibility, elasticity, strength, hardness, waterproofness, etc. according to the application.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Vegetable processed materials such as wood and bamboo are heated to 100°C to 300°C in an atmosphere of 90% or more nonflammable gas, and at a rate of 1.2kg/cA to 100kg/cr.
Processed vegetable materials such as wood, bamboo, etc., which are subjected to high temperature and high pressure treatment under the pressure conditions of A for 30 minutes or more, and are impregnated with resin oils and/or inorganic salts. Quality improvement method. 2 Claim 1 that includes using one or more mixed gases of inert gas such as argon, krypton, helium, ammonia, sulfur dioxide gas, nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas as the nonflammable gas Method for improving the quality of processed vegetable materials such as wood and bamboo as described in Section 1. 3. The vegetable material such as wood or bamboo material according to claim 1, wherein resin oil and/or inorganic salts are permeated before or after the high temperature and high pressure treatment. Method for improving the quality of processed materials. 4. A method for improving the quality of processed vegetable materials such as wood and bamboo materials as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein the resin oils include natural resins and synthetic resins. 5 Claim 1 characterized in that the inorganic salts include nickel sulfate, copper sulfate, chromium salt, and sodium silicate.
A method for improving the quality of processed vegetable materials such as wood and bamboo materials as described in item 1 or 2.