Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Shmulsky, Rubin

Committee Member

Nikolic, Dragica Jeremic

Committee Member

Barnes, H. Michael

Committee Member

Zhang, Jilei

Committee Member

Ingram, Leonard

Date of Degree

5-3-2019

Original embargo terms

Visible to MSU only for 3 years

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Forest Resources

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

College

College of Forest Resources

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Sustainable Bioproducts

Department

Department of Sustainable Bioproducts

Abstract

The feasibility of using modified nano-chitosan particles as an environmentally friendly wood preservative agent was investigated in this research. Chitosan nano-particles were prepared from commercially available low molecular weight (LMW) chitosan and its derivative, trimethyl chitosan (TMC). The specific amount of sodium nitrite added to LMW chitosan through depolymerization process indicated the desired chitosan oligomers. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was done to confirm the formation of chitosan oligomers with degree of polymerization four. Preparation of TMC was done through a quaternization process and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) graphs proved the formation of TMC. Sodium tri-poly phosphate (TPP) as a commercial fire retardant was added to these nanoparticles (chitosan oligomers and TMC) to form nanochitosan-TPP particles based on the ionic gelation method. The viscosity of chitosan nanoparticles which were made by chitosan oligomers and TMC were measured by rheometer. The results showed very low viscosity in comparison to LMW chitosan. The final concentration of chitosan oligomers, TMC and TPP in the nano-chitosan-TPP solution to treat wood were 12, 12 and 4.8% respectively. Then, these particles were used to treat southern yellow pine wood through vacuum impregnation process. Mass and volume of samples increased after treatment which means the nano-chitosan-TPP particles penetrated into cell walls. To study the leaching of treated samples, they were soaked to water according to the E11 standard test (AWPA, 2016) and to investigate the fungi resistance of treated samples, they were exposed to brown rot fungus (Gloeophyllum trabeum) and white rot fungus (Trametes versicolor) according to the E10 standard test (AWPA, 2016). Mass loss of the samples was compared to untreated wood controls. The results of leaching and fungi indicated that non quaternized nanochitosan-TPP particles were more effective than quaternized nanochitosan-TPP particles. Measuring the fire resistance and water vapor sorption isotherm of treated samples revealed that there were not any differences among treated and control samples.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/21228

Comments

Nanochitosan particles||Southern yellow pine||Wood preservatives||Decay fungi||Fire retardancy

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