Wood products in a low current pulsing electric field - a new way to protect wood?

Abstract

A new protection system has been tested which protects wood without treating it - by installing a low pulsing electric field. This electro-osmotic pulsing technology on wood, called PLEOT, has been tested in lab trials. Wood has a low specific conductivity and is considered as a dielectric material. Water plays therefore an important role. With increasing wood moisture content, a favorable environment for fungi development is created. At the same time, increasing wood moisture content increases the conductivity in wood and PLEOT can protect the material. Wood can be considered as naturally protected against fungal attack at a wood moisture content <20 %. It could be shown in lab tests, that a protection by means of PLEOT can be achieved at higher wood moisture content...