Chemical Interactions between Fatty Acids and Wood Components during Oxidation Processes

Abstract: Fatty acids auto-oxidation on wood is proposed to follow a complex free radical interaction mechanism. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of wood constituents on oxidation of fatty acids and thereby the entire drying process, and to characterize the fatty acids-wood interaction by using analytical instruments such as RT-IR and NMR.The auto-oxidation process of polyunsaturated fatty acids was analyzed in combination with wood model compounds, softwood and hardwood. The results showed that the oxidative drying process of unsaturated fatty acids was indeed affected by wood constituents. Wood morphology is heterogeneous and porous. A problematic issue in fatty acid-wood system is its heterogeneity and complexity.The most hydrophobic polymer of the main constituents of wood is lignin and it interacted with the oxidation process and lignin structures inhibited or retarded the reaction. However, wood carbohydrates such as lactose and sucrose increased the rate of fatty acids oxidation, thus carbohydrates may function as catalysts.The fatty acids pattern affects not only the structure of the dried oil itself but also the surrounding wood materials. Not only the oil structures were affected but also the lignin was to some extent oxidized as a competing reaction with the oil oxidation. Further, a formation of chemical bonds between the oil and the lignin structures was not observed, i.e. the oils were not immobilized on lignin by covalent bond formation to any significant extent. The analysis on oils in wood using NMR and FTIR demonstrated that highly reactive linoleic acid interacted in wood significantly, while it was not immobilized to the same extent. Oleic acid on the other hand interacted more slowly but was immobilized in the wood structure.A number of wood species (hardwood and softwood) were tested for how they affected the drying process, where Norway spruce dried the fastest and hazelwood the slowest. Generally it appeared to be a connection between high density and slow drying. It can thus be concluded that different wood components affect the oil drying process in different ways. According to the results, it can also be concluded that the structure of the oil and different wood species are crucial in the overall protective performance of the system.