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Sustainability Wood Chemistry Wood Modification Wood Protection Wood Science Open Access Journal article

Anatomical, physical, and chemical changes in Albizia carbonaria wood subjected to thermal modification

Jhon Fredy Herrera Builes, Juán Manuel Valadés Sierra, Valentina Botero-Loor

2 June 2026 · Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomía Medellín

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Abstract

In Colombia, wood preservation treatments still rely on toxic and environmentally hazardous products, whereas cleaner and safer alternatives remain scarcely implemented. Thermal modification has emerged as a sustainable technology capable of enhancing wood resistance to biological degradation, improving dimensional stability, and optimizing its performance for industrial applications. Furthermore, this process enables the assessment of chemical and structural transformations associated with wood modification. Albizia carbonaria, a native Colombian species distributed in tropical and premontane humid forests, is commonly used in agroforestry systems associated with coffee cultivation. This study evaluated the effects of thermal treatments conducted in a closed system at 170 and 190 °C, temperatures at which significant changes are expected in low-density woods due to hemicellulose degradation and consequent alterations in the internal structure. Dimensional stability, density, chemical composition, and anatomical modifications were analyzed according to Colombian Technical Standards and Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) standards, using wood obtained from an agroforestry plantation. Mass loss reached 7.72 and 9.54% at 170 and 190 °C, respectively. Air-dry density (12%) was significantly higher at 190 °C, while dimensional stability improved under both treatments. In addition, holocellulose and extractives contents increased as a consequence of total mass reduction and the formation of new compounds. Anatomical alterations and cell wall thickening were also observed. However, the 170 °C treatment promoted greater density increases, higher chemical content, and lower anatomical damage, indicating that this thermal condition is more suitable for the species.

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