Hydrophobization of Betula pendula Roth wood and Pinus sylvestris L. wood with waste vegetable oil and the possibility of its utilization in a biochar sorbent for copper ions

Abstract

The development of methods and technologies for the protective treatment of wood in order to improve its properties is an urgent task. Existing methods of protective wood treatment (the use of compounds, coatings and paints) have certain disadvantages, such as high cost, the possibility of changing the texture and color of wood, as well as the toxicity of some substances. In this regard, the purpose of this work was to establish the effectiveness of hydrophobization of birch (Betula pendula Roth) and pine (Pinus sylvestris) wood with waste vegetable oil and test biochar from such wood as a carbon sorbent of copper ions. Modification of Betula pendula Roth and Pinus sylvestris wood with waste sunflower oil leads to a significant increase in the hydrophobicity of biopolymer materials; water and moisture resistance increased by 2 and 1.6 times (p<0.05). A high degree of interfacial interaction between wood of both species and waste vegetable oil, characterized by contact angle values of 24±3.1 and 30±3.9 (p<0.05), respectively. The possibility of obtaining biochar sorbents from modified wood for use in wastewater treatment processes from heavy metal ions (using the example of copper ions). The degree of purification of samples containing copper ions reaches 35% for modified birch wood and 18% for an oil-treated sample of biochar from pine wood: These indicators are comparable with the data on purification of a solution from Cu2+ with biochar sorbents from natural birch and pine wood. The study proposes approaches to the utilization of modified wood with the production of functional materials (bi-carbon sorbents), which makes it possible to create conditions for waste-free production, while reducing the anthropogenic load on the environment.