The effect of heat treatment on the physical, chemical and anatomical characteristics of date palm wood

This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of heat treatment on the physical, chemical and anatomical properties of date palm tissue. After cutting the trunk of date palm, in order to choose the most optimal temperature, heat modification was done at 10 different temperatures between 120 and 210 degrees Celsius for 2 hours. In order to evaluate the changes made, microscopic examination and then standard tests of density, chemical properties and FTIR-spectroscopy were performed. Anatomical examination showed that after thermal modification at the optimal temperature (160 °C), cracks and black spots were observed in the vascular cavities. This modification leads to fundamental changes in the morphological structure of the tissue. Modification in the temperature range of 160 °C caused slight changes in the density of date palm wood. But with the increase of thermal modification at a temperature higher than that, the known amount decreased significantly. FTIR spectroscopic analysis of date palm tissue showed chemical changes after modification. The bands showed the changes in the amount of hydroxyl functional groups in cellulose and the progress of the lignin condensation reaction. Thermal modification of palm tissue improves its functional properties and can be called as an environmentally friendly modification method to make palm usable in the furniture industry.