Thermowood instead of Tropical Wood
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Superior Thermowood soon to introduce its first commercial product
May 8, 2009: Superior Thermowood of Thunder Bay, Ontario has been perfecting their product for the last 7 years and is will soon be unveiling its first commercial product - environmentally friendly wood for decks.
President Ed Rose said they heat pieces of under-utilized types of wood in a kiln at 180 or 220 degrees Celsius and let it dry for about 36 hours to improve the lumber and turn it into a value-added product.
Traditional deck building lumber is chemically treated. The idea to heat the wood was developed in Finland and Superior Thermowood has a license with the Finnish Thermowood Association to produce it.
Mathew Leitch, an associate professor of wood science at Lakehead University, said the heating process modifies some of the chemical components, which makes the wood more resistant to moisture and fungus. He also said it improves the look of the wood as well.
Thermowood will be selling the products at a price between the cost of pressure-treated wood and cedar, and the company plans to produce and sell the heating units as well. Rose said this process will give communities an opportunity to put people back to work in the forest sector.
Source:
Value-added operation heats up (TbNewsWatch)
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