CHANGES IN GROSS CALORIFIC VALUE OF THERMALLY TREATED SCOTS PINE (PINUS SYLVESTRIS L.) AND SESSILE OAK (QUERCUS PETRAEA L.) WOOD AND THEIR EXPLANATION USING FTIR SPECTROSCOPY

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Sessile oak (Quercus petraea L.) wood were thermally treated in an oven at the temperatures of 160 degrees C, and 200 degrees C under atmospheric pressure in the presence of air for 3 and 9 hrs. The mass loss and gross calorific value were determined. Non-treated wood samples achieved a gross calorific value of 22 193 J.g(-1) for pine wood and 19 277 J.g(-1) for oak wood. Whereas the calorific value of pine wood with increasing severity of treatment decreased, in the case of oak it increased. The mass loss increased with increasing treatment severity by both wood species. Mentioned differences in pine and oak wood behaviour using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy were explained. In the case of pine wood with increasing temperature and time of exposure a decrease of resin acids was observed. This may be contributed to decrease in GCV. In the case of oak wood, mainly at temperature of 200 degrees C the degradation of hemicelluloses was observed that results in relative increasing in the lignin content with followed increase in the GCV.