Impacts of chemical modification of wood on water absorption: a review

Reducing the water absorption of wood is important as less permeability to water implies enhanced resistance against wood-decaying organisms and is mechanically stable. Many preservatives are in current practice, configuring which type of preservative is more effective on which species of wood requires an effort. Hence, this can be evaluated by water absorption of differently treated wood. Thus, this review aims to focus on the phenomenon of water absorption on treated wood and build an argument on the impact of chemical modification on water absorption. This study describes the practical applications of wood treatment techniques and how they could be integrated to solve the problematic areas in wood–moisture relations. The initial phase of the study overview the current level of knowledge on essential features of moisture in wood and attempts to identify the existing knowledge gaps in the field of the wood industry. This review is conducted by referring to 85.5% journals, 8.4% conference papers, 3.05% electronic books, and 3.05% others. The review identifies more research ought to be conducted about chemicals that would reduce hygroscopicity and provide durability with minimum toxicity to nature. Such knowledge might be applied to a variety of sectors of research, including how to improve decomposition resistance, how to improve the performance of moisture-induced wooden actuators, and combining various revelations of moisture in wood with the introduction of specific chemical alterations. Regulating the spatial distribution should provide a unique overview of the wood–water reactions. Therefore, the resultant innovative ideas would be useful in related disciplines such as polymer science and the construction industry.