Preliminary Studies on the Selection of Uruguayan Woods for the Production of Transparent Wood

Transparent or translucent wood has garnered significant attention in recent years. In this preliminary work, the best delignification conditions for two wood species grown in Uruguay, Pinus taeda and Eucalyptus bosistoana, were determined. It was analyzed to determine which species is more suitable for the process. The effects of temperature and NaCl2 concentration during delignification were the focus; delignified wood was impregnated with epoxy resin. Wood anatomy was observed with SEM and FTIR spectra were analyzed. The results suggest that the best delignification conditions were a reaction time of 300 min, a NaClO2 concentration of 3.5% at a constant temperature of 80 °C, and bleaching with H2O2 for one hour at 80 °C. Both wood species are suitable for the development of transparent wood.