The Influence of Drying Temperature on the Hygroscopicity of Rubberwood (Hevea Brasiliensis)

The influence of drying temperature on the hysteresis effect of rubberwood is determined in this study. Results showedreductions in sorption capacity of rubberwood dried at high temperatures as compared to the control conventionaltemperature dried material at respective corresponding set conditions. The reduction of the hygroscopicity ofrubberwood is a combined effect of both physical, morphological structure and chemical composition as affected by thedrying temperature. This improvement is found to be primarily attributed to the (i) hysteresis effect enhanced byincreased drying temperature, (ii) loss of hygroscopic hemicelluloses, and (iii) rearrangement/ degradation ofamorphous cellulose content in the cell wall