Partial pyrolysis? Fuel and timber?

I was out cutting wood, and the thinking thus about wood for next year.

I've read some about using hoophouses to dry firewood faster, and in some discussion on that was warning about importance to watch temperature to prevent pyrolysis of the wood-- I don't know if that could actually happen in a greenhouse, probably just off the top of the commentators head.

But somehow my thoughts today connected like this: Is there some amount of pyrolysis that can be carried out without compromising the structural integrity of the wood? Could one extract usable fuel from wood destined to be used as a construction material? If it could be done, it would seem to also slightly increase the fire-resistance of the lumber.

I found this:
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ie50399a007
I'm too cheap to pay $35 to see the full paper though, but the first page states the compression strength of the oak they partially pyrolized at 260°C actually increased. It seems, from the brief google search, that no other research has been done on this since the 1940s...

Andrew Ray wrote:I was out cutting wood, and the thinking thus about wood for next year.

I've read some about using hoophouses to dry firewood faster, and in some discussion on that was warning about importance to watch temperature to prevent pyrolysis of the wood-- I don't know if that could actually happen in a greenhouse, probably just off the top of the commentators head.

But somehow my thoughts today connected like this: Is there some amount of pyrolysis that can be carried out without compromising the structural integrity of the wood? Could one extract usable fuel from wood destined to be used as a construction material? If it could be done, it would seem to also slightly increase the fire-resistance of the lumber.

I found this:
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ie50399a007
I'm too cheap to pay $35 to see the full paper though, but the first page states the compression strength of the oak they partially pyrolized at 260°C actually increased. It seems, from the brief google search, that no other research has been done on this since the 1940s...

We use solar kilns to dry our wood and you will never get temperatures to create pyrolysis as it will spontaneous combust way below that temperature. What your actually talking about is torrefied wood which is low temperature pyrolysis and as you say creates a gas which can be used for power generation. The torrefied wood produced is an excellent structural timber and is used around the world. As for research the current research is into using torrefied wood as an alternative to diesel fuel.