~ 415 ~ ISSN Print: 2617-4693 ISSN Online: 2617-4707 IJABR 2024; SP-8(10): 415-421 www.biochemjournal.com Received: 13-08-2024 Accepted: 21-09-2024 Akshay Pingale Department of Forest Products, College of Forestry, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India Bhupender Dutt Department of Forest Products, College of Forestry, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India Kulwant Rai Sharma Retd. Dean, College of Forestry, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India Rajneesh Kumar Department of Forest Products, College of Forestry, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India Saurabh Sharma Department of Forestry, PDUCH&F, RPCAU, Piprakothi, Bihar, India Raveena Thakur Department of Forest Products, College of Forestry, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India Akshay Pingale Department of Forest Products, College of Forestry, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India Physical and anatomical characteristics of Bombax ceiba L. wood after undergoing heat treatment Akshay Pingale, Bhupender Dutt, Kulwant Rai Sharma, Rajneesh Kumar, Saurabh Sharma and Raveena Thakur DOI: https://doi.org/10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i10Se.2489 Abstract Heat treating wood is an efficient and eco-friendly method to enhance its dimensional stability and longevity. This process involves subjecting wood to high temperatures under precisely controlled conditions. In the current study, wood samples were heat treated for 2, 4, and 6 hours at 80, 120, 160, and 200 °C in a stability oven that was under vacuum. The study found that the physical characteristics of Bombax ceiba heat treated wood differed significantly. The maximum moisture content of 23.86 per cent was observed in control, whereas minimum value of moisture content (1.01%) was recorded at 200 °C. The highest Maximum Moisture Content (177.45%) was observed in the control, while the minimum value (133.55%) occurred at 200 °C. The fiber length found to be non-significant and ranged between 1.79 to 1.93 mm. The vessel diameter with different temperature varied from 129.89 to 131.41 μm. The colour of wood becomes darker while no significant differences were observed in the texture of wood. Keywords: Bombax ceiba L, heat treatment, temperature, eco-friendly Introduction Wood is highly anisotropic in nature, having different properties in different directions. It is a natural, renewable cellular resource of botanical origin with unique structural and chemical characteristics that render its desirable for variety of end uses with excellent strength-to- weight properties (Hingston et al., 2001) [15] . Wood is essentially composed of cellulose, lignin hemicelluloses and extractives. Each of these components contributes to fiber properties, which ultimately have an impact on wood properties. Two major chemical components of wood i.e. carbohydrate (18-35%) and lignin (65-75%) are complex, polymeric materials along with minor number of extraneous materials, mostly in the form of organic extractives and inorganic material (ash). Due to increased demand of timber, there is enormous pressure on forests resulting in shortage of wood and other woody products (Rahman et al., 2012) [23] . Its exceptional qualities, including a good strength to weight ratio and aesthetically pleasing look, have led to its usage for a variety of uses (Ates et al., 2009) [4] . But because wood comes from a biological source, it is the most complicated material (Schultz and Nicholas, 2002) [25] . Wood is a naturally occurring substance that varies in strength, density, color, and texture. Wood can be thermally treated to improve certain of its chemical and physical characteristics, making the transformed wood a better product for usage. The treatment strengthens the wood's biological strength but weakens its mechanical qualities. Bombax ceiba L. commonly known as Semal is a deciduous tree belonging to the family Bombacaceae. The timber is of light weight and is used for manufacture of match boxes and splints, veneers, plywood, coffins, artifact production etc. (Griffiths et al., 2003) [12] . Tree reaches up to 40 m in height and 6 m in girth, with the clear bole of 20-30 m. It is widely distributed in Indian subcontinent except in extremely arid regions ascending up to 1200 m and occasionally up to 1500 m. Though typical of the alluvial savanna type of forest, it grows sporadically in mixed deciduous forests in the sub-Himalayan regions and even in Sal forests. It is also quite common in the dry Teak and mixed deciduous forests of the Peninsula, the moist mixed deciduous forest of the West Coast, and the evergreen forests of Bengal and Assam. International Journal of Advanced Biochemistry Research 2024; SP-8(10): 415-421