The Dow Chemical Company

Frederick L Brown

William E Broxterman

James L Potter

A wood-polymer composite is prepared by impregnating a wood substrate with a liquid dicyclopentenyl acrylate or methacrylate monomer of the formula ##STR1## wherein R is hydrogen or methyl, R' and each R' are independently hydrogen, chloride or bromide, n is 0 or 1, and the dashed line is an optional chemical bond with the provisoes that when the dashed line is present, n is 0, and when the dashed line is absent, n is 1, and curing the resulting monomer-impregnated wood substrate by either heating same in the presence of a catalytic amount of a thermal initiator, such as a peroxide, or by exposing same to high-energy radiation, such as .gamma.-rays. The wood-polymer composite is relatively hard and shows good resistance to hydrocarbon attack.

Process of making wood-polymer composite containing a dicyclopentenyl

Wood-polymer composite containing a dicyclopentenyl acrylate or

Veneer is dried by passing a veneer sheet by at least one set of spaced orifices or nozzles through which jets of superheated organic solvent vapor are directed against one or both of the bottom and top sides of the sheet. After impinging on the wood surface, the spent solvent vapor plus moisture and other volatile substances from the wood passes to a condenser where the solvent is separated and passed to a vaporizer and superheater for recycle to the process. In an optional variation, a preliminary extraction of the entering veneer by condensing solvent is achieved by adjusting the flow rate or temperature of the solvent vapor in the fore part of the drying apparatus. Apparatus for carrying out the veneer drying process with means for recovering and recycling spent solvent is shown.

Drying veneer with jets of superheated solvent vapor

Leaching of a fire retardant salt, such as a mixture of ammonium phosphates, impregnated into a wood substrate is inhibited by a process comprising:

Inhibiting leaching of fire retardant salts from wood with cyclic

Cellulosic substrates, e.g. wood, textiles or paper, have increased fire resistance when treated with an aqueous solution of a polyalkylenepolyamine (e.g. polyethylenimine) and a mixture of mono- and diammonium phosphate.

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Midland, MI, United States of America

Frederick L Brown