Two TMT plants for the southern hemisphere

Two large IWT-Moldrup thermal treatment plants with an annual capacity of 6,000 m3+ eachare being installed in New Zealand and Chile to be used on radiata pine. The IWT-Moldrupplants work with the closed system under pressure, Moldrup-SSP, where the thermaltreatment takes place at lower temperatures at around 180 C than the traditional open kilntype system at 230 C.

The process under pressure leaves residual humidity in the wood during the process that works as a catalyst for thermal reaction and reduces the brittleness of the finished product. The plant in New Zealand offers service treatment for other companies while the plant in Chile is for the operator’s own wooden products.

Both plants have emission control systems to eliminate emissions from the plant itself during operation. The market for thermally modified wood especially for cladding has increased dramatically in Europe during the past 2 – 3 years after many years of steady growth since thermal treatment was introduced industrially 25 years ago. A similar development is expected in North America and Oceania.

Source: IWT-Moldrup Asia Pacific