New insights into wood and cement interaction

This work deals with the influence of poplar extractives and poplar alkaline degradation products on the hydration of cement. The wood chemical composition was characterized to determine the impact of soft alkaline conditions on wood fiber. Some of the constituents were hydrolyzed and converted into carboxylic acids, which were identified and quantified. Monitoring by electrical conductivity clearly showed that wood extractives are less effective than wood alkaline degradation products in inhibiting the hydration of cement.