Work

Influence of water and ethanol vapours on the compressive behaviour of natural cork during ageing

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The effect of the storage condition and time on the compressive behaviour of natural cork was investigated by performing quasi-static and Progressive Repeated Loading (PRL) tests. Cork cubes were exposed to water, water-ethanol and ethanol vapours for 3- and 12-months’ storage. A significant difference for the elastic modulus was observed between samples placed in contact with water (9.6 ± 3.2 MPa) and ethanol (14.3 ± 4.2 MPa) vapours after 3 months. For cork samples in contact with ethanol a significant reduction of the elastic modulus value to 6.3 ± 0.8 MPa was noted at 12 months of storage, whereas no difference was noticeable for samples in contact with water vapour. From the PRL test performed after 3 and 12 months of storage, cork exhibited a different stored energy capability according to the storage condition. A reduction of ∼40 % occurred when placed in contact with ethanol vapour, whereas it increased of ∼15 % when stored in contact with water vapour. This led to the hypothesis that between 3 and 12 months of storage, ethanol accelerated the ageing of the material, leading to modification in the mechanical behaviour of cork, compared with water vapour.

Source: Industrial Crops and Products

DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.121333

Authors: Massimiliano Gerometta, Xavier Gabrion, Aurélie Lagorce, François Villette, Sébastien Thibaud, Thomas Karbowiak