Solidification of xonotlite fibers with chitosan by hydrothermal hot pressing

Hydrothermal hot-pressing (HHP) technique was used to solidify calcium sili cate hydrate (xonotlite) powders at a relatively low temperature (150 degre es C) and low pressure (20 MPa) with short reaction times (10-30 min). Chit osan was used to reinforce the mechanical strength of the hydrothermally ho t pressed calcium silicate compacts. The tensile strength of the solidified compacts with and without chitosan was tested. The ultimate strength of th e chitosan-xonotlite composite reached approximately 12 MPa for 5 wt.% chit osan content, which is almost six times larger than its non-additive compac t. Additives had no effect to the apparent density of the solidified bodies , which remains almost constant at similar to 2 g cm(-3) similar to that of the non-additive compacts. The low temperature solidification method is ex pected to be useful in the development of an environment-friendly processin g route for making artificial wood. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All righ ts reserved.