Selective staining as a tool for wood fibre characterization

A method of selective staining is proposed for wood fibre surface characterization. A number of dyes have been tested to determine their ability to stain fibres. Three groups of dyes are considered: the first group has good affinity for the lignin component of fibres (cationic dyes), the second group has good affinity for hemi-cellulose (cationic phthalocyanine dyes) and the third group are dyes with an affinity for the cellulose in the fibres (anionic direct dyes). The mechanism for dye-bonding to different parts of fibre components is also suggested.