[Duncan1234]

Hello guys.  I work in the forest products industry and am needing a regular "pm" or preventive maintenance task of measuring pH of incoming wood fiber.  My question is:

Please could someone share a written procedure (from beginning to end) for testing pH of wood chips?

Also, would the procedure be any different for testing sawdust and/or shavings? 

The chips and sawdust are "green" only the shavings are kiln-dried.

Thank you,

Duncan

[Borek]

In general there is no such thing as a "pH of wood" - at least not in a direct sense, just like there is no such thing as a "pH of a soil".

What typical procedures do is they ask for mixing the solid with water and measuring pH of the sludge. Trick is procedure has to be well described (amounts and things like waiting times, pH electrode placement etc.) and followed, to make results comparable. I am not aware of an established procedure accepted as the "right one", could be the wood industry has something like that (can depend on the country you are in though).

[Duncan1234]

Borek,

Thank you.  We make composite panels with a UF resin that is sensitive to variation in incoming fiber pH.  Are you able to help me design a pH test to perform on wood chips, saw dust, and planer shavings?  We have a Mettler Toledo F20 Standard FiveEasy Benchtop pH meter with LE438 Sensor.

Anything basic and repeatable is all we are looking for. 

Thanks again.

[Borek]

I would start with something similar to the pH of a soil measurement: http://www.ph-meter.info/pH-measurements-other-procedures