[ruserious2008]

Hey all...
No idea if I posted this in the correct section so pls Admins move me if needed:)
Involved in a discussion on a wood stove forum about any problems burning salt water driftwood in a woodstove.
Conventional wisdom and stove manufacturers all seem to say its a no go but I wondered about that as I tend to question conventional wisdom and sometimes come up right:)
If someone has a piece of salt water driftwood that was "dry"- say less than 20% moisture as measured by a moisture meter- on a piece freshly cut in half in the middle.. and burned it in their wood stove what would happen? I guess first question is would any salt be left in the wood . guessing it would but wondering if wood would absorb the salt or only the H20 from the seawater? That's the first question.
And if it did absorb the sea salt what would happen when the wood was burned? Someone mentioned that lava from volcanoes hitting the ocean releases HCL but I don't think that would happen in our woodstove since there is little H20 for that reaction???
Also saw something that said sodium chloride does not change unless it hits above 1400F but I guess it would in a wood fire?
So what do you think would happen to a piece of salt water driftwood that has dried when put in a wood stove? I have no vested interest in the answer- just a curious type that questions conventional wisdom that I don't find grounded in some solid science:)
Will post the reply(s) on the hearth.com forum for this question.
Thanks a ton (metric:)
 

[Arkcon]

Well, that was a long question.  Let me try to break it down for you and everyone else.

Wood that's soaked with water is a bad addition to a cast iron stove.  And it takes longer to dry than most people would expect.  You seam to know all about this, you mention it twice.  So far, so good.

Wood soaked in ocean water doesn't absorb more or less water than wood in a drenching rain, or a fresh water source.  Living cells absorb fresh vs. salt water differently across their cell membranes, but wood is hollow lingin and cellulose chambers.

Wood soaked in salt water will absorb salt.  And yes, the presence of the halide is a little harsh on iron.  But consider, those "chimney sweeping" powders are just salts of another type.  In fact, I'd heard that a handful of table salt in the stove periodically will keep the chimney free of creosote.  This is documented in the patents for these chimney sweeper chemicals, so its know that ionic salts do "something" even if the heat of the stove isn't enough to melt or vaporize them.  What they do isn't well known, or at least, I've never found out.

Its really up to you just how much salty wood you want to use in your stove.

[SABRY]

1. NaCl will remain as NaCl - no chemical reaction. End up in the ashes
2. However, chlorides of magnesium and calcium will be hydrolyzed to generate hydrochloric acid (HCl) vapor.
3. This HCl goes to chimney and disperse into the atmosphere - results in corrosion and environmental issue.
4. The oxides of calcium and magnesium go into ashes.

[billnotgatez]

1. NaCl will remain as NaCl - no chemical reaction. End up in the ashes

SABRY -
My experience with salt firing in kilns would indicate otherwise. In that case the Sodium reacts with the ceramic pots being fired and hydrochloric acid is in the smoke. This is true for wood fired kilns as well when salt is present.

[Arkcon]

Awesome guys.  Thanks for the info.  So ... finely divided NaCl (and other chloride salts even more so) dispersed in wood will decompose at wood kiln temperatures releasing HCl vapor.  I wonder how much happens at wood burning stove temperatures, I never let mine go above 375 C (~ 700 F) for any great period of time.  Would you happen to have a citation billnotgatez: for salts in kiln fuels and the effect on the exhaust?  If HCl is being released, in small amounts, that may be how these salts reduce creosote formation.  Maybe the hot HCl vapor acts as a free radical, and initiates oxidation of the creosote, instead of allowing it to buildup and ignite. 

*[EDIT]*

Or do I have that backwards, since halogens are quench free radicals in halon fire extinguishers?  At any rate, some scholarly research would help to understand the phenomena.

[vmelkon]

You said that people say salty wood in the woodstove is a no-go. Is there any evidence of it causing problems? How long does it take to cause problems? How much salt is there in a block of wood? up to 1 mg  or up to 1 g or up to 1 Kg?

[billnotgatez]

My apologies for delayed posting.

My experience with salt glaze firing of pottery would indicate that the Sodium Chloride would break down when heated. Even when absorbed into wood. I have heard stories that the process of using salt to glaze pots was accidentally found out when burning of wood from old kegs holding brine products caused the effect. This would lead me to believe that there would be a chance that there could be an effect of burning wood soaked in salt in a furnace.

This is some of the WIKI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_glaze_pottery

Salt glaze pottery is stoneware with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing process. Sodium from the salt reacts with silica in the clay body to form a glassy coating of sodium silicate. The glaze may be colourless or may be coloured various shades of brown (from iron oxide), blue (from cobalt oxide), or purple (from manganese oxide)