vapor in the smoke is related to the humidity
of the wood and air. The relative humidity of
the smoke varies within a broad range and
can be controlled by the operator. Although
numerous investigations have been carried
out on the effect of the parameters of generation
on the composition of the curing smoke,
it is still not possible to predict precisely the
contents of various compounds in the smoke.
However, it is known which factors affect the
generation of phenols, aldehydes, ketones,
alcohols, acids, esters, and hydrocarbons.
The concentrations of these fractions in the
curing smoke, in mg/m 3
of the aerosol or in
mg/100 g of wood, differ considerably as
reported by different investigators, since the
conditions of smoke production in various
experiments were different. The yield and
gross chemical composition of smoke
depends more on the temperature and oxygen
access than on the humidity and kind of
wood.