Make your own petrified wood!

Some scientists have made petrified wood in the lab. They soak the wood in acid, then a silica solution. Then they bake it in a 1400 C oven filled with argon gas for 2 hours. OK, it was sounding pretty simple up until the "argon". Imagine art done this way: a wood carving turned to stone! They plan to use it as a way of making porus materials for filters or reaction substrates.