Water-Related Properties and Biological Durability of Wood-Based Composites

There is insufficient data regarding the biodegradation of wood-based composites (WBC) by wood decay fungi. This study aimed to evaluate the biological durability and water-related properties of different WBC types. Although WBC are primarily designed for dry environments, in building applications, they may face increased moisture risks due to water leakage, condensation, or humid air. The panels, including oak-pine shield parquet (OPP), oriented strand board (OSB), birch plywood (BP), particle board (PB), laminated particle board (LPB), moisture-resistant particle board (MRPB), medium density fibreboard (MDF), laminated medium density fibreboard (LMDF) and moisture resistant medium density fibreboard (MRMDF), were subjected to attack by brown rot fungus Coniphora puteana. After 16 weeks of exposure, the most resistant WBC against biodegradation were BP, moisture-resistant MDF, and laminated MDF, as they exhibited a mass loss lower than 5 %. Conversely, all other WBC types showed high susceptibility to biodegradation, with a mass loss exceeding 35 %. LMDF (8 – 51 %) and MRMDF had the lowest water absorption (WA) within 168 h (2 – 46 %), while non-treated MDF exhibited the highest WA among all composite types with 190 % water uptake. With regards to thickness swelling, all WBC types, except for LPB and MDF, demonstrated values below 20 %. The influence of adhesives (phenol-formaldehyde or melamine urea-formaldehyde) used in WBC did not show a clear impact on water-related properties orbiological durability.