Journal of Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology, 2013, 4, 334-342
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jbnb.2013.44042 Published Online October 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/jbnb)
Fungal Decay, Coating, Burning Properties and Change of
Color of Particleboards Manufactured with Woody
Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Tetra Pak Residues
Róger Moya1*, Diego Camacho1, Julio Mata2, Roy Soto Fallas3
1Escuela de Ingeniería Forestal, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica; 2Escuela de Química, Facultad de Ciencias,
Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; 3Escuela de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad
Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
Received July 11th, 2013; revised August 12th, 2013; accepted September 1st, 2013
Copyright © 2013 Róger Moya et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
ABSTRACT
Lignocellulosic residues resulting from agricultural activities and urban centers cause pollution. A possible solution to
this problem is to combine these residues with woody plants to produce particleboards. The purpose of this study was to
evaluate decay resistance, coating and burning properties and the change of color caused by accelerated weathering of
particleboards manufactured with a combination of 3 woody species used for commercial reforestation in tropical areas
(Cupressus lusitanica, Gmelina arborea and Tectona grandis), pineapple (Ananas comosus) leaves from the crown and
the plant (PL), empty fruit bunch of Elaeis guineensis (EBF) and tetra pak packages (TP). According to the results, the
mixtures of T. grandis and EFB were classified as moderately resistant and other mixtures (woody species and PL or TP)
were classified as slightly resistant. The finish performance test determined that the mixtures with TP presented the best
performance, followed by the mixtures with oil palm components and the mixtures composed of pineapple leaves. Re-
garding lacquer consumption, no differences were found between the mixtures. The combustion test determined that
particleboards with TP and EFB showed the highest resistance to combustion, while pineapple presented the lowest
resistances to combustion. In the accelerated weathering exposure test, the mixtures of the three species with TP showed
the best performance in accelerated weathering. Contrariwise, the mixtures with pineapple leaves showed the lowest
resistance to accelerated weathering. Oil palm particleboards presented lower resistance to weathering than TP, though
higher than pineapple leaves’ resistance.
Keywords: Tropical Species; Particleboards; Lignocellulosic Residues; Agricultural Crop
1. Introduction
Tropical regions have environmental factors that favor
excellent levels of productivity in agricultural crops [1].
It is estimated that 47,000 hectares have been planted
with oil palm and 40,000 hectares with pineapple in
Costa Rica [2], with the disadvantage that residues from
these crops are not being used. Khalil et al. [3] mention
that an oil palm plantation produces about 350 ton of
residues/ha/rotation, while Araya [4], found that a pine-
apple plantation produces around 220 ton/ha per rotation.
The limited use of these residues is attributed to a lack of
technology for their processing and of commercial pro-
ducts that allow their management [5].
On the other hand, tetra pak packages account for
large quantities of waste material worldwide. According
to estimations, around 150 trillion packs were produced
in 2010 (www.tetrapak.com), to pack and preserve milk,
juice, nectars and others [6]. This product decomposes
slowly, thus, high technology such as plasma treatment is
required to recycle it [7].
Having said this, it is important to find an adequate
way to use agricultural residues and tetra pak packages
[8]. One possible alternative is to use them to manufac-
ture already established products, such as particleboards.
According to estimations, 81.5 million m3 of particle-
boards were produced in 2004 and their production con-
tinues to grow [9].
Lignocellulosic materials are commonly added to pro-
ducts like particleboards. For example, particleboards
*Corresponding author.

Fungal Decay, Coating, Burning Properties and Change of Color of Particleboards Manufactured with
Woody Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Tetra Pak Residues
335
have been produced using straw and wood from Pinus
sylvestris [10], tetra pak packages and Pinus sp. [6]; and
bagasse (Saccharum spp) with Eucalyptus grandis [11].
In order to obtain stable and commercially-easy-to-
develop particleboards, it is important to consider the
interaction between the components of the various types
of materials in these mixtures [12]. Good interaction of
the materials in the mixture allows obtaining similar
mechanical resistance values to those of traditional pure
wooden particleboards. Additionally, its water retention
and dimension stability are enhanced, and resistance to
pathogens such as mold and rot fungi is increased [13,14].
Previous manuscript [15] shows that particleboards ma-
nufactured with woody species used in this study (G.
arborea, C. lusitanica and T. grandis) combined with
tetra pak packages presented the best physical and
mechanical properties and particleboards using a mixture
of pineapple leaves showed lower values for the pro-
perties evaluated.
The objective of this study is therefore to evaluate
decay resistance, color change by accelerated weathering
exposure, response to application of finishes and com-
bustion properties of particleboards manufactured with
combinations of 3 species planted for commercial pur-
poses in tropical areas (Cupressus lusitanica, Gmelina
arborea and Tectona grandis), with pineapple leaves
from the crown and the plant, fruit and bunch of oil palm
and discarded tetra pak packages.
2. Material and Methods
2.1. Raw Materials
1) Woody biomass corresponded to Gmelina arborea
(GA) from a 9 year old plantation, Tectona grandis (TG)
from a 16 year old plantation, and Cupressus lusitanica
(CL) from a 22 year old plantation (all of them used for
commercial reforestation in tropical countries); 2) Agri-
culture wastes consisted of pineapple leaves (PL) and
residues of oil palm from the extraction of oil empty fruit
bunch of oil palm (EBF) and oil palm mesocarp fiber of
the fruit (OPMF). PL came from an 18 month old plan-
tation and they were used from the crown (PLC) and
from the plant (PLP); and 3) Tetra Pak packages re-
sidues (TP) were obtained from recycling centers located
at Cartago downtown in Costa Rica. Table 1 presents a
summary of the raw materials used in the particleboards
fabrication.
2.2. Material Preparation
Pineapple leaves and oil palm residues were dried
following the methodology given by Tenorio and Moya
[16]. OPMF residues were washed for one hour in hot
water stirring continuously, in order to obtain the best
Table 1. Summary of the blends utilized in the particle-
boards fabrication.
Types of residues
Species PLC PLP EFB OPMFTP
Cupressus
lusitanica
50:50
(6%)*
50:50
(8%)
50:50
(8%)
50:50
(8%)
50:50
(8%)
Gmelina
arborea
50:50
(8%)
50:50
(6%)
50:50
(6%)
50:50
(8%)
50:50
(8%)
Tectona
grandis
50:50
(8%)
50:50
(6%)
50:50
(8%)
50:50
(8%)
50:50
(8%)
*Percentage of urea-formaldehyde adhesive used in the particle-board. PLC:
Pineapple leaves from the crown, PLP: Pineapple leaves from the plant,
EFB: Empty fruit bunch of oil palm, OPMF: Oil palm mesocarp fiber of the
fruit and TP: Tetra Pak package.
performance with adhesives [17]. TP were washed to
eliminate residual contents and then they were cut into 1
cm wide strips, using a paper cutter. The three woody
species were chipped to size less than 3 mm. Then a
Retsch cutting mill was used to reduce the dried chips
into particles that resulted of sizes between 0.7 and 6.0
mm. Finally, the particles of each material were placed
into a climate-controlled chamber to obtain 6% equili-
brium moisture content.
2.3. Particleboard Preparation
Blends of woody biomass and residues (agricultural and
TP packages) used for the particleboard preparation are
presented in Table 1. They all were prepared using a
50:50 ratio. The adhesive used was urea-formaldehyde
(UF) with 62% solids, and the adhesive application
corresponded to percentages between 6% - 8% with
respect to the total weight of the particleboard. The
amount of adhesive applied was taken from previous
research [17]. In total, fifteen different blends were pre-
pared and twenty 35 × 35 cm boards were obtained from
each mixture. The target particleboard density was of
0.65 g/cm3, with an average thickness of 12.5 mm and 3
layers. The two external layers or faces (2 mm thick)
contained fine particles 0.7 to 1.5 mm long while the
inner layer (core) contained thicker particles 1.5 to 6.0
mm long. Particleboards were pressed at 25 MPa and
175˚C for 10 minutes and after that they were put into a
climate-controlled chamber during 24 hours to homo-
genize their moisture content and to finish their adhesive
curing process.
2.4. Fungal Decay Resistance
Two decay resistant specimens (2.5 × 2.5 × 1.2 cm3)
were cut from each sheet. The white-rot fungi Trametes
versicolor L. Fr. and Gloeophyllum trabeum (Pers.)
Murrill, (Brown-rot fungi) were used for testing natural
decay resistance following ASTM D-2017 Standard [18].

Fungal Decay, Coating, Burning Properties and Change of Color of Particleboards Manufactured with
Woody Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Tetra Pak Residues
336
The relative resistance of each test block to decay was
measured as the percentage loss in relation to initial
weight during a 16-week exposure to the fungi. Although
ASTM D-2017 specifies that sample dimensions are 2.5
× 2.5 × 0.9 cm, we modified the procedure to use 2.5 cm
(width) × 2.5 cm (length) × 1.2 cm (thickness) samples.
Resistance rating for fungal decay was established
according to ASTM Standard D-2017 [18], which clas-
sified fungal decay resistance in non-resistant when
weight loss is higher than 45%, slightly resistant for
weight loss from 25% to 45%, moderately resistant for
11 to 24 in weight loss and resistant for weight loss from
lower than 10% [18].
2.5. Accelerated Weathering Exposure and
Wood Color Change of Particleboards
Samples extracted (5.0 cm width × 15.0 cm in length and
1.2 cm in thick) from particleboard sheets were applied
an accelerated weathering test, for which a weathering
Q-Lab camera was used (QUV/spray model). The ASTM
G-152 Standard [19] was applied for this test. The ex-
posure was of five-hour cycles in two phases: firstly,
three hours of UV radiation at 60˚C and a radiation of
0.63 w/m2 (with an UVA mercury bulb and 310 nm wave
length), then a second phase of condensation which took
two hours and consisted of using evaporated water at
50˚C temperature. The total exposure time was 600 hours,
except for particleboards with PLC and PLP, because
samples supported 350 hrs. Color was measured in in-
tervals of 50 hours with a Hunter Lab mini Skan XE Plus
spectrophotometer. Color difference (ΔE*) was deter-
mined as the net color variation for each finish in a
period of time according to the ASTM D 2244 Standard
[20] whose formula is detailed in Equation (1). The
change in color was determined between color before
and after accelerated weathering exposure.

222
ELab

  (1)
where: ΔE*: wood color difference; ΔL: L* before
weathering; L* after 600 hours of weathering; Δa: a*
before weathering; a* after 600 hours of weathering; Δb:
b* before weathering; b* after 600 hours of weathering.
2.6. Coating Performance
Samples extracted (5.0 cm width × 15.0 cm length and
1.2 cm thickness) from the particleboard sheets were
applied lacquer finish (from nitrocellulose resins and
nitrated plasticizers). Sealant was previously applied to
the samples. The base of this sealant was of concentrated
methyl methacrylate, diluted in a 1:3 ratio with thinner.
Evaluation took into consideration finish consumption
(finish grams/m2) on the surface of the particleboards.
The samples were initially weighed and four layers of
nitrocellulose sealant and two layers of nitrocellulose
lacquer (composed of nitrocellulose resins and plastici-
zers) were applied using an ordinary paintbrush. Both the
sealant and the lacquer were applied according to re-
commendations given by the manufacturer. Once the last
layer was dry, the sample was weighed and the film
thickness (FT) was measured in µm using a Positector
(200 series) coating meter, which measures FT following
the ASTM D-6123 Standard [21]. Consumption of coat-
ing was determined based on the difference between the
weight before and after coating application and expressed
according to the sample area. Three types of consump-
tion were determined: the first, Sealant Consumption
(SEA), which corresponds to the amount of dry sealant
left on the particleboard’s surface after four applications
of this finish; the second type of consumption corres-
ponds to Lacquer Consumption (LAC), applied on two
occasions to the surface with sealant; and the third
parameter evaluated corresponds to the Total Consump-
tion (TC), that is, the sum of SEA and LAC.
2.7. Burning Test
Two samples (2.0 cm width × 15.0 cm length and 1.2 cm
thickness) of each of the formulations were evaluated in
a high temperature chamber proposed by Castro and
Costa [22] to evaluate the combustion properties. In the
chamber, the test tubes were placed on a base on a scale
in a compartment to reach 500˚C. Weight measurement
was performed in periods of one minute until sample
combustion was complete. Next, the consumed mass
percentage (Equation (2)) and the mass derivative (Equa-
tion (3)) on the basis of lapse of time, were estimated.
Lastly, these two values were graphed in relation with
time.
0min
100
x
W
MP W




(2)



1
1
dd xx
xx
WW
mt tt



 (3)
where: MP: Mass Percentage; Wx: specific mass at a time
of combustion; W0min: mass before combustion; dm: mass
derivative; Wx+1: a second over of combustion Wx; tx+1:
time in Wx+1; tx: it is the time in Wx.
2.8. Statistical Analysis
One-way ANOVA was applied to the results obtained in
the decay resistance and finish application tests to find
whether there were any significant property differences
among the particleboard mixtures of each species. The
tests of each of the properties that showed significant

Fungal Decay, Coating, Burning Properties and Change of Color of Particleboards Manufactured with
Woody Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Tetra Pak Residues
337
differences with the ANOVA, were applied the Tukey
test with a significance level of P < 0.05. The average
value of each property was introduced in the model. For
all these analyses, the SAS 8.1 statistics program for
Windows (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, N.C.) was used.
With the results obtained in the accelerated weathering
exposure and wood color change test, the values of ΔE*
were compared to the value reported by Cui et al. [23],
who determined that if values of ΔE* equal or higher than
twelve are obtained, a total change in color is obtained
after a period of weathering exposure.
3. Results
3.1. Fungal Decay Resistance
Table 2 presents the weight loss percentages (WL) of the
particleboards exposed to T. versicolor and G. trabeum.
In CL and TG particleboards exposed to T. versicolor,
the mixtures with oil palm components (EFB and OPMF)
showed significantly higher WL values, whereas pine-
apple leaves mixtures (PLC and PLP) and TP had the
lowest significant values of WL. No differences were
found for WL values in the mixtures of GA particle-
boards. With regard to CL particleboards exposed to G.
trabeum, no differences were found in WL between mix-
tures with pineapple and oil palm components, while the
CL-TP mixture presented the statistically lowest WL
value. GA particleboards presented no statistical diffe-
rences among mixtures of pineapple leaves, OPMF and
TP, except for the GA-EFB mixture, being the only one
that presented the lowest WL. Finally, TG particleboards
presented no differences in the WL values of the five
mixtures evaluated (Table 2).
3.2. Accelerated Weathering Exposure and
Wood Color Change of Particleboards
Variations in ΔE* are presented in Figure 1, which shows
that: 1) ΔE* increases with time of exposure to UV light
in all particleboards; 2) after 350 hours of exposing the
mixtures with pineapple components (PLC and PLP) to
light, it was not possible to continue with the trial, since
UV radiation degraded the external layer of the parti-
cleboards; 3) the mixtures of the three species with
pineapple components (PLC and PLP) and oil palm com-
ponents (EFB and OPMF) presented the greatest changes
from the beginning of the exposure up to 200 hours; after
that period, variations in color were not of the same
magnitude; 4) the particleboards manufactured with TP
presented the lowest ΔE* values during the whole period
of exposure. Particleboards containing oil palm com-
ponents (EFB and OPMF) were the least affected, the
most affected being therefore those with pineapple leaves
components (PLC and PLP).
Table 2. Weight loss of particleboards manufactured of Cupressus lusitanica, Gmelina arborea and Tectona grandis mixed
with pineapple leaves, fiber from oil palm fr uit and tetra pak package exposed to fungi Trametes versicolor and Gloeophyllum
trabeum.
Trametes versicolor Gloeophyllum trabeum
Species Treatments
Weight loss (%) Resistance rating* Weight loss (%) Resistance rating
PLC 41.1DE Sr 30.9AB Sr
PLP 39.8DE Sr 32.9AB Sr
EFB 50.2ABCD Sr 30.9AB Sr
OPMF 54.6ABCD Sr 33.7A Sr
Cupressus lusitanica
TP 36.6E Sr 18.8C Sr
PLC 41.8DE Sr 31.2AB Sr
PLP 42.2DE Sr 27.4ABC Sr
EFB 50.8ABCD Sr 13.6C Sr
OPMF 48.1ABCDE Sr 30.7ABC Sr
Gmelina arborea
TP 54.6CDE Sr 28.2AB Sr
PLC 48.3ABCD Sr 27.9ABC Sr
PLP 46.8BCDE Sr 32.1ABC Sr
EFB 59.3A Mr 31.1AB Sr
OPMF 57.7A Mr 31.4AB Sr
Tectona grandis
TP 47.5BCD Sr 22.7BC Sr
*According to ASTM Standard D-2017 (ASTM, 20012c), Sr: Slightly resistant, Mr: Moderately resistant. Averages with equal letters do not present significant
differences. Determined at P-value > 0.01.

Fungal Decay, Coating, Burning Properties and Change of Color of Particleboards Manufactured with
Woody Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Tetra Pak Residues
338
Figure 1. Variation of ΔE* in relation with time exposed in accelerated weathering exposure test in particleboards manu-
factured with Cupressus lusitanica, Gmelina arborea and Tectona grandis combined with pineapple leaves, fiber from oil palm
fruit and tetra pak package.
3.3. Coating Performance
Table 3 shows average SEA, LAC, TC and FT consump-
tion for the particleboards studied. In particleboards with
CL and TG, the mixtures with pineapple (PLC and PLP)
were found to present the statistically highest values of
SEA, while mixtures with TP presented the statistically
lowest SEA values.
For GA particleboards, GA-PLP mixture presented the
statistically highest values of SEA, while GA-TP mixture
had the lowest consumption. Regarding LAC, no statis-
tical differences were found between the five mixtures
studied. In relation with TC, particleboards manufactured
with CL combined with PLC, and those with a combina-
tion of GA and PLP showed significantly higher values
compared to the rest of the mixtures. Mixtures containing
TP present significantly lower finish consumption. Lastly,
in the FT evaluation no significant differences were
found among the species and mixtures of lignocellulosic
materials studied.
3.4. Burning Test
Figure 2 presents the mass percentage (MP) curves and
the mass derivative with respect to time for the various
kinds of particleboards, where combustion properties
appear to be different for each kind of mixture. For CL
particleboards (Figure 2(a)), combustion times varied
from 25 to 34 minutes; for which CL-TP and CL-EFB
mixtures lasted the longest, confirmed by the fact that
−dm/dt does not present values as high as those of the
other particleboards (Figure 2(d)).
Meanwhile, the mixtures with pineapple leaves or
OPMF presented the highest values of −dm/dt in short
periods of time. For GA particleboards (Figure 2(b)) the
combustion periods ranged from 24 to 34 minutes. The
mixtures with pineapple components (PLC and PLP) and
OPMF presented the highest combustion masses during
the first minutes (five to eight minutes) (Figure 2(f)),
therefore resulting in the highest mass loss (Figure 2(c)).
Contrariwise, the mixtures of this species with TP and

Fungal Decay, Coating, Burning Properties and Change of Color of Particleboards Manufactured with
Woody Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Tetra Pak Residues
339
Table 3. Consumption of sealant, lacquer, total and film thickness of particleboards of Cupressus lusitanica, Gmelina arborea
and Tectona grandis combined with pineapple leaves, fiber from oil palm fruit and tetra pak package.
Species Treatment SEA (g/m2) LAC (g/m2) TC (g/m2) FT (mm)
PLC 1391A 403A 1795A 2.4A
PLP 837CD 363A 1236BCDE 1.8A
EFB 570DE 338A 909DE 2.1A
OPMF 641DE 454A 1098CDE 2.0A
Cupressus lusitanica
TP 507E 295A 802E 2.2A
PLC 540DE 337A 879DE 2.0A
PLP 1300AB 478A 1778A 2.6A
EFB 668DE 389A 1006CDE 2.0A
OPMF 705DE 309A 1015CDE 1.5A
Gmelina arborea
TP 457E 335A 792E 1.5A
PLC 1272AB 349A 1621AB 2.4A
PLP 1048AB 348A 1395ABC 2.5A
EFB 852BC 372A 1224BCD 1.5A
OPMF 602DE 364A 966BCDE 2.3A
Tectona grandis
TP 407E 309A 716E 2.7A
Legend: Averages with equal letters do not present significant differences. Determined at P-value > 0.01. SEA: Consumption of sealant; LAC: Consumption of
lacquer; TC: Total consumption and FT: Film thickness.
Figure 2. Behavior of MP and the mass of the derivative function of time in particleboards of Cupressus lusitanica, Gmelina
arborea and Tectona grandis particleboards combined with pineapple leave s, fiber from oil palm fruit and tetra pak packages
during the combustion test.

Fungal Decay, Coating, Burning Properties and Change of Color of Particleboards Manufactured with
Woody Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Tetra Pak Residues
340
EFB presented the lowest mass consumption values in
time (−dm/dt). Finally, for TG particleboards the com-
bustion periods were from 17 to 34 minutes. The TG-
EFB mixture was the most significantly resistant to com-
bustion, with the lowest MP (Figure 2(c)) and the lowest
−dt/dm values (Figure 2(f)). On the other hand, TG-
OPMF, TG-PLP and TG-TP mixtures showed fast MP
reduction, and mass consumption in time occurred at
high magnitude (Figure 2(c)) and in short periods of
time (Figure 2(f)).
4. Discussion
Low WL values with T. versicolor in the particleboards
manufactured with the mixtures herein studied are
similar to values obtained by Walther et al. [14] for
particleboards made completely of Hibiscus cannabinus,
which had 35% WL. On the other hand, although
statistical analyses show significant differences in the
mixtures of each species (Table 2), when categorizing
the weight loss values in the resistance categories as
established in ASTM D-2017 Standard [18] with T.
versicolor, all mixtures of CL and GA species are classi-
fied as slightly resistant (resistance below 55%). Regard-
ing particleboards manufactured with TG, TG-EFB and
TG-OPMF mixtures were classified as moderately re-
sistant, while the other three GA mixtures were classified
as slightly resistant. As regards to G. trabeum, all mix-
tures of the three species were classified as slightly
resistant, since none of them exceeded the maximum
value of 55% needed to surpass the category.
Although all particleboards were classified from
slightly to moderately resistant, their resistance may be
increased by adding a preservative at the time of manu-
facturing. For example, Tsunoda [24] demonstrated that
using preservatives like boric acid completely reduces
the attack of T. versicolor and G. trabeum in particle-
boards of Cryptomeria japónica. Therefore, pathogen
inhibitors are recommended to increase the life span of
particleboards [25].
Color changes (ΔE*) due to time of exposure to UV
radiation (Figure 1), are caused by photodegradation
processes [26,27], produced by long periods of exposure
to UV light. At the beginning of the exposure, photo-
degradation affects the cell walls of the wood particle in
the board, thus generating depolymerization of lignin
(mainly because it absorbs 85% to 90% of UV light) and
cellulose, which both produce changes in color as well as
particleboard surface disintegration processes. Lignin
depolymerization also generates macroscopic cracks on
the particleboard surface [28], which probably affected
the performance of pineapple (PLC and PLP) particle-
boards, enduring only 350 hours of exposure. On the
other hand, TP particleboards presented the lowest ΔE*
values, probably due to the high amount of polyethylene
and aluminum present, which are more stable than
cellulose [26]. Also, TP aluminum can reflect UV light,
reducing its effect on the particleboard.
Cui et al. [23] determine that when ΔE* presents
values above twelve, a total change in color is obtained.
Considering this parameter and the results obtained, only
TP mixtures did not exceed twelve in ΔE*, during the 600
hour exposure, hence achieving the best response to
accelerated weathering. A different result was obtained
for pineapple (PLC and PLP) and oil palm (EFB and
OPMF) mixtures: both groups of mixtures had total color
changes ΔE* exceeding twelve.
Furthermore, particleboards manufactured with TP and
the three species presented the lowest finish consumption,
because their surfaces are the most homogeneous, with
less rugosity than particleboards manufactured with pine-
apple leaves or oil palm fruit parts [15]. Low rugosity
surfaces (homogeneous surfaces) are easier to coat and
consume less finish [29,30]. Sealant application on the
particleboard surface results in homogeneous surfaces
(covering empty spaces, defects or irregularities), and
allows a homogeneous lacquer coating and consumption
by the various kinds of particleboards. Moreover, uni-
formity of the FT parameter [15] shows how uniform the
two kinds of finishes were.
Combustion results (Figure 2) showed that particle-
boards with lignocellulosic materials from EFB and TP
(except for the TG-TP mixture) presented higher com-
bustion resistance, while particleboards of the three
species with pineapple residues and OPMF (in addition
to the TG-TP mixture) presented the lowest combustion
resistance. The latter particleboards present less thermal
stability in the presence of flame, therefore increased risk
of combustion than particleboards of the first group
(particleboards manufactured with EFB and TP).
TP-composed particleboards resist combustion better
due to the presence of aluminum and polyethylene in
their composition. Korkmaz et al. [7] mention that poly-
ethylene requires over 180˚C for its total combustion,
and aluminum acts as heat reflector, which delays the
process. Pineapple leaves particleboards, instead, were
easier to burn. Xu et al. [31] mention that as chemical
variability increases in the particleboard mixture, in-
stability of the composition also increases, thus facili-
tating combustion. This is because chemical variability
augments the presence of volatile substances; moreover,
flammable waxes and tannins that are present in the
particleboard react at temperatures higher than 105˚C in
combustion processes [32]. By means of chemical analy-
sis and grouping tests, previous studies [5] demonstrated
that pineapple lignocellulosic residues (PLC and PLP)
differ significantly from oil palm residues (EFB and

Fungal Decay, Coating, Burning Properties and Change of Color of Particleboards Manufactured with
Woody Biomass, Agricultural Wastes and Tetra Pak Residues
341
OPMF) and from the three woody species, resulting in
diverse mixtures and increasing the presence of volatile
substances and mixture instability. Regarding oil palm,
close relationship with chemical composition of the three
species was found, therefore more stable mixtures are
obtained [15]. Variations between OPMF and EFB were
possibly due to the previous treatment given to OPMF.
5. Conclusions
TG-EFB and TG-OPMF mixtures were classified as
moderately resistant, while the rest of the mixtures as
slightly resistant to T. versicolor. In addition, with G.
trabeum all particleboards of the three woody species
were classified as slightly resistant.
In the accelerated weathering exposure test, all mix-
tures intensified their change of color (ΔE*) the longer
they were exposed to UV light. However, the mixtures of
the three species with TP showed the best performance in
accelerated weathering, since ΔE* did not exceed twelve,
which is the value indicating total change in the color of
the surface. Contrariwise, the mixtures with pineapple
leaves showed the lowest resistance to accelerated wea-
thering, the surface of the particleboard starting to dis-
integrate after 350 hours of exposure. Oil palm particle-
boards, on the other hand, presented lower resistance to
weathering than TP, though higher than pineapple
leaves’ resistance.
The finish performance test determined that the mix-
tures with TP (of all three species) presented the best per-
formance, since the surface showed few irregularities,
followed by the mixtures with oil palm components and
finally by the mixtures composed of pineapple leaves.
Regarding lacquer consumption, no differences were
found between the mixtures of the three species, which
was attributed to the fact that the sealant homogenized
the surface.
Finally, the combustion test determined that particle-
boards with TP and EFB showed the highest resistance to
combustion, while pineapple and OPMF mixtures pre-
sented the lowest resistances to combustion. Such be-
havior is attributed to TP polyethylene and aluminum
delaying combustion. Pineapple particleboards, on the
other hand, presented the highest combustion capacity
due to the heterogeneity of the mixtures, with higher con-
tent of extractives and volatile substances. Oil palm
particleboards showed higher homogeneity. OPMF and
EFM were attributed to a previous treatment applied to
OPMF.
6. Acknowledgements
We thank the Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Extensión
of Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica and CONARE for
Financial support. PINDECO and COOPEAGROPAL
for providing the raw materials and facilities for this
study.
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List of Abbreviations
PL: pineapple leaves
PLC: pineapple leaves from the crown
PLP: pineapple leaves from the plant
EFB: empty fruit bunch of oil palm
O
PMF: oil palm mesocarp fiber of the fruit
TP: tetra pack packages
GA: wood of Gmelina arborea
TG: wood of Tectona grandis
CL: wood of Cupressus lusitanica
UF: adhesive of urea-formaldehyde