Abstract
One of main concerns of wood preservatives and fire retardants is when they are exposed to water. The objective of this study is to improve both wood’s fungal resistance and fire performance through in-situ fixation of bio-based fire-resistant epoxy, which can address the chemical leaching from wood. An in-situ complex was formed from an impregnation of phytic acid (PA) and 1-(2-aminoethyl) piperazine (APZ) into wood, followed by a second impregnation with cardanol-based epoxy (CBE) and finally cured at elevated temperature. The wood samples showed mass gain > 60% after in-situ treatment and were relatively stable after leaching. Fungal decay tests showed the efficacy of in-situ PA-APZ-CBE treatment on protecting wood from biodegradation. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the in-situ treatment improved wood’s thermal stability with a lower thermal degradation rate and higher solid char residue content. Treated wood samples after leaching and weathering still had a lower heat release rate, total heat release, and higher char yield determined by mass-loss calorimetry, indicating a long-term fire performance of the in-situ treatment. Overall, a highly bio-based PA-APZ-CBE molecular system was successfully applied to protect wood against fungal decay and fire.