Chemical modification and wetting of medium density fibreboard panels produced from fibres treated with maleated polypropylene wax

Abstract

Medium density fibreboard (MDF) was produced from fibres treated with maleated polypropylene wax. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of fibre treatment with maleated polypropylene wax on the advancing and receding contact angle and wicking of MDF panels by the Wilhelmy plate method; to verify the chemical reactions occurring between fibres and maleated polypropylene wax by infrared spectroscopy, and to verify if there are relationships with the water absorption of panels. Three maleated polypropylene wax contents (0, 3, 5%) and two resin types (urea–formaldehyde, UF and melamine–urea–formaldehyde, MUF) were considered in this study. Our results showed that the treatment increased the advancing contact angle of panels bonded with UF resin. The receding contact angles of MDF panels produced from treated fibres with 5% maleated polypropylene wax content were also increased by the treatment. Also, the wicking was reduced by the treatment independent of the maleated polypropylene wax content. Reductions of the wicking were 59% for panels bonded with UF resin and 73% for panels bonded with MUF. Relationships between the wicking and water absorption were observed. Chemical analysis realized by infrared spectroscopy did not detect the presence of an esterification reaction between wood fibres and anhydride groups of the maleated polypropylene wax. This suggests, therefore, that an esterification reaction did not take place or that chemical modifications were so small that they are not visible by infrared spectroscopy.