Decay resistance and thermal stability of bamboo preservatives prepared using camphor leaf extract

Abstract

Because bamboo is attacked by many fungi, bamboo products should be protected with environmentally friendly plant-based preservatives. In this study, a camphor (Cinnamomum camphor (L.) Presl) leaf extract was mixed with a melamine-modified urea formaldehyde (MUF) resin prepolymer (10% extractive + 10% MUF), and the resulting preservative compound (CEMUF) was collected. Bamboo was treated with CEMUF, camphor leaf extract (CE, 10% extractive), and distilled water, respectively. The decay resistance of treated bamboo and the heat resistance of CE, CEMUF, and MUF were investigated by thermogravimetry. The dynamic parameters of samples at each reaction stage were calculated using the pyrolysis dynamic equation to obtain the activation energy E. The results revealed that abundant microspheres were present in the parenchyma cells around the vascular bundles of bamboo after treatment with CEMUF and that this benefitted the controlled release of the active composition. Compared to the control group, the bamboo treated with CE exhibited some decay resistance, and bamboo treated with CEMUF exhibited strong decay resistance. The order of heat resistance was as follows: MUF > CEMUF >> CE. These results demonstrate the usefulness of CEMUF as a bamboo preservative.