This study evaluated the effect of pre and post thermal treatment on the resistance of OSB panels to attack by decay fungi, and compared these two forms of thermal treatment with some production variables. The experimental design consisted of seven treatments, with the evaluation of two temperatures of pre thermal treatment of the particles (200 and 240 ºC) for a 60 minutes period; post thermal treatment of the panels, produced with and without the application of paraffin, at 220 ºC of temperature for a period of 12 minutes; and increasing the content of adhesive and application of paraffin in panels without thermal treatment. For each treatment three panels were produced with nominal density of 0.65 g/cm³ and phenol-formaldehyde adhesive. By analyzing the results it was concluded that the panels with pre thermal treatment at 240 º C presented great potential for inhibiting the attack of Trametes versicolor fungi and Gloeophyllum trabeum, but with equivalent effect to that obtained with the increasing the content phenol-formaldehyde adhesive. The post thermal treatment did not increase significantly the biological resistance of the OSB panels.
Wood panels; thermal treatment; production variables; biodeterioration
