Fire resistance of pine wood treated with phenol-formaldehyde resin and phosphate-based flame retardant

Abstract

Wood is a commonly used material in construction. However, its application is limited due to its flammability. Modification of wood with phenol-formaldehyde resin (PF) can improve many of its inherent properties, but does not upgrade its fire resistance. To address this issue, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) sapwood was impregnated with a low molecular weight PF resin and phosphate-based flame retardant (FR). The fixation of the FR was evaluated using an accelerated ageing procedureaccording to the EN 84 standard (CEN 2020: EN 84 (2020) Wood Preservatives – Accelerated Ageing of Treated Wood Prior to Biological Testing - Leaching Procedure (Brussels, Belgium: European Committee for Standardization)). The thermal stability, flammability and heat release of treated wood were analysed before and after a leaching test. The combination of PF and FR treatment significantly improved the thermal stability, reduced flammability and decreased the heat release, as evidenced by a 82% and 86% reduction in total heat release within 600 s compared to untreated wood and pure PF-treated wood, respectively. The improved fire performance was also observed for the leached wood.