Erythrina poepiggiana wood cement panels submitted to accelerated carbonation process

Abstract

Cement-wood panels are composed of a mixture of cement, wood particles, water and additives that are pressed and cured to form rigid and resistant plates. These panels can be used in various applications, such as wall coverings, floors, partitions and furniture. They can be manufactured using wood particles of lower commercial value, such as sawdust and shavings that could be discarded as waste, contributing to the reduction of waste in the wood industry. One of the processes that can be applied to improve their physical and mechanical properties, making them more durable and resistant to adverse conditions is accelerated carbonation, which consists of introducing carbon dioxide (CO2) in a controlled manner into cement-based materials with the aim of accelerating the natural carbonation process. The present work aimed to develop, produce and characterize cement-wood panels of the species Erythrina poeppigiana, as well as evaluate the effects of curing with accelerated carbonation and hot water treatment on the properties of the panels. The species in question is exotic, has low resistance and is subject to rotting quickly, which makes its application as solid wood unfeasible. Therefore, it became important to evaluate the viability as a constituent of wood-comment panels. Experimental panels were produced with a nominal density of 1.25 g/cm³, using CP V ARI cement as a mineral binder and calcium chloride (CaCl2) as a chemical additive. Accelerated carbonation provided the wood cement panels with better physical and mechanical properties, meeting all the quality requirements of the Bison standard. Hot water treatment decreased the extractive content and improved the interaction of Erythrina spp. with cement, reducing the porosity, swelling in thickness and water absorption of cement-wood panels. The T3 and T4 treatments showed a reduction, when compared to the control, in terms of these properties mentioned. Accelerated carbonation provided cement panels with wood from Erythrina spp. better physical and mechanical properties, meeting all the quality requirements of the Bison standard. Treatment T4 showed better MOR (14.80 MPa) and T3 indicates a significant increase in MOE in relation to the control (2515.24 MPa to 4030.24 MPa). It is technically viable to use wood from Erythrina spp. for the production of cement-wood panels, a fact that can allow added value and appropriate destination for this species.