Improving the Hydrophobicity, Dimensional Stability and Mold Resistance of Bamboo by Paraffin/Microcrystalline Wax/Stearic Acid Modification

Abstract

As an environment-friendly material, bamboo has a wide application prospect in the fields of construction, furniture and decoration. However, the problems of dimensional instability and susceptibility to mildew of bamboo seriously affect the economic values of bamboo and bamboo-based products. The performance of bamboo can be improved by modification treatment, but there are problems such as toxicity of modifier, complicated modification process and high modification cost. Therefore, from the perspective of facile, effective and green modification, bamboo with hydrophobicity, dimensional stability and mold-proof effect was prepared by high-pressure impregnation treatment of a wax-based composite system composed of non-toxic and low-cost paraffin, microcrystalline wax and stearic acid. The results showed that the wax-based composite system significantly improved the hydrophobicity, dimensional stability and mold resistance of bamboo. The 8 days’ water absorption of bamboo modified by paraffin, microcrystalline wax and stearic acid (PSM-B) was reduced by 33.14% compared with the raw bamboo. The swelling resistance coefficient and the surface contact angle of PSM-B reached 97.09% and 108.8°. PSM-B has almost no mold occurred in the 20-day antifungal test. This study provides a new idea for the protection of bamboo products, which has a broad application prospect.

Keywords: paraffin, stearic acid, microcrystalline wax, bamboo, modification