Improvement in mechanical, physical and biological properties of eucalyptus and pine woods by raw pine resin in situ polymerization

A raw pine resin, which is a cheap, renewable and easily obtainable forest resource, was used to impregnate two different fast-growing solid woods (Eucalyptus grandis Hill Maiden and Pinus elliottii Engelm) and in situ polymerized to improve their hygroscopic, chemical, morphological, mechanical, and thermogravimetric properties. Biodegradation resistance against subterranean termites and white-rot fungus was also addressed. The treatment yielded changes in colorimetric properties, dimensional stability and surface hydrophobicity. Compared to its respective untreated wood, the treated pine one presented increases within 40–50 % in ASE, whereas the treated eucalyptus wood showed negative values around -15 % in this same comparison. Increases in MOE (70 %) and MOR (50 %) were obtained for the pine wood, whereas the same properties were unaffected for the eucalyptus wood. Thermal and biological properties of both woods were also positively affected. These results were associated with the solidified raw pine resin inside the wood structure, which was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and SEM images, especially for the pine due to its large and long tracheids, as well as its lignin content and overall composition