Using Biodegraded Wood to Produce Boards Without Binders

Authors

  • Vladimir N. Ermolin Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarskiy Rabochiy Prospect, 31, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, 660037 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2113-4142
  • Mikhail A. Bayandin Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarskiy Rabochiy Prospect, 31, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, 660037 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6228-2715
  • Nikolay V. Smertin Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarskiy Rabochiy Prospect, 31, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, 660037 https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1566-669X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2026-2-139-151

Keywords:

Siberian fir, Abies sibirica, Siberian fir wood, rot, brown crack rot, white rot, wood-decaying fungi, cavitation, panel material, binderless boards, boards from biodegraded wood, wood properties, application of rot-affected wood

Abstract

Currently, climate change leads to an increase in forest stand mortality. Dead trees are exposed to wood-destroying fungi. The lack of industrial methods for utilizing such raw materials is due to the low physical and mechanical properties of biodegraded wood, especially at advanced stages of decomposition. The study found that 15 years after tree death, Siberian fir wood affected by white rot has a density of 305 kg/м3, a static bending strength of 27 MPa, and an impact strength of 3.48 J/м2. For wood affected by brown rot, these values are 13 MPa and 1.08 J/м2, respectively. Thermal analysis showed that the carbohydrate content in white-rot wood is comparable to that of healthy wood. In brown-rot wood, the proportion of hemicelluloses and the aromatic part of cellulose is 46.83 %. The proposed processing method involves the production of binderless boards using hydrodynamic activation of the raw material. Hot-pressed boards with a density of 800 kg/м3 exhibit the following properties: for brown-rot wood, the static bending strength is 27 MPa and the internal bond strength is 0.92 MPa; for white-rot wood, these values are 35 and 0.86 MPa, respectively. It was also established that the water resistance of boards made from biodegraded wood significantly exceeds that of existing analogues. Boards made from brown-rot Siberian fir wood retain up to 90 % of their strength after boiling for two hours followed by drying. Boards from white-rot wood at advanced stages of decay retain 60 % of their strength. These boards are suitable for furniture production and construction in both dry and humid conditions.

Acknowledgements: The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (State Assignment for the "Biorefining of Forest Resources" Research Laboratory, project "Study of regularities of wood biodegradation processes in dead stands to develop science-based approaches for obtaining new functional materials", project No. FEFE-2024-0032).

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Author Biographies

Vladimir N. Ermolin, Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarskiy Rabochiy Prospect, 31, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, 660037

Doctor of Engineering, Prof.; ResearcherID: X-9597-2019

Mikhail A. Bayandin, Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarskiy Rabochiy Prospect, 31, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, 660037

Candidate of Engineering, Assoc. Prof.; ResearcherID: S-1990-2019

Nikolay V. Smertin, Reshetnev Siberian State University of Science and Technology, Krasnoyarskiy Rabochiy Prospect, 31, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, 660037

Postgraduate Student

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Published

2026-04-15

How to Cite

Ermolin В., Bayandin М., and Smertin Н. “Using Biodegraded Wood to Produce Boards Without Binders”. Lesnoy Zhurnal (Russian Forestry Journal), no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 139-51, doi:10.37482/0536-1036-2026-2-139-151.

Issue

No. 2 (2026): Lesnoy Zhurnal (Russian Forestry Journal)

Section

TECHNOLOGIES, MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT IN FOREST MANAGEMENT AND WOOD PROCESSING

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