Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries

Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries

Improving the mold resistance of medium density fiberboard made with environmentally friendly materials

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Batoul Kameshki 1
Razeyeh shams 2
1 Department of wood and paper Faculty of natural resources University of Zabol Zabol Iran
2 Department of wood and paper Faculty of Natural resources University of Zabl Zabol Iran
10.22034/ijwp.2026.2080989.1752
Abstract
Problem definition and objectives: Due to the ban on the exploitation of forests and the lack of widespread wood cultivation in Iran, it is necessary to find a suitable alternative and rely on other sources such as licoricewaste. And due to its favorable physical and mechanical properties, medium density fiberboard has countless applications. However, mold fungal is one of the destructive factors that attack this wood product and cause MDF destruction especially after production in the factory warehouse. Fiberboard protection methods can be environmentally friendly and include materials that both stabilize formaldehyde and disinfect. The purpose of this research is to improve the resistance of medium density fiberboard made from industrial factory fibers and licorice waste fibers against decay fungi with natural disinfectants beneficial to humans and the natural environment.
Methodology: Industrial fibers were obtained from a medium density fiberboard factory in the north of the country, and licorice waste was obtained from an extraction factory near Shiraz. The adhesive used in the manufacture of medium density fiberboard is urea formaldehyde, which is modified with compounds of the first type: oak fruit extract, mountain almond gum, and copper (II) sulfate, and the second type: walnut leaf extract, tragacanth gum and alum. Adhesive modified with environmentally friendly materials was sprayed on these two types of fibers, as well as on a mixture of 70% industrial fibers and 30% licorice waste, and four treatments of medium density fiberboard with control sample were made and internal bonding tests were performed on them. Finally, first the mold fungi that were contaminating the fiberboard in the factory's warehouse were identified by preparing pure isolates. These fungal isolates were then grown individually and exposed to four types of manufactured fiberboard, and the amount of mold resistance was assessed visually and by mass loss. then the most optimal medium density fiberboard was investigated in terms of internal bonding and durability against mold fungal and the most efficient treatment was determined according to statistical analysis.
Results: Five species of mold -causing fungi were identified on stored fiberboard samples in the factory by sampling the fungus-infected fiberboard and isolating the fungal isolates with the nature of the strains including; Fusarium sp., Tricoderma sp., Chaetomium sp., Aspergillus sp., and Neurospora sp. The LSD test showed that the treatments made with a combination of 70% industrial factory fibers and 30% licorice root waste fibers and modified urea formaldehyde adhesive had the lowest mold fungal compared to the control sample (100 industrial fibers from the factory) and are almost similar in terms of internal bonding strength with control samples.
Conclusion: The modified adhesive with both types of environmentally friendly additives had good performance and produced medium density fiberboard with standard internal bonding and rot resistance. Using lignocellulosic wastes such as licorice root fibers, in addition to the solutions to reduce the supply of wood resources, it is possible to produce medium-density fiberboard that meets the minimum standard requirements and is resistant to various types of mold-causing fungi.
Keywords
Medium density fiberboard
licorice root residue
internal bonding strength
mold fungi
Subjects
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Iranian Journal of Wood and Paper Industries
Volume 17, Issue 2
Summer 2026
Pages 321-335