Evaluation of possible decay and termite resistance of particleboard containing waste tire rubber

Particleboard specimens produced by adding waste tire rubber particles were assayed against white- and brown-rot fungi and termites in laboratory conditions. Particleboards were manufactured from a mixture of pine and poplar particles bonded with two different resins (melamine/urea formaldehyde [MUF] and polyisocyanate [PI]) by adding waste tire rubber particles at three different levels (10%/90%, 20%/80%, and 30%/70% by weight of waste tire rubber/wood). The particleboard specimens with waste tire rubber were not generally resistant against four fungi tested. Only MUF-containing specimens showed considerably better performance in decay resistance tests using the brown-rot fungus, Postia placenta; however, addition of waste tire rubber into those specimens did not provide resistance in comparison with control specimens without tire rubber. Formosan termites were also able to degrade particleboard specimens with waste tire rubber.