ABSTRACT The attempt to face the limitations of wood-based materials, especially concerning the relationship with water, is still a considerable gap in research on this subject. The present work proposes the accomplishment of thermal treatment in fiberboard-type hardboard, using different temperatures and times, to evaluate the effect on the physical-mechanical properties. The parameters of the heat treatment were temperatures of 120 and 160 °C and times of 20 and 40 min. The hardboards were individually heat treated in a kiln. The characterization was performed from physical tests such as bulk density, moisture content, water absorption (2 and 24 h), thickness swelling (2 and 24 h); and mechanical properties of flexural strength. The treatment with a temperature of 160 °C for 40 min showed the lowest values of water absorption in 24 h (34%). Thickness swelling was lower compared to control, for all the treatments applied. Regarding flexural strength, the treatment that adopted the 160 °C for 20 min showed the highest MOR value (26.3 MPa). In general, the performance of heat treatments positively influenced the physical and mechanical properties of the hardboards, being an interesting alternative in the development of products for applications in internal environments.

ABSTRACT Economic development based on cleaner industrial technologies has been increasingly studied in recent years. Cementitious composites reinforced with lignocellulosic fibers can be a sustainable alternative for use in engineering. The study aimed to evaluate the technological properties of cementitious composites produced from natural and industrial coconut fiber to compare the reinforcement with wood particles. Physical tests (density, water absorption, and thickness swelling) and mechanical tests (static bending) were carried out in four treatments, which varied the fiber and cement contents. It was found that treatment with natural coconut fiber had the lowest density value, 0.59 g/cm3, and treatment with industrial coconut fiber had the lowest water absorption value for the times and times of 2 and 24 h, 0.19, and 0.38%, respectively, and the treatment with wood particles, the highest values of modulus of elasticity and rupture, 1,897 MPa and 2.44 MPa. The study of the use of lignocellulosic materials as protection in cementitious composites is essential for applications in building constructions to reduce the environmental impacts generated by the generation of waste and use of non-renewable materials and to promote sustainable development.

ABSTRACT Thermal treatment can modify undesirable characteristics of some woods, dimensional instability, and excessive water adsorption. The present research work aimed to assess the effect of thermal treatment on the physical properties of clone GG100 Eucalyptus wood. Wood samples were obtained from 9 year-old trees. Samples were subjected to three types of thermal treatment (T1, T2, and T3). In T1, the wood was kept in a laboratory kiln at 100 °C for 180 min. In T2, hydrothermal treatment was performed in an autoclave at 120 °C for 120 min. In T3, the combined autoclave and laboratory kiln treatments were employed. The properties evaluated were apparent density (ρa); mass loss (ML); longitudinal (βl), radial (βr), tangential (βt), and volumetric shrinkage (βv); anisotropic factor; and equilibrium moisture content. The treatments caused a decrease of ρa and increase of ML. The Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) was lowest for T3, and had a negative correlation with ML, βt, and ∆v. The Pearson correlation analysis indicated the results of the thermal treatments were similar, but T1 presented the lowest variation of the physical properties compared to the other treatments, giving it the best predictability for practical uses.