Fire behavior of furfurylated paulownia wood

Wood is an aesthetically pleasing, sustainable material for various uses. All materials, including wood, are intended to be long-lasting, maintaining their original appearance. The effects of furfurylation on the fire characteristics of wood are still unclear, even though it significantly increases the dimensional stability, hardness, and biodegradation resistance of wood. This study aimed to evaluate the fire characteristics of furfurylated wood. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the time required for the infiltration of furfuryl alcohol into the samples significantly exceeded the values commonly reported in the literature. The results obtained by measurements on a cone calorimeter indicate that furfurylation significantly increases peak values of heat release rate, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and smoke production in the phase immediately after the initiation. On the contrary, carbon-monoxide (CO) production decreased in the phase of heterogeneous combustion of carbonaceous residue.