Influence of Non-Lignocellulosic Elements on the Combustion of Treated Wood and Wooden Panel

Brazil stands out internationally in the production and commercialization of wood products. Although the external and internal demand for these products is met by the Brazilian forestry sector, challenges related to the internal management of lignocellulosic waste are evident, as the country has structural difficulties in the sector of solid waste management. Therefore, the objective was to comparatively analyze the performance of the most abundant lignocellulosic materials in the Brazilian market, regarding energy recovery at the end of their life cycles. Pine wood treated with chromed copper arsenate (CCA), untreated pine wood, eucalypt wood treated with CCA, untreated eucalypt wood, uncoated medium density fiberboard panel (MDF), and MDF panel with melamine coating were sampled. The characterization included thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXA), and elementary analysis (EA). The presence of the CCA salts and the melamine coating reduced the energy potential of the biomass, altering the burning behavior and significantly increasing the amount of generated ashes. They also caused an increase in the concentrations of copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) in the wood ashes as well as lead (Pb) and chromium in the panel ashes.