The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of some mineral based fire retardants on decay resistance of Medium density fiberboard (MDF). Two mineral based chemicals containing (Huntite/Hydromagnesite) and zinc borate (ZB) were used at two different concentrations for panel manufacturing. Decay test of samples was performed according to EN 113 standard method. At the end of the test, it was found that weight losses of the MDF samples manufactured with mineral based chemicals were clearly lower than weight loss of control samples. Results indicated that the weight loss values changed depending on chemical types and chemical concentrations. Decay resistance of the MDF samples improved with increasing chemical concentrations. The better results were achieved with MDF samples manufactured with huntite/hydromagnesite. Additionally, the combinations of these minerals with zinc borate provided synergic effects. As a conclusion, it was seen that huntite and hydromagnesite minerals have notably effects on decay resistance of MDF panels and can be successfully evaluated as protective chemicals for wood and wood based panels.

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