In general there is an increasing need for sustainable resources, including sustainable building materials. Wood is one of these sustainable resources and is more used as an outdoor building material. Since unprotected wood will usually be degraded during outdoor exposure, many different protection systems are available on the market. Protection systems containing biocides however might create obstacles in a circular economy. A wood protecting biofinish will improve the service life of wood while reducing maintenance costs and contributing positively to a circular economy. The biofinish concept can be applied on different wood species, which makes it possible to use less durable European wood species for outdoor applications without the use of biocides. Another important property of building materials is fire resistance. Relatively little information is available about the direct interactions of flame retardants with wood and micro-organisms. The yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium is the most important component of the biofinish. For the further application of biofinish treated wood as a building material and the possibilities of adding a flame retardant to the biofinish, more information about the effects of flame retardants on Aureobasidium cells is necessary. The aim of this study was to assess the thermal stability of the biofinish on wood and achieve further information about the interaction of Aureobasidium with conventional flame retardants. Wood, treated with the biofinish and in combination with flame retardants was first tested using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to get an indication of the thermal stability of different treatments. In the second step, effects of the added flame retardants on Aureobasidium cells were assessed by monitoring cell growth and viability in a fermentation. The effects of the interaction between viable Aureobasidium cells and the flame retardants were determined using live/dead microscopic assessments.

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