Biopolymers as protection during transport of construction materials

• Main Authors: Bohlén, Martin, Laurila, Kristina
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Högskolan i Borås, Institutionen Ingenjörshögskolan 2007
• Subjects: biopolymers; fungicides; construction materials; Engineering and Technology; Teknik och teknologier
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-18670

Construction materials are exposed to different conditions along the way from the sawmill, during storage and handling, until the materials are a part of the completed construction. During this time the materials may be exposed to moisture and dirt that can cause an attack by moulds. This, in turn, can give rise to health problems for individuals staying in the building and can also be the cause of a bad smell in the building. It is therefore necessary to protect the materials during this limited period of transport, storage, and handling.In this study two construction materials were used; untreated wood and plasterboard. As a possible protection for the materials coatings based on biopolymers were made. Biopolymers are totally degradable and are relatively cheap raw materials. The biopolymers used in this study were starch from potato, protein from corn, and acetylated mono- and diglyceride. Also, fungicides that function as inhibitors for mould growth were added to the coatings.Samples of wood and plasterboard were covered with the coatings using a paint sprayer. The samples were then exposed to a spore suspension containing spores from four of the most common mould species found attacking building material. The samples were then placed in three different climates differing in temperature and humidity. The conditions were in all three cases favourable for mould growth. The samples were placed in these conditions for a month and analysis of the growth on the samples was made once a week and according to a scale with five grades.The results varied very much between the samples, even between samples treated with the same coating, but an obvious trend gave indications of that it is possible to use biopolymers as protection for construction materials. In this study the coating based on the acetylated monoglyceride showed the best properties. === Uppsatsnivå: C