Resistance of TiO2-treated Eucalyptus botryoides Wood to the Fungus Ganoderma applanatum

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study is to investigate the resistance of Eucalyptus botryoides treated with TiO2 particles to attack by the fungus Ganoderma applanatum. The Bethel treatment method was applied to wood specimens (25 × 25 × 9 mm) and compared to CCB. The wood was subjected to the accelerated decay test and characterized through Rockwell Hardness and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The TiO2-treated wood showed lower degradation and greater resistance to the penetration of a steel sphere (Rockwell Hardness) than the untreated wood. In addition, the results of the TiO2 treatment were statistically equal to those of CCB. The FT-IR analysis showed that the fungus degraded lignin and hemicellulose in untreated samples. The present results showed the TiO2 efficiency in forming a protective layer on the cell wall and in preventing the development of microorganisms, a fact that verifies its fungicidal action on wood.