Performance of hydroxyapatite mineralised beech and pine wood : wettability and biological

Sitar, Matic (author), Levanič, Jaka (author), Kržišnik, Davor (author), Legan, Lea (author), Pondelak, Andreja (author), Lesar, Boštjan (author)

This study investigates the effects of hydroxyapatite (HAp) mineralisation on the water-related properties and biological resistance of beech and pine wood. As HAp synthesis also produces the highly water-soluble by-product NH4NO3, particular emphasis was placed on comparing unleached and leached samples to distinguish the effects of HAp and NH4NO3. During outdoor exposure, HAp effectively inhibited mould and blue stain fungi. In laboratory mould tests, this effect was observed only in leached samples, suggesting that the HAp mineral layer contributes to protection by physically blocking the wood pores. Fungal decay tests showed a significant improvement in unleached HAp-synthesised samples, with the highest median Δm value for B-HAp samples at 6.4% and for P-HAp samples at 5.6%; both corresponded to durability class 2. In contrast, leached samples showed lower resistance, with beech and pine classified in durability classes 4 (Δm for B-HAp-L 20.4%) and 3 (Δm for P-HAp-L 11.8%), respectively. However, the soil contact test showed limited protection for all HAp synthesised samples. Overall, using the Meyer–Veltrup model, mineralisation with HAp was found to improve DRd rel. factors for pine in both leached and unleached samples, with values of 4.7 and 4.4, respectively. HAp synthesised beech samples showed comparable improvements (DRd rel. = 4.1), although these were considerably smaller in the leached samples (DRd rel. = 1.8). Higher DRd rel. factors resulted from improved decay resistance, as HAp treatment did not improve water-related properties.

• Language: English
• Keywords: durability resistance, hydroxyapatite, leaching, mineralised wood, wettability
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 1-15
• Numbering: Vol. 543, atricle 148197
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-187969
• UDC: 630*8
• ISSN on article: 0950-0618
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2026.148197
• COBISS.SI-ID: 291318019
• Publication date in RUL: 17.09.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Construction & building materials
• Shortened title: Constr. build. mater.
• Publisher: Scientific & Technical Press
• ISSN: 0950-0618
• COBISS.SI-ID: 25270784

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: obstojnost, hidroksiapatit, izpiranje, mineraliziran les, močljivost