Paint removal from marine-aged wooden surfaces using agricultural waste and its effects on morphological properties

Paint removal from aged wooden surfaces is a necessary step in restoration and recycling, yet conventional chemical and mechanical methods often cause environmental concerns or excessive surface damage. To address this gap, this study investigates the use of agricultural wastes as sustainable blasting media for removing degraded paints from marine-aged Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). After 100 days of marine exposure, samples coated with synthetic and water-based paints were treated in a custom-designed blasting machine using different agricultural media (sodium bicarbonate, hazelnut shell, corn cob, walnut shell, apricot shell granule), blasting angles (45 degrees and 90 degrees), distances (7-10 cm), and nozzle diameters (0.5-0.8 cm), under both dry and wet conditions. Surface analyses, including contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), revealed that all blasting processes altered surface morphology and wettability without affecting the chemical structure of the wood. Importantly, sodium bicarbonate produced the highest water repellence, while apricot shell granules yielded the most hydrophilic surface. These findings demonstrate that agricultural waste media not only offer an eco-friendly alternative for paint removal but also enable tailored control of surface properties, providing practical guidance for sustainable wood recycling and conservation applications.