Particle Board

Coconut fiber is a natural fiber extracted from coconut coir, a by-product of coconut based product. It is a potential material for fiberboard because it contains high cellulose and lignin which is similar to wood. Binderless medium density fiberboard (MDF) from coconut fiber was produced to reduce the consumption of wood and the emmission of synthetic adhesives such as urea formaldehyde using lignin as natural binder. The purpose of this research were to determine the physical and mechanical properties of MDF from coconut fiber based on SNI 01-4449-2006 and JIS A 5905:2003 and to investigate the effect of oxidation treatment, additional paraffin, and pressing time to the physical and mechanical properties of the fiberboard. The results showed that the fiberboards produced on this research had medium density of 0.44-0.56 g/cm 3 which met the standard for MDF. Most of fiberboards from coconut fiber obtained in this study met the standard for physical properties such as density, moisture content, thickness swelling, and screw holding power. However, the mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, and internal bond of the fiberboards had not met the SNI 01-4449-2006 and JIS A 5905:2003 because of the lack of materials strength.

Telah dilakukan penelitian pembuatan papan komposit dari serbuk upih dengan lem polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). Perbandingan takaran volume lem dan serbuk upih yaitu 1:3. Variasi sampel yaitu semua serbuk, tegak lurus arah serat dan sejajar arah serat. Pembuatan papan komposit dilakukan dengan tekanan 200,37 kgf/cm 2 pada suhu kempa 40 o C-100 o C. Parameter pengujian hasil papan komposit yaitu uji kerapatan partikel, uji keteguhan lentur dan uji keteguhan tarik. Standar yang digunakan yaitu SNI 03-2105-2006 Papan Partikel. Hasil pengujian kerapatan partikel untuk ; semua serbuk 1,27 gr/cm 3 , tegak lurus arah serat 1,19 gr/cm 3 , sejajar arah serat 1,38 gr/cm 3. Hasil pengujian keteguhan lentur untuk ; semua serbuk 154,18 kgf/cm 2 , tegak lurus arah serat 171,37 kgf/cm 2 , sejajar arah serat 317,07 kgf/cm 2. Hasil pengujian keteguhan tarik untuk ; semua serbuk 0,44 kgf/cm 2 , tegak lurus arah serat 0,67 kgf/cm 2 , sejajar arah serat 0,66 kgf/cm 2.

Kata kunci : papan komposit, papan partikel, upih pinang, kerapatan partikel, keteguhan lentur, keteguhan tarik.

This article evaluates particle board using corncob (CC) particles and mixing it
homogeneously in varying percentages 20%, 40%, 50%, 60% and 80% with sugarcane
bagasse (SB) using Urea Formaldehyde resin as adhesive. Particleboards of 100% SB
and 100% CC were also made, thereby making seven different compositions. Properties
of particleboards produced such as density, water absorption, thickness swelling,
modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity were investigated. The densities of
particleboards ranged from 400 Kg/m3 to 620 Kg/m3. The results of the tests also show
that the particleboard with 50% CC and 50% SB using equal volume of adhesive had
favorable physical properties that are recommendable for indoor uses in buildings. In
contrast, the panels cannot be recommended for load bearing purposes because they
exhibit poor mechanical properties, but these mechanical properties tend to improve as
the composition of CC increased from 40% to 100%. The MOR and MOE results obtained
in this research work lead to a conclusion that the mechanical properties of the panels
were improved as the percentage of CC replacement increased but possessed poor
physical properties. Within the experimental investigation and possible limitations,

This research project was carried out to propose a new material made out of maize cobs for particle board manufacture. The purpose was to examine general limits within which a satisfactory board can be made with this agricultural residue. Mostly, maize cobs are considered as agriculture wastes. These natural and organic waste materials are sometimes being kept for a long time so that they can decompose for making fertilizers and others are burnt which is harmful to the environment and atmosphere as a whole. This study focuses on using maize cobs in production of a three-layer particle board for furniture where it was started by collecting maize cobs from local farmers in Gicumbi District and testing their physical and chemical properties using eye vision. After, cobs have been grinded in small particles by using flour mill machine and then sieved to retain particle of desirable dimensions. Since this board is composed of three layers, the particles are of two types. Small particles are 1 to 3 mm for both outer layers (face layers) and 4 to 6 mm for middle layer (core layer). Particles were then washed to remove dust, cooked for protecting particles from decaying after board production and sun dried at an average temperature of 27oC within 72 daylight hours for extracting moisture. Later, the prepared particles were mixed with sisal fibres and bonded together by glue and then formed into boards of different sizes with an average mechanical compression of 3.8 N/mm2. Afterwards, the formed board was removed from the formwork and exposed to the sun within 5 days for drying and hardening. After that, one of the hardened boards was covered by veneer cover for enhancing the external appearance and increasing its resistance to moisture. Lastly, the covered boards were tested for checking their efficiency. The results were compared with the data available from the present standard. All samples satisfied the standard requirements except for water absorption test. It was generally observed from the results that the maize cob is a good material for particle board manufacture and its properties were consistently dependent on the resin concentration levels and density. The developed product will be an environmentally friendly and sustainable product. This product will reduce the importation of particle boards from other countries and will encourage the SMEs to create the jobs, which will fulfill the Rwanda's vision.