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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #113871
Title: INDUSTRIAL GRADE PARTICLEBOARD

Author
item Webber Iii, Charles
item BLEDSOE, ROBERT - LADONIA TX MARKET CENTER
item BLEDSOE, VENITA - LADONIA TX MARKET CENTER
item RAY, CHARLES - TEMPLE-INLAND FOREST PROD
item BLALOCK, JUDY - TEMPLE-INLAND FOREST PROD

Submitted to: Kenaf Association International Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/23/2000
Publication Date: 7/1/2000
Citation: WEBBER III, C.L., BLEDSOE, R.E., BLEDSOE, V.K., RAY, C.D., BLALOCK, J.L. INDUSTRIAL GRADE PARTICLEBOARD. KENAF ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS. 2000. P. 38.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Increasing demand for building materials has resulted in an expanded use of non-wood fibers in particleboard manufacturing. The objective of this research was to determine the feasibility of producing medium density particleboard from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) stalks. The kenaf that was produced at Ladonia, TX in cooperation with the Ladonia Market Center and the USDA at Lane, OK was cut, field dried, baled, and transported to Temple-Inland, Diboll, TX for processing. After grinding the kenaf stalks a laboratory hot-press produced 16-mm thick particleboards using one of three resins, urea formaldehyde (UF), phenol formaldehyde (PF), or diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI). A wood/kenaf hybrid particleboard was also made using the urea formaldehyde resin with a Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) face and a kenaf center core. Particleboard densities ranged from 496 kg m**-3 for Kenaf-MDI to 817 kg m**-3 for SYP-Kenaf-UF particleboards. The two particleboards, Kenaf-UF and SYP-Kenaf-UF, both used UF resin, but used different face compositions (kenaf vs. southern yellow pine), had very similar densities, 800 and 817 kg m**-3, respectively. Internal bonding data ranged from 496 kPa for Kenaf-PF to 862 kPa for Kenaf-UF particleboards. Modulus of rupture data ranged from 7.1 MPa for Kenaf-MDI to 19.3 MPa for the Kenaf-UF and SYP-Kenaf-UF particleboards. Modulus of elasticity data ranged from 1731 MPa for Kenaf-MDI to 3728 MPa for SYP- Kenaf-UF, with the greatest modulus of elasticity for the UF resin particleboards. These results indicate that kenaf particleboards made at densities around 800 kg m**-3 with UF resin, with or without southern yellow pine face material, have properties comparable or superior to standard commercial wood particleboards.