Mechanical properties of particleboard from seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii)

摘要

The global market for wood-based panels annually increases despite of decreasing availability of wood resources have encouraged the use of alternative sources of lignocellulosic materials. In this research, the performance of particleboard manufactured from seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) and urea formaldehyde (UF) resin as binding material was investigated. The effects of seaweed mass ratio and UF resin percentage on the mechanical (modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture and internal bonding strength) properties of the particleboard were evaluated. The results showed that, the sample with highest amount of seaweed particles and UF resin percentage, gave the highest values of modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture and internal bonding strength with the results of 277.94, 3.29, and 10.74 MPa, respectively. The results of internal bonding strength met the requirements of the Japanese Industrial Standard JIS A 5908 with result 10.74 MPa. Comparison with the others standards for particleboards are presented, showing the potential for using Kappaphycus alvarezii as a natural resource for particleboard.