Particleboard based on rice husk: Effect of binder content and processing conditions

Abstract

In the development of materials based on renewable resources, the search for lignocellulosic substitutes for wood is one of the biggest challenges that academia and the particleboard and wood industries are facing. In this article, particleboards were processed using rice husk, an agricultural waste, as a substitute for wood. Rice husk without any further treatment was processed into particleboards using phenol-formaldehyde resin as binder. The effect of the processing parameters, pressure and binder content (BC) on the density, water absorption (WA), thickness swelling (TS), modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) was analyzed. The performance of the obtained panels was evaluated in comparison with the US Standard ANSI/A208.1. Particleboards with 11% of BC met the minimum requirements of MOR and MOE recommended by the ANSI specifications for commercial use, while particleboards with high BC (14%) also accomplished the requirements for industrial use, finding a resourceful use for this agricultural waste.