Development of Suberinic Acids-Bonded Medium-Density Particleboard

TL;DR

This study develops a sustainable particleboard using natural binders from birch bark and recycled wood materials.

Contribution

The novel use of suberinic acids from birch bark as a binder in particleboard production is introduced.

Findings

Particleboards met interior fitment standards for thickness swelling and internal bonding strength.

Bending properties of the best boards were close to required values, suggesting potential for improvement.

Furnish structure, board thickness, density, and pressing temperature significantly influenced board properties.

Abstract

This study focuses on the development of wood-based particleboard that address resource efficiency, environmental sustainability, and health-related concerns. The conventional particleboard industry relies on synthetic, predominantly formaldehyde-based adhesives, which pose environmental, health, and end-use risks. Rising raw material prices, regulatory restrictions, and increasing competition in the wood-processing sector have further highlighted the importance of alternative biomass resources for particleboard production. In response to these challenges, this study investigates the suitability of available sawdust resources derived from the production residues of cellular wood materials and recycled particleboards, combined with natural suberinic acids mixture obtained from birch outer bark as a binder. The effects of furnish structure, binder content (15–21%), pressing temperature (190–220 °C), pressing rate (0.9–1.7 min/mm), and board density (650–850 kg/m3) on the resulting particleboard properties were evaluated. The results demonstrate that it is possible to meet the requirement values for thickness swelling (≤17%) and internal bonding strength (≥0.40 N/mm2) specified for interior fitment boards, including furniture applications according to EN 312, Type P2. The bending properties of the best-performing particleboards are very close to the requirement values (MOE ≥ 1800 N/mm2, MOR ≥ 11 N/mm2), indicating the potential for further improvement at the target density range. Furnish structure, board thickness, density, and pressing temperature were identified as the most influential factors affecting the final board properties.

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