Southern Research Station

Title: Utilization of Chinese tallow tree and bagasse for medium density fiberboard

Author: Lee, Sangyeob; Shupe, Todd F.; Hse, Chung Y.

Date: 2004

Source: Forest Products Journal, 54(12):71-76

Description: The objective of this research was to investigate various adhesive systems and determine the best composite formulation for selected mechanical and physical properties of medium density fiberboard (MDF) made from wood and bagasse fibers. This study investigated opportunities ofbiomass utilization for natural fiber-based composites from agricultural (bagasse) and Chinese tallow tree (Sapiurn sebijerum) fibers. The mixing ratios were 100:0,75:25,50:50,25:75, and 0: 100 ofbagasse and tallow tree fiber, and the firnish moisture content (MC) was 4 percent. The resin systems used were 8 percent urea formaldehyde (UF), 2.5 percent MDI (4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate), and amixed resin system of 1 percent MDI and4 percent UF. Panels containing 100 percent bagasse furnish were also prepared with either 3.5 percent or 4.5 percent MDI at a furnish MC of 0 percent, 4 percent, and 8 percent. Two mixing combinations (50:50 and 25:75) of bagasse/tallow tree fibers yielded mechanical and physical properties which were not statistically different from higher proportions ofSapium fibers and provided the maximum utilization of bagasse fibers into the panels. The MC of the furnish and additional moisture from the resin applications were significant factors influencing the mechanical properties ofthe composites. MDF made from 8 percent MC bagasse fibers obtained a 63 percent increase in modulus ofrupture (MOR) and a 30 percent in modulus of elasticity (MOE) compared to composites manufactured with 0 percent MC furnish. Panels at all fiber combination ratios with the mixed resin system performed superior to all furnish mixes with 4.5 percent MDI for MOR and MOE. Internal bond (IB) test results showed that the mixed resin system yielded slightly lower IB mean values than panels produced with 4.5 percent MDI.

Keywords: 

View and Print this Publication (599 KB)

Pristine Version:  An uncaptured or "pristine" version of this publication is available. It has not been subjected to OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and therefore does not have any errors in the text. However it is a larger file size and some people may experience long download times. The "pristine" version of this publication is available here:

View and Print the PRISTINE copy of this Publication (824 KB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Lee, Sangyeob; Shupe, Todd F.; Hse, Chung Y.  2004.  Utilization of Chinese tallow tree and bagasse for medium density fiberboard.   Forest Products Journal, 54(12):71-76.