This work investigates the feasibility of producing low density particleboards using an adhesive system based on sour cassava starch, taking advantage of its adhesive and self-expansion properties. Relevant properties of the produced particleboards were evaluated according to European Standards including: density, internal bond, moisture content and thickness swelling. Low density particleboards were produced with densities between 207 kg/m 3 and 407 kg/m 3 . The best performance corresponded to particleboard with a density of 318 kg/m 3 , an internal bond strength of 0.67 N/mm 2 , and a thickness swelling of 8.7%. These values meet the standard requirements of general purpose lightweight boards for use in dry conditions. Heat post-treatment (24 h at 80 • C) led to lower internal bond strength, due to retrogradation (recrystallization of amylose and amylopectin chains upon cooling) causing higher rigidity of the starch binder. However, it showed to have a significant effect on decreasing the thickness swelling.
It has been shown that wood particleboards bonded with sour cassava starch can display low density combined with good physico-mechanical performance, thanks to starch being able to produce a strong foam that fills the interparticular space. Here we optimize the pressing conditions for the production of these panels. The procedure involved hot-plate pressing in two stages: (1) lowering the top platen to a specified thickness for a duration designated as pressing time, followed by (2) raising the top platen to allow panel expansion for a duration designated as hold time. The parameters studied were the pressing time (10 to 150 s), the hold time (290 to 890 s), and the top platen temperature (80 to 190 °C). The hold time and pressing time showed to be crucial parameters. The best operating conditions corresponded to 600 s of press cycle time, comprising 60 s of pressing time and 540 s of hold time. The top platen temperature used was 190 °C. The particleboards produced had a density of 405 kg·m−3, an internal bond strength of 0.44 N·mm−2, and a thickness swelling of 13.2%. This can be considered as very good performance, taking into account the panels’ low density.
In this work, TiO2 nanoparticles were dispersed and stabilized in water using a novel type of dispersant based on tailor-made amphiphilic block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (mPEG-b-P4VP) prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The performance of this new block copolymer as dispersant was compared to a polyelectrolyte dispersant commonly used for TiO2, sodium salt of polyacrylic acid (Na-PAA). The effect of dispersion technique and type and amount of dispersant on deagglomeration and stability of the TiO2 aqueous suspensions were studied. After incorporation in a standard waterborne acrylic varnish formulation, dry film transparency, photocatalytic activity, and nanoparticle cluster size were also evaluated. The results show that mPEG-b-P4VP copolymer with appropriate block lengths can have a better performance than Na-PAA in terms of aqueous dispersion stabilization and cluster size reduction in the acrylic matrix. This translates into higher film transparency and photocatalytic performance.
In the present work, and for the first time, totally biosourced low-density particleboards were produced using cardoon particles (a no added value by-product from the Portuguese cheese making industry), bound with a potato starch adhesive. Different starch/cardoon ratios (0.6, 0.8, 1 and 1.2) were tested and the effect of different bio-based additives (chitosan, wood fiber and glycerol) on the performance of the adhesive system was evaluated. The best result was obtained for a formulation with a starch/cardoon mass ratio of 0.8, a chitosan/starch mass ratio of 0.05 and a water/starch mass ratio of 1.75. The particleboards produced had a density of 323 kg·m−3, internal bond strength of 0.35 N·mm−2 and thickness swelling of 15.2%. The values of density and internal bond strength meet the standard requirements of general-purpose lightweight boards for use in dry conditions according to CEN/TS 16368 specification. Moreover, the susceptibility of the formulations with best results was established against subterranean termites and one decay fungi.
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