The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of commercial panels produced with sugarcane bagasse to investigate the possibility of us for the production of furniture. We evaluated industrial MDP (Medium density particleboard) panels made of Eucalyptus and Pinus by two Brazilian companies and an industrial MDP panel made from sugarcane bagasse, produced in China. We tested the physical characteristics of water absorption and thickness swelling of the panels after 2 and 24 h of immersion in water. To estimate the moisture content and density, we followed the procedure detailed in NBR 14810-3¹. The mechanical properties were characterized by performing bending (moduli of elasticity and rupture), compression (moduli of elasticity rupture), internal bonding, screw pullout and Janka hardness tests. We found that panels made from sugarcane bagasse showed comparable with or superior physical and mechanical properties to those made from Eucalyptus and Pinus.

The use of agricultural residues for particleboard manufacturing increases their value-add and help meet the growing demand of raw materials for the panel industry. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to assess the quality of particleboards produced only with sugarcane bagasse or along with Pinus and Eucalyptus wood. The experimental design consisted of 5 treatments: T1) Eucalyptus panels, T2) Pinus panels, T3) sugarcane bagasse panels, T4) 50% Eucalyptus and 50% sugarcane bagasse panels, and T5) 50% Pinus and 50% of sugarcane bagasse panels. For each treatment, three panels were produced using 8% urea-formaldehyde adhesive, with 0.65 g/cm3 apparent density, 160°C pressing temperature, 4 MPa pressure, and 8 min of pressing time. The analyses revealed that use of sugarcane bagasse for particleboard manufacturing resulted in improved water absorption and thickness swelling properties after 2 h of immersion in water. In addition, the panels produced with bagasse only showed significant reductions in the mechanical properties. However, the use of sugarcane bagasse along with Pinus or Eucalyptus wood allowed the manufactured panels to meet all the conditions required by the CS 236-66 [1], ANSI A208.1 [2], and EN 312 [3] standards.

This study was to evaluate the effect of post-heat treatment on the physical and mechanical properties of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) panels. Commercial MDF panels were produced in Brazil using Pinus wood and urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive. The post-heat treatments were carried in a factorial 3 x 2 (three temperatures of heat treatment -200, 225 and 250 °C, and two times -5 and 10 minutes), and a control treatment (without heat treatment). Subsequently, the physical and mechanical tests were performed. From the results it can be concluded that: 1) The most effective thermal post-treatment for improving the dimensional stability of the MDF was applied at 225 ° C and 10 min; 2) All the thermally treated panels revealed a significant decrease in the modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity (MOR and MOE) to bending when compared with the control panels without post-heat treatment.

ABSTRACT:The objective of this study is to assess the effect of the laminar inclusion on the physical and mechanical properties of sugarcane bagasse particleboard. We used the commercial panels of sugarcane bagasse produced in China. To evaluate the effect of the laminar inclusion was tested two wood species (Pinus and Eucalyptus) and two pressures (10 and 15 kgf . cm -2 ) along with a control (without laminar inclusion). The panels with laminar inclusion obtained improvements in the physical properties, with a significant reduction in the WA2h, WA24h and TS2h. There was a significant increase in the properties MOE and MOR parallel and Janka hardness, while the properties MOE and MOR perpendicular decreased significantly. The pinus and eucalyptus veneers inclusion resulted in similar results when added to the panel with a 10 kgf . cm -2 pressure. The use of 15 kgf . cm -2 pressure is not indicated for the pinus veneer inclusion in sugar cane bagasse panels. There was no effect of the pressure level when evaluating the eucalyptus veneer inclusion on the properties of the sugarcane bagasse panels. INCLUSÃO LAMINAR EM PAINÉIS AGLOMERADOS DE BAGAÇO DE CANA DE AÇÚCARRESUMO: O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar o efeito da inclusão laminar sobre as propriedades físicas e mecânicas de painéis aglomerados de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar. Foram utilizados painéis comerciais de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar produzidos na China. Para avaliar o efeito da inclusão laminar foram avaliadas duas espécies de madeira (Pinus e Eucalyptus) e duas pressões (10 e 15 kgf . cm -2 ), juntamente com um controle (sem inclusão laminar). Os painéis com inclusão laminar obtiveram melhorias nas propriedades físicas, com uma redução significativa na AA2h, AA24h e IE2h. Houve um aumento significativo nas propriedades MOE e MOR paralelo e dureza Janka, enquanto as propriedades MOE e MOR perpendicular diminuíram significativamente. A inclusão laminar de pinus e eucalipto resultou em resultados semelhantes quando adicionadas ao painel com uma pressão de 10 kgf . cm -2 . O uso de pressão de 15 kgf . cm -2 não é indicado para a inclusão laminar de pinus em painéis de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar. Não houve efeito do nível de pressão ao avaliar a inclusão laminar de eucalipto nas propriedades dos painéis de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar.

Heat treatment of wood is a promising alternative in improving its dimensional stability. The action of heat ensures the good quality of the treated wood product, with better performance in environments with high humidity. To prove the positive effect of this treatment, a test in which the specimens are weathered for a certain period of time termed as natural aging was performed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aging on heat-treated medium-density fiberboard (MDF) panels. Commercial MDF panels produced with pinewood adhesive and urea-formaldehyde were used. The experiment included seven test treatments [at 200, 225, and 250°C heat temperatures for 5 and 10 min] and a control treatment (without heat treatment). The products subjected to these treatments were weathered for 40 days, and climatological data were monitored daily. The results suggested that: 1) There is a decreasing trend in density with increasing time and temperature; 2) the treatment time and temperature had no effect on the ownership of the static bending for modulus of elasticity (MOE); 3) the time period is correlated with the treatment temperature for modulus of rupture (MOR) property; and 4) the thermal treatment of MDF panels did not allow the maintenance of the properties of MOR and MOE static bending strength after natural aging.