Properties of Empty Fruit Bunch Oil Palm (Elaeis guineesis) Composite Boards at Different Densities and Resin Contents

Abstract

Properties of composite boards made from oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) at different density and resin content were investigated. The EFB was refined using fiber cutter and particle's crusher. Hardeners and wax were added at 1 and 3% during the mixing process. Boards of densities 500, 600 and 700 kg mG 3 were produced with resin urea formaldehyde at 10, 12 and 14%, respectively. The boards were stored in a conditioning chamber set at 20±2°C and 65% relative humidity before undergoing subsequent testing. Testing procedure was done in accordance with EN Standard and specifications. The results indicated increases across the board physical and mechanical properties. The highest MOR and MOE value achieved in this study were 22.91 and 2059.56 N mmG 2 . Highest value for internal bonding was 0.98 N mmG 2 , meanwhile for edge and face screw withdrawal, 467.47 and 512.37 N mmG 2 . Boards with 700 g cmG 3 density and 14% resin content met all the requirement needed according to standard exercised. Board with the lowest performance was observed using microscopy machine to study the resin-fiber bonding property. Resin and fiber in the board intacted closely but there were voids appeared at the cross-section of the board 500 g cmG 3 density with 10% resin content, suggesting moisture had penetrated into the board via the open spaces and attacked the linkages existed, thus cause the board to have a low property. Thermogravimetric analysis was done to study the thermal stability of the boards manufactured. The maximum rate of decomposition for the OPEFB boards occurred at 380.83°C.

Effects of Chemical Treatment on Mechanical Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) with Urea Formaldehyde (UF) Resin Particleboardtype

“…It causes fibrillation in the EFB surface, causing an increase in the effective surface area available for contact with the matrix. This action also decreases the diameter of the fillers and enhanced the roughness of the filler's surface as compared to the untreated fillers [11]. The lower amount of hemicellulose contributes to a fibreboard with better strength.…”

Characterization of Oil Palm Fronds Panel at Different Conditions and Positions with Formaldehyde Adhesive

“…The higher compression strength of oil palm fronds bio-composite PFOP with phenolformaldehyde adhesive as compared to ureaformaldehyde bio composite PFOP could be due to the presence of phenol-formaldehyde adhesive. Properly cured panels are often tougher than the wood itself [42], [47]. The effectiveness of the phenol and ureaformaldehyde adhesive in enhancing the compression properties showed a similar trend as in the static bending strength.…”

“…The compression strength of composite panels was strongly dependent on the effectiveness of the matrix in supporting the fibre against buckling [41]. It was noted that the characteristic of the compression load-deformation curve was like those for static bending strength [42], [43].…”

Pulp and paper production from oil palm empty fruit bunches: A current direction in Malaysia

“…Oil palm EFB fibres consisted of lignocellulosic fibres in which the cellulose (43-65 %) and hemicellulose (17-33 %) are covered in lignin (13-37 %) matrix similar to the other natural fibres (Rafidah et al, 2017). Lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose contents were almost comparable to soft and hardwood indicating a potential for pulping and producing natural resources fibre (Wahab et al, 2015). Therefore, pre-processing is crucial before the oil palm EFB can be processed into other value-added products.…”

“…One of the wastes is the EFB, and various efforts have been taken by several institutions to convert this into useful products. Currently, EFB is available in large quantities approximately 12.4 million tonnes fresh weight per year and can be supplied continuously from oil palm mills (Wahab et al, 2015). Generally, EFB has high cellulose content (30-50 %) and fibre strength as well as low lignin content (15-30 %) (Cheng et al, 2019;Bonnia et al, 2016).…”