Utilization of sweet sorghum bagasse and citric acid for manufacturing of particleboard II: influences of pressing temperature and time on particleboard properties

Development of environmentally friendly particleboard made from sweet sorghum bagasse and citric acid has recently attracted attention. In this study, we investigated the effects of pressing temperature and time on physical properties, such as dry bending (DB), internal bond strength (IB), and thickness swelling (TS) of particleboard. Wet bending (WB), screw-holding power (SH), biological durability, and formaldehyde emission of particleboard manufactured under effective pressing temperature and time were also evaluated. Particleboards bonded with phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin and polymeric 4,4′-methylenediphenyl isocyanate (pMDI) were manufactured as references. Effective pressing temperature and time were 200?°C and 10 min, respectively. It was clarified that DB, IB, and TS satisfied the type 18 requirements of the JIS A 5908 (2003), and were comparable to those of particleboard bonded with PF and pMDI. The WB and SH of particleboard did not satisfy type 18 of JIS. Particleboard manufactured under effective pressing conditions had good biological durability and low formaldehyde emission. Based on the results of infrared spectra measurement, the degree of ester linkages increased with increased pressing temperature and time.