Development of high-performance UF-bonded reed and wheat straw medium-density fiberboard

Urea formaldehyde resin-bonded reed and wheat straw fiberboards were produced from the fibers made under different steam cooking conditions in refining processes at densities of 500 and 700kg/m³. The effect of steam cooking conditions on the board properties was examined. The steam pressure and cooking time for reed and wheat straws were 0.4MPa/10min and 0.4MPa/5min, respectively, and 0.6MPa/3min and 0.6MPa/10min for both straws. The effect of steam cooking treatment before the fiber refining process on the wettability and weight losses of the straws was also investigated. The results indicated that the mechanical properties and linear expansion of the straw medium-density fiberboard (MDF) were improved with increasing steam cooking pressure and time during the refining process, whereas the thickness swelling (TS) did not vary much. The wettability of the straws was improved by cooking treatment. The steam cooking conditions had little effect on the wettability of the straw surfaces. For reed and wheat straws, the weight losses increased with increasing steam pressure and cooking time. In addition, it was found that the properties of MDF were significantly higher than those of particleboard, especially the internal bond (IB), where the IB values of MDF were more than 10 times higher than those of particleboard. All the properties of the straw MDF, except the TS of wheat board, can meet the requirement of JIS fiberboard standard. The high performances of MDF could be due to the improved wettability and the removal of extractives during the refining process.