Utilization of Oil Palm Trunk Waste for Manufacturing of Binderless Particleboard: Optimization Study

Utilization of oil palm trunk waste for production of environmental friendly binderless particleboard was studied. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the manufacturing conditions. The steaming temperature (100 to 120 ºC), steaming time (25 to 50 min), hot pressing temperature (180 to 220 ºC), and hot pressing time (15 to 30 min) were optimized in the ranges shown. The optimum conditions for making the particleboard were found to involve steaming for 46 min at a temperature of 120 ºC before it was compressed using a pressure of 12 MPa, at a temperature 215 ºC for 29 min. The internal bond (IB) strength, modulus of rupture (MOR), thickness swelling (TS), and water absorption (WA) were 0.54 MPa, 8.18 MPa, 22%, and 51%, respectively. The residual values of actual and model-based calculated IB, MOR, TS, and WA were found to be 0.1 MPa, 0.23 MPa, 2%, and 4%, respectively, which shows the significance of the study.