Investigation of a new natural adhesive composed of citric acid and sucrose for particleboard

The development of a natural adhesive composed of materials derived from non-fossil resources is a very important issue. In this study, only citric acid and sucrose were used as adhesive materials for particleboard. A water solution in which citric acid and sucrose were dissolved was used as an adhesive, and the manufacture of particleboard with a target density of 0.8 g/cm3 was attempted under a press condition of 200 °C for 10 min. The optimum mixture ratio of citric acid and sucrose and the optimum resin content was 25–75 and 30 wt%, respectively. The modulus of rupture (MOR) and the modulus of elasticity in bending were 20.6 MPa and 4.6 GPa, respectively. The internal bond strength (IB) was 1.6 MPa, indicating that the adhesive had excellent bond strength. The thickness swelling (TS) after water immersion for 24 h at 20 °C was 11.9 %. The board did not decompose even under more severe accelerated treatments. This meant that the adhesion had good water resistance. The MOR, IB and TS of the board were comparable to or higher than the requirement of the 18 type of JIS A 5908 (2003). Consequently, there is a possibility that a mixture of citric acid and sucrose can be used as a natural adhesive for particleboard.