Dagne Abetie
Particleboard is a wood-based panel product manufactured under pressure and temperature from the particles of wood or other any lignocellulose fibrous materials and a binder. This study presented an experimental work which investigates the potentiality maize cob in the production of particle board using modified starch adhesives and wood glue (top bond) as an alternative source of adhesive and also studied effects of control variables in the product. A general factorial design was used for to prepare 27 experiments by varying control parameters. The maize cob particle, modified starch, wood glue (top bond) and the mixed ratio adopted were 69.2%, 15.4, 17.9%, 20.3% and 15.4% respectively, thoroughly mixed manually by using the mixer. The mixture was then poured into a mould with a dimension 100 mm × 100 mm × 15 mm. The particleboard was compacted using a hydraulic press in two compacts. The panels of densities were varied between 6840 kg/m3 and 9083.33 kg/m3. Percentage of water absorption was increased with increasing time of immersion. An average moisture content of all boards was found to be 11.43%. The average internal bonding was 0.132 N/mm2 relatively low internal bonding compared with urea and phenol formaldehyde resin made PB. The results showed that the maize cob, starch and wood glue (top bond) combination have high potential to be used indoor application for ceiling roof or by laminating Formica or veneers; it can be used for building and furniture applications.
