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Kenaf is one of the potential raw materials available in Malaysia to use for particleboard manufacturing as an alternative solution to balance shortage of rubberwood (RW) supply. In this study, particleboard manufactured from kenaf stem (KS) and RW particle blends at different RW loading (0%, 50%, 70%, 100%) and resin levels (6%, 8%, 10%). Urea formaldehyde resin is used as a binder. The effects of RW:KS ratio and resin content on mechanical and dimensional stability properties of hybrid particleboard were determined. The results indicated that particleboards bonded with 10% resin level and 50:50 (RW:KS) had the highest strength (19.08 MPa) while particleboards made of 70:30 (RW:KS) display better stiffness (2.23 GPa). Statistical analysis using ANOVA and LSD were conducted on the obtained results. The results show that RW:KS ratio has greater influence over thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA) of particleboard than the level of resin content. The relationship between internal bonding (IB) and TS of particleboards were also examined and obtained strong inverse relationship between IB and TS. Hybrid particleboards made from 70% RW and 30% KS with 10% resin content display over all good properties and comparable with 100% RW (control) samples. It concluded that kenaf stem can replace rubberwood particles up to 50% but the resin level must be kept at 10% or more because lower resin level (≤8%) significantly decrease strength of the particleboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to identify an appropriate alkaline pulping condition for Malaysia cultivated kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.). The chemical composition of the kenaf bast and core fibers, and also whole stalk with different growing time were examined prior to pulping attempts. The results of various soda-AQ pulping showed that the degree of carbohydrate degradation and delignification increased with the increase of active alkali and cooking temperature, but decreased with the increase of liquor to material (L:M) ratio. The most satisfactory properties of pulp and handsheets from bast could be attained by employing soda-AQ pulping with 19.4% active alkali, 0.10% AQ, and L:M ratio of 7:1 cooked for 2 hours at 160°C. Besides, it was also found that a mild alkaline preimpregnation prior pulping improved the pulp viscosity and handsheets' strength properties, especially the tensile index and folding endurance effectively. Moreover, among the three alkaline pulping processes-kraft, kraft-AQ, and soda-AQ-the results of pulp and handsheet properties showed that the soda-AQ pulp was comparable or even slightly of higher quality than the kraft pulps. Between the unbeaten bast and core sodaAQ handsheets, the strength properties of the core were higher than the bast, as the thin-walled core fibers exhibited much better conformability than the thick-walled bast fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particleboard is not entirely a wood replacement but a particular material with its properties, making it more effective at different times than heavy or solid wood. The world's biggest concern is environmental problems with formaldehyde as a particulate board binder that can lead to human carcinogenic agents. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of particleboard production was performed using openLCA software. The impact assessment was carried out according to the software's features. This preliminary investigation aims to analyze the chemical composition of particleboard and identify its environmental impact. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) system was used to track the functional group of aliphatic hydrocarbons, inorganic phosphates, and main aliphatic alcohols found in particleboards made in Malaysia. Based on the FTIR results, aliphatic groups were found in numerous aggravates that the spectroscopic infrared was likely to experience. The most important vibrational modes were C–H, at approximately 3000 cm−1, and –CH deformations around 1460 cm−1 and 1380 cm−1. Eight effect groups demonstrated that 100% of the input and all analyses produced the same relative outcome. The life cycle of a product is determined by pollution of the air, water, and soil. Thus, particleboard has a minimal impact on the environment, except for global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]