Application of response surface methodology for evaluating particleboard properties made from cotton stalk particles.

High-quality wood resource scarcity as well as population growth and demand of wood have encouraged the use of alternative sources of lignocellulosic materials. In this study, the possibility of producing particleboard from waste cotton stalks is evaluated. The effects of the independent variables included weight ratio of melamine-formaldehyde to urea-formaldehyde, shelling ratio and the percentage of cotton stalks to poplar in the core layer were analyzed in the form of response surface methodology based on second-order multiple linear regression model. The results showed that there was perfect agreement between the estimated values and observed data, as with an increase in the ratio of melamine-formaldehyde resin to urea-formaldehyde, shelling ration and amount of poplar in the core layer of panels, modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity and internal bonding increase. The optimal point of use of investigated variables included 18.30% melamine-formaldehyde, 30.35% thickness of the surface layers and 10.70% of poplar in the core layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]