Correlation of density and properties of particleboard made from polyester resin and date palm waste fibers

Abstract

The goal of this study is to use date palm wastes (DPWs) and polyester resin as a binder to produce inexpensive particleboards. The DPWs were blended with polyester resin, then hot-pressed at 90°C for 45 min. Particleboards with varying compositions were prepared in order to attain boards with varying densities. The particleboards were tested to certify their physical (e.g. density, moisture content (MC), water absorption (WA) and thickness swelling (TS)) and mechanical properties (e.g. bending strength and impact strength). Furthermore, the correlation of density and the studied properties were investigated. The results showed that the densities ranged from 0.63 to 0.96 g/cm³. Increasing the amount of polyester resin and lowering the amount of DPWs resulted in an increase in the density. As the density increased, the produced boards' MC, WA, and TS decreased. The MC ranged from 0.2 to 2.9%.  After 24 hours of immersion in water, WA ranged from 10.71 to 32.48%, while the TS ranged from 1.02 to 1.09%. The correlation coefficients for the density and MC, WA, and TS were 0.6969, 0.9625, and 0.9823, respectively. This indicates that there is a strong and positive correlation between density and these properties. In contrast to physical properties, the bending and impact strength increased with increasing the density. The bending strength ranged from 0.094 to 0.370 N/mm², while the impact strength was increased from 1.726 to 6.496 KJ/m². It was found that density and bending and impact strength displayed considerable linear relationship. The correlation coefficients for the densities and bending and impact strength were 0.9936 and 0.9740, respectively. The majority of the physical and mechanical characteristics results were consistent with certain International Standardization for particleboards. However, DPWs have the potential to be a promising industrial feedstock, especially in the field of polymer reinforced composites, replacing virgin wood fiber.