Influence of press temperature on the properties of binderless particleboard made from oil palm trunk

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the properties of binderless particleboard manufactured from oil palm trunk as a function of press temperature. Particleboard samples were manufactured with a target density of 0.80 g/cm³ using press temperatures of 160 °C, 180 °C and 200 °C. The modulus of rupture, internal bond strength, water absorption and thickness swelling of the boards were determined based on Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS). Thermal gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis were employed to characterize the properties of the raw materials and the manufactured panels. The moduli of rupture of the samples were observed to increase with increasing press temperature, but they did not meet the standard values. However, the internal bond strength of the samples attained satisfactory values according to the JIS standard for all three temperature levels. Water absorption and thickness swelling of the boards decreased with increasing pressing temperature. Based on the findings in this study, increasing the pressing temperature may be considered a potential way of improving the properties of binderless particleboard.