Study on physical and mechanical properties of particleboard made of wood particles - waste tire powder

It is a fact that demand for wood products has been increasing with the increasing in the population of the world that adversely influences the sustainable utilization of forest resources. In recent years, there has been widespread interest in the manufacturing of products from recycled materials. Among the waste materials, waste tires are a major concern, because the amount of waste tires is increasing more and more due to the increasing demand for tires and because of their short lifetime, it is therefore necessary to develop methods for recycling waste tires. Effectively recycling waste tires such as manufacturing wood-rubber-based composites could be one of the solutions. This research, physical and mechanical properties of particleboard made from waste tire powder and wood particles were investigated. The variable in this research were the ratio of waste tire powder to wood chips (at five levels; 0:100, 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, 40:60). Industrial wood particles from Sanate Choube Shomal Company were used. Urea formaldehyde resin used at 10 percent level of dry weight of raw material as well as ammonium chloride was used as a catalyst at 2 percent level of the dry weight of adhesive. After the mixing process raw material together, mat at temperature of 170°c for 5 minutes under hot press was placed. Physical and mechanical properties of panels measured according to EN Standard. Also the dispersion of waste tire in particleboard was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Physical and mechanical properties of panels analyzed using variance analysis in 5% probability level. The results showed, increasing waste tire percent resulted in decreasing the bending strength, modulus of elasticity and internal bonding of the boards. Although melting of the tire might be expected to increase bonding strength with the wood, this did not happen at the temperatures applied in this study, because the waste tire might melt at temperatures higher than 170°c. Based on images of scanning electron microscopy, it is clear that tire has not melted at the press temperature and has been created no connection with wood. Water absorption and thickness swelling after 2 and 24 hours immersion in water decreased with increasing of the waste tire content, So that the maximum of WA and TS after 2 and 24 hours of immersion in water were found in control specimens and the minimum value of these factors were found in the boards contain of 40 percent of the waste tire. Results showed, there was usability of the waste tire up to 20 percent for general purpose boards and up to 10 percent for interior fitments (including furniture) for use in dry conditions