Wood Panels from Sawdust and Wasted Plastic Materials: Influence of the Composition Mixture on Density and Permeability

International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 4, Issue 4, April-2013 344 ISSN 2229-5518

Wood panels from sawdust and wasted plastic materials: Influence of the composition mixture on density and permeability

E. C. Adjovi, E. T. Olodo, F. Niang, D. Guitard, A. Foudjet, D. P. kamdem

Abstract : This work presents the feasibility of recycling waste wood sawdust from furniture industries and polystyrene packaging materials as raw materials for the manufacture of wood plastic composite (WPC). This method of developing panels into polymer wood composite allows wood workers from developing countries to compensate the losses occurring during the transformation of wood into such sub-products. The process of valorization of those wastes consists of a mixture of wood particles of various granular composition with a binder made of polystyrene dissolvent in solvent (gasoline). The physical properties such as the density and the permeability have been determined. The obtained results show that the variation of the granular composition of the wood particles and of the dosage in binder influences the aspect, the density and the permeability of the composite.

Key words: Composite, polystyrene, wood particles, permeability, density.

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1 INTRODUCTION Donaldson et al. and Park and al. “[7] , [8]”. In a general way, many works about wood/polymer composites Generally, wood composite panels are (WPC) using a thermosetting resin as glue are achieved; manufactured with wood particles of different sizes and one can mention Park and al. ; Amen - Chen and al. “[8], shapes leading to variety of products such as fibreboard, [9]”. particleboard, wafer board, oriented Strand Board (OSB), - Cement [10], due to the cost and the environmental wood cement bonded fibreboard or particleboard, impacts associated to bonding agents, the general trend is plywood, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), oriented the reduction-elimination of the proportion of glue by Strand Lumber (OSL) and parallel Strand Lumber (PSL). using thermo-mechanical process. To insure the bonding between wood particles organic With new regulations regarding forest and forest and/or inorganic binders are used: - Urea - products management in Central and West Africa, more Formaldehyde (UF) gotten by reaction of the urea with and more logs are locally processed into value added formaldehyde by Steiner; Dunky; Xing; “[1], [2], [3]”. It is products such as lumbers for local utilization in furniture characterized by a big suppleness; it holds at 10-15° C and building construction products with generation of temperature and beyond. considerable amount of wooden residues. The use of - Melamine - Urea - Formaldehyde (MUF) the plastic packaging to protect and facilitate the transport of formulation of which is closed to the UF one, but a part of imported goods has been generating a lot of plastic waste the urea is replaced by the melamine to increase stream in Africa which represents a serious threat for the resistance to water and to inclemency. They are proposed environment. Drinking water in several African cities for a hot pressing but sometimes, they can be used cold. comes in plastic bags and plastic bottles. The water bags - Isocyanides, object of works of Kawai and Sasaki [4], and bottles are menace for environment. It is estimated constituted by two components: an emulsion of the that 100 grams of plastic waste is generated each day by acetate of polyvinyl and one of blocked isocyanine [5] the capital's three million in habitants of Ghana for a total also specify that isocyanides glues, essential of glues used of about 300 tons per day. This project falls within the to past wood or composites of wood, serve to bind the general concept of recycling plastic generated in urban fibers between them in the panels in order to assure the settings and sawdust from wood industries to produce cohesion of the whole. high value products. The objectives of this work is to - PTP resin (Polymeric material from Triglycerides and produce wood plastic composites using materials Polycarbonic anhydrides), polymer formulated from oil available in this case wooden residues such as sawdust of linen reticulate with an anhydride of acid. An and waste plastic bags and bottles recovered in waste imidazole is the catalysis of the reactions. This resin has stream, and then characterize their physical properties in been used by Boquillon and al. [6]. order to optimize their uses. - Phenol formaldehyde (PF), resin that would be distributed uniformly on the fibers according to 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1 Fibers Table 2. Composite references

Sawdust of three wood species namely Kaya Particle size D = Composite Composite senegalensis ; Pterocarpus erinaceus and Afzelia africana were grindings Mb / N° reference collected from local forest products industry located in d (mm) Ms Cotonou (Benin). Sawdust was screened according to 1 E1-D1 0,315

The measure of density has been performed by 2.2 Binders weighing; using two methods of sampling rectangular specimens measuring actual thickness by 1.1 cm by7.5 by Recycled waste plastic bags and bottles made of 31.4 cm were machined from each panel and used to polystyrene were selected and used as binder. determine the density. It is important to point that face Polystyrene was dissolved in a gasoline used for motor layer was reduced to produce specimens with maximum engine in a weight to weight ratio of 1 to 1.2.m adopted core and minimum face content. empirically. The density of the resultant liquid mixture Another method which consists in extracting disks of was 850 kg/m3 and resolidifies at of (25-30 ° C) indoors about 5 cm diameter and 2 cm thickness and used for within 48 hours. No attempt was made to evaluate the density measurement. These specimens were used viscosity and the amount of volatile organic carbon elsewhere for permeability measurements. Note that (VOC) of the liquid mixture. those cylindrical specimens contain materials from core and face of each panel contrarily rectangular used 2.3 Production of experimental panels previously with minimum face content.

Several panels were made by varying the amount of wood sawdust (Ms) and the polystyrene-gasoline (Mb). Measure of Permeability In all cases, the ratio ( Mb / Ms ) of the weight of binder to wood dust was Permeability measurements were performed superior to one “[11],[12]”. The prototype panel size was with the PERMEAMETER of Laboratory Transfers, 2 cm by 50 cm by 50 cm for a nominal volume of 5 000 Flows, Fluids, Energetics, Bordeaux 1 university as cm3. The panel was obtained by cold pressing pasty represented in figure 1. mixture between two sheets of plywood in a mold of 4 cm deep. The panel is submitted to axial compression strength with a press equipped with a dynamometric ring calibrated to determine the applied strength. The distortion of the mixture is recorded by a displacement comparator. The maximal pressure (2.6 MPa) is noted when the needle of the comparator indicating the strength of compression falls counterclockwisethe. Table 2 lists the twelve (12) types of panel with different particle sizes and binder proportions. IJSER © 2013 http://www.ijser.org International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 4, Issue 4, April-2013 346 ISSN 2229-5518

(a) (b) Figure 2. Surfaces of sanded surface

Figure 1. Apparatus for permeability measurement Density of materials

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Figure 3 illustrates the density versus the particle sizes from smaller (E1) to bigger particle sizes (E6) for Experimental results on some basic physical and different wood dust to liquid blend polystyrene ratios elastic characteristics are listed in table 3. using rectangular and solid disk samples to estimate the Table 3. Density, permeability of the twelve types of density. It is clear from Figure 3 that density decreases panels. with the increase of wood particle size from E1 to E3 and then become almost constant with neglible effect on density. Density Density Permeability Material x T Kx1012 Number (kg/m 3) (kg/m3) (m2)

E1-D1 354 426 1,72 E2-D1 396 422 3,38 E3-D1 319 393 - E4-D1 328 389 2.36 E5-D1 329 405 3.16 E6-D1 314 379 1,82 E1-D2 558 586 - E2-D2 456 491 2,39 Figure 3. Density versus particle size E3-D2 431 481 2.45 E4-D2 420 472 2.50 Permeability of materials E5-D2 454 468 - E6-D2 443 467 1.94 The permeability measurements, using gas (nitrogen), for different panels are permeability -12 2 Surface appearance coefficients of the order of: k ~ 2,5 10 m . The permeability coefficient (Table 3) is independent The particle size range and distribution has a from the size of particles and does not seem sensitive to a positive impact on the surface roughness/ smoothness of change in dosage of binder (D1 and D2). the wood plastic composites (WPC) . After sanding, the These values are to be compared to the permeability of surface appearance of E1 class WPC, whose particle wood. diameter is between 0.315 and 0.630 mm, was smoother The permeability of the panels is of the order of than that of classes E5 and E6, which contain particles of the magnitude of the longitudinal permeability of a larger sizes. WPC made with 1.25 mm particle size wood hardwood or softwood sapwood [13]. sawdust have rough surfaces (Figure 2) and crumble Consequently, in terms of density, the products obtained during sanding operation suggesting a weaker product. are comparable to MDF. Permeability k is equivalent to At higher binder amount, the appearance and the that of solid wood in the direction of the fibres. machining operation were better confirming better products at 60 percent and more plastic composition. 4 CONCLUSIONS

Different types of wood plastic composites based on different sizes of wood particles, and polystyrene were IJSER © 2013 http://www.ijser.org International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 4, Issue 4, April-2013 347 ISSN 2229-5518 manufactured in laboratory using a cold press and tested [9] C. AMEN-CHEN, B.RIEDL, X.WANG, C. ROY, for their density and perméability. The permeability K “Softwood bark pyrolisis oil-PF resols, Part I: Resin was comparable to values obtained with wood , 2.5 10-12 synthesis and OSB mechanical properties, “ Holzforschung m2 , respectively again comparable to thatof a dry wood. vol. 56, n°167-175, 2002. Environmental studies need to be carried to determine [10] M, HACHMI, A. SESBOU, A, ZOULALIAN, E. their potential use for building construction and other MOUGEL, H. AKAÂBOUNE, K. ZOUKAGHE, uses where the release of solvent may be a problem. “Comportement de différentes biomasses marocaines These products are therefore intended to provide dans la fabrication de composites bois-ciment/gypse,“ functions as a thermal insulating material fills in the Forêt méditerranéenne; vol. 30, n°3, p. 257-264, 2009. walls, for example, wood-frame structures, containers [11] E.C., ADJOVI, V. GBAGUIDI, G. GBAGUIDI, F. suits, insulated space, etc... NIANG, A. FOUDJET E., D. GUITARD G. “Composite à base de déchets des industries de bois et de polystyrène ACKNOWLEDGEMENT expansé d’emballage : Etude d’une possilité d’applications, “ Rev. CAMES « Sciences et Médécine » série The authors wish to thank the “ Agence A vol. 2, n° 73-76, 2010. Universitaire de la Francophonie: for funding this project, [12] E. Agoua, E. A. Houessou, E. Adjovi, B. Togbedji, the Laboratory of Solid Mechanics of the Ecole “Tehermal conductivity of composites made of wastes of Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, for making available wood,” Construction and Building Materials, n° 41, 557-562, shuman and materials to Prof. Edmund Adjovi 2013. [13] P. PERRE, “Le séchage du bois dans le Bois, “ REFERENCES Matériau d’ingénierie, ARBOLOR, 1994 Author details : [1] P.R. Steiner, “Behavior of urea-formaldehyde wood E.C. Adjovi : Ecole Polytechnique d’Abomey-Calavi adhesives during early stages of cure,”Forest Prod.J., vol. (EPAC)/Université d’Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Benin 37, n°1, 20-22, 1987. O1 BP 2009 Cotonou, E-mail : [email protected] [2] M.DUNKY “Urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive resins E.T. Olodo: Ecole Polytechnique d’Abomey-Calavi EPAC, for wood,” Int. J. Adhésion &Adhésives ,vol.18 95-107, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin 1998. 03BP1409 Cotonou, E-mail: [email protected] [3] C. XING, “ Characterization of urea-formaldehyde F. Niang: University Insitute of Technology IUT/UT, resin efficiency affected by four factors in the University of Thies, Senegal manufacture of medium density fiberboard,” Thèse de D. Guitard: Laboratory Transfers, Flows, Fluids, doctorat, Département des sciences du bois et de la forêt Energetics, Bordeaux 1 university - France : de l’Université Laval, Québec, Canada, 2003. A. Foudjet Regional center of Special education in [4] S. KAWAI, H. SASAKI, “Production technology for Agronomy (CRESA forest-wood), low density particleboard I. Forming a density gradient University of Dschang - Cameroun and its effects on board properties,” Mokuzai Gakkaishi D. P. kamdem: Department of forests, State university vol.32, n° 5 : 324-330, 1986. of Michigan - USA [5] J.W. ROSTHAUSER, K.W. HAIDER HUNT R. N., W. S. GUSTAVICH, “Chemistry of pMDI wood binders: Model studies,”31st Int. Particleboard/Composite Materials Symposium Proceedings, Pullman, Washington, USA, 1997. [6] N. BOQUILLON, U. SCHÖNFELD, “ Etude de polymères obtenus par réticulation d’huile de lin époxidée : Application comme adhésif pour la mise en forme de panneau de paille et comme matière renforcée par des fibres de chanvre, “Jadh , n° 117-120, 2001. [7] L.A. DONALDSON, T.D. LOMAX , “Adhesive / fiber interaction in medium density fiberboard,” Wood. Sci. Technol. Vol. 23, n° 371-379, 1989. [8] B-D. PARK, B. RIEDL, W. HSU E., J. SHIELDS “Application of cure-accelerated phenol formaldehyde (PF) adhesives for three-layer medium density fiberboard (MDF) manufacture,” Wood Sci. Technol. Vol. 35, n° 311- 323, 2001.