Development of plywood bonded with a novel adhesive film made from polystyrene foam waste dissolved in D-limonene

Abstract

ABSTRACT The polystyrene film as a formaldehyde-free adhesive for plywood production was developed from polystyrene foam waste (PSF) and D-limonene, extracted from orange peel waste. The influence of the weight ratio of solvent (D-limonene) to foam in the range of 1, 1.5 and 2 (w/w) on the properties of adhesive film and plywood panels was studied. In addition, the effects of pressing temperatures of 150°C, 165°C and 180°C on the properties of the plywood were investigated. The adhesive film was characterized by measuring the melt flow index, the average molecular weight of the polymers and by FTIR. The bonding quality of the adhesive films was investigated by shear strength tests. Integrated gel permeation chromatography has also shown that the average molecular weight of PSF is drastically reduced by doubling the solvent content. Shear strength and bending properties were also significantly reduced by doubling the weight ratio of solvent to foam. The mechanical properties of plywood are positively affected with increasing press temperature to 165°C. In general, plywood bonded with an adhesive film prepared with a solvent to foam weight ratio of 1 and press temperature of 165°C was fulfilled the requirement according to EN314-2 for interior use.