Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of commercial panels produced with sugarcane bagasse to investigate the possibility of us for the production of furniture. We evaluated industrial MDP (Medium density particleboard) panels made of Eucalyptus and Pinus by two Brazilian companies and an industrial MDP panel made from sugarcane bagasse, produced in China. We tested the physical characteristics of water absorption and thickness swelling of the panels after 2 and 24 h of immersion in water. To estimate the moisture content and density, we followed the procedure detailed in NBR 14810-3¹. The mechanical properties were characterized by performing bending (moduli of elasticity and rupture), compression (moduli of elasticity rupture), internal bonding, screw pullout and Janka hardness tests. We found that panels made from sugarcane bagasse showed comparable with or superior physical and mechanical properties to those made from Eucalyptus and Pinus.
Highlights
The furniture industry is characterized by the combination of several production processes that involve different raw materials and a broad variety of final products
We obtained five industrial MDP panels made from Eucalyptus and Pinus produced by two Brazilian companies and five industrial MDP panels made from sugarcane bagasse, which were produced in China
We observed that the panels made from sugarcane bagasse were inferior to the panels made from Pinus in terms of their physical properties
Summary
The furniture industry is characterized by the combination of several production processes that involve different raw materials and a broad variety of final products. This industry can be classified mainly according to the materials from which the furniture is made (for instance, wood and metal) or how the furniture is used (for instance, home and office furniture). Silva[3] states that solid wood was the first raw material used to produce furniture, but the use of this material has become increasingly rare due to the reduction in the availability of timber. Between 80% and 90% of the particleboard panels produced are intended for furniture production
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