The Effect of Pressing Temperature and Time on the Quality of Particle Board Made from Jatropha Fruit Hulls Treated in Acidic Condition

Abstract

The high of pH of jatropha fruit hulls causes the n egative properties of particleboard made from this material. Adjusting the particle acidity and pressing conditions (tempe rature and time) is among the technical modificatio ns available to improve this particleboard’s properties. Particle acidity has been adjusted in a previous research pr oject, and immersing the particles in acetic acid was found to be the be st treatment in this preliminary research. In order to improve the particleboard’s properties, an experiment was condu cted to determine the best pressing temperature and time. The objective of the research was to evaluate the influ ence of pressing temperature and time on the physic al and mechanical properties of the board. Jatropha fruit hulls were immersed in 1% acetic acid solution for 24 hours. U F resin was used as the adhesive in the amount of 10%. The pressing temperatures and times used in this research were 110 °C, 120 °C, and 130 °C for 8 and 10 minutes, respectively. The particleb oards were tested to determine their physical and m echanical properties according to JIS A 5908-2003. The result showed that pressing at 130 °C for 10 minutes resulted in the best physical and mechanical properties. Increasing the pressing temperature at a constant time or increasi ng the pressing time at a constant temperature caused the particleb oard to exhibit decreased water absorption. The thi ckness swelling and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the particleboar d did not fulfil JIS A 5908-2003.