Use of Soy/PF resin for Old Corrugated Container (OCC)-wood Composites

Abstract

In this study, Old Corrugated Container (OCC) was used as the raw material for producing composite materials. The objective of this study was evaluation of boards made of various ratios (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0) of OCC flakes to wood particle mixtures (wt:wt) with addition of Soy/PF resin at three levels (3.5, 7 and 10%) and 1.5% wax. All mechanical properties were tested according to European Norms (EN). Thickness swelling test was done according to DIN52364 standard and all data were analyzed statistically. The results showed that by increasing the amount of OCC flakes, thickness swelling and internal bond properties were deteriorated but bending strength was not affected significantly. By increasing the amount of resin, all properties of boards were improved. The use of OCC flakes in percentages up to 50% with 10% Soy/PF resin resulted in acceptable mechanical properties for specific applications in exterior uses.