Physical and mechanical properties of particleboard bamboo waste bonded with urea formaldehyde and castor oil based adhesive

This study evaluated the physical and mechanical characteristics of particleboards made of bamboo waste from the species Dendrocalamus giganteus bonded with two different types of adhesives: urea-formaldehyde (UF) and a castor oil based adhesive (M). Thus, eight types of particleboards were produced in the proportions of 6%, 8%, 10% and 12% for each adhesive. The results showed that particleboards produced with UF and M adhesives had acceptable behavior for physical tests according to the Brazilian standard NBR 14810. The results attained in mechanical tests (MOR and MOE), for all particleboards, were below the requirements for structural usage. This indicates that the residue of bamboo is a feasible raw material alternative for particleboards produced for non structural purposes, such as liners, partitions and other uses for internal seal. Regarding the adhesives, the particleboards produced with UF particleboards showed superior results for both physical and mechanical characteristics, when compared to M particleboards with the same percentage of adhesive.