MECHANICAL AND PHYSICAL ANALYSIS OF SENGON PARTICLEBOARDS BONDED WITH MODIFIED PVAC ADHESIVES

Abstract

Wood processing waste especially sawdust is often underutilized. One effective way to optimize its use is by converting it into particleboards. This study explores the use of PVAc adhesive combined with citric acid and tapioca in producing particle boards from sengon wood particles. Three adhesive variations were tested: 40% PVAc, 20% PVAc + 20% citric acid, and 20% PVAc + 20% tapioca. Each composition used 40% adhesive and 60% air-dried wood particles by weight. The boards were hot-pressed at 160°C under a pressure of 30 kg/cm² for 10 minutes. The particleboards were evaluated based on the JIS A 5908-2003 standard for physical and mechanical properties. Physically, the boards met the standard. The highest density 0.525 g/cm³ was observed in boards with 20% PVAc + 20% tapioca, while the lowest moisture content 5.125% was found in boards with 40% PVAc. However, the mechanical properties did not meet the standard requirements. The highest Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) was 4372.776 kg/cm² in the board with 20% PVAc + 20% citric acid, and the highest Modulus of Rupture (MOR) was 66.48 kg/cm² in the board with 20% PVAc + 20% tapioca. Overall, the study shows that sengon wood particles combined with PVAc based adhesives and natural additives like citric acid and tapioca have potential as raw materials for particleboards, though improvements are needed in mechanical strength.