Investigation of the effects of heat treatment on medium density fiberboard (MDF)

In particular, materials such as medium density fiberboard (MDF) have advantages such as high strength, homogeneous structure and easy processability, but disadvantages such as sensitivity to water and formaldehyde emission. To minimize these disadvantages and increase the durability of the material, methods such as heat treatment are used. This study was carried out to determine the effect of heat treatment at different temperatures on water swelling and formaldehyde emission values of MDF samples. Fiberboards with a thickness of 18 mm were used in the experiments. The fiberboard samples used in this study were kept at 120 °C, 150 °C and 180 °C for 2, 4 and 6 hours respectively. It was observed that water swelling and formaldehyde emission values decreased with increasing time and temperature in heat treatment.