Manufacture of thin rice straw particleboards bonded with various polymeric methane diphenyl diisocyanate/ urea formaldehyde resin mixtures

Reducing particleboard thickness is one of the major approaches to decrease consumption volume of particleboard for furniture manufacture. This study employed an adhesive mixture of polymeric methane diphenyl diisocyanate (PMDI) and urea formaldehyde (UF) to produce single-layer medium density thin rice straw particleboard. The effects of various PMDI/UF formulations as well as board density on mechanical properties and water resistance of rice straw particleboard were studied. The results indicated that the mechanical properties and water resistance of the thin rice straw particleboard were appreciably affected by resin formulation. The panels bonded with PMDI/UF adhesive mixtures had mechanical properties and water resistance far superior to those bonded with UF. Higher PMDI content levels in resin mixtures led to improved mechanical properties and water resistance. Density influenced mechanical properties and water resistance of the thin rice straw particleboard. Increasing the density of the panel could upgrade the mechanical properties of the thin rice straw particleboard. The experimental outcomes showed that PMDI/UF resin systems had potential to substitute for pure PMDI resin in producing thin rice straw particleboard, which could effectively lower manufacturing cost and bring economic efficiencies due to reduced amount of pricey PMDI.