Production of particleboard by using waste expanded polystyrene (EPS) as binder

The usage of EPS is increasing day by day, especially in the food packaging sector. It is well known that disposal EPS needs a distinct method to process, thus requiring high costs. On the other hand, non-disposed waste EPS caused negatives effects on the environment, such as a severe threat to terrestrial and aquatic life in the long term. Therefore, recycling waste EPS to reduce these environmental problems has become necessary. This study aims to fabricate particleboard by using waste EPS as a binder and evaluating the physical and mechanical properties of the board. For this purpose, particleboards were made from kelempayan wood particles and mixed with different percentages of waste EPS of 10, 20, and 40%. The boards were pressed under 30 tons for 600 seconds at a temperature of 180 °C. The boards were then tested to evaluate the physical properties (moisture content, density, and swelling thickness) and mechanical properties (modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, and internal bonding strength) based on the Japanese Industrial Standards for Particleboard (JIS A 5908 Type 8). The results showed that the board made from 40% of waste EPS has the highest mechanical properties than the other boards. In conclusion, waste EPS has the possibility to be used as a binder in particleboard manufacturing.