The Manufacture of Particleboards using Sunflower Stalks (helianthus annuus l.) And Poplar Wood (populus alba L.)

In this study, three-layer particleboards are produced from a mixture of sunflower stalks (Helianthus annuus L.) and poplar wood (Populus alba L.) at certain ratios utilizing urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesives. Panels with a density of 0.7 g/cm 3are manufactured with the ratios of 25, 50, and 75 percent particles from sunflower stalks or poplar. For comparison, panels are solely manufactured with sunflower stalks and poplar wood. All panels are tested for physical properties (thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA)) and mechanical properties (internal bond (IB), modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), and screw holding capacity (SHC)). Results show that all the panels provide properties required by the Turkish standards for general purpose-use particleboards. Furthermore, properties of the panels have improved with the rising percentage of poplar particles in the panels. The combination of sunflower stalks and poplar particles can be used at different ratios and the resulting panels can be utilized in indoor applications for general purposes such as furniture manufacturing. This result may prove that sunflower stalks can be an alternative raw material for the manufacture of particleboards.