Utilization of Sweet Sorghum Bagasse and Citric Acid in the Manufacturing of Particleboard. III: Influence of Adding Sucrose on the Properties of Particleboard

Sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB) and citric acid (CA) were used as sustainable raw materials in the development of environmentally friendly particleboard. Sucrose was added to improve the mechanical and physical properties of the particleboard. The effects of the weight ratio between CA and sucrose on the physical properties of the particleboards were investigated. The mechanical properties of particleboards bonded with adhesives at 15/85 and 10/90 wt.% ratios of CA to sucrose were superior to particleboard with other ratios. The thickness swelling of the particleboard increased with an increasing sucrose ratio. Moreover, the physical properties of the particleboard were comparable to those of particleboard bonded using phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin and satisfied the requirements of the type 18 JIS A 5908 (2003) standard. Also, the brittleness of the particleboard was decreased by adding sucrose. Low formaldehyde emission and biological durability against termites and decay were obtained by particleboard under suitable ratios of CA to sucrose. According to the results from thermal analysis and infrared spectra measurement, reactions leading to ester linkages occurred among the CA, sucrose, and SSB components.