Mechanical properties of particleboard made from leather shavings and
waste papers
Abstract
The demand for particle board has been increasing over the years.
Currently, most particleboards are produced from wood which may not be
sustainable in the long term. Therefore, there is need of exploring
alternative materials such as making particleboards from waste
materials. This study investigated the mechanical properties of
particleboard consisting of waste leather shavings and waste papers
blended together by unsaturated polyester. A single-layered
particleboards were manufactured using compression method. Different
resin content (60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%) and leather/paper ratios
(1:1, 1:3, 3:1) were used to determine the effects on the mechanical
properties (internal bond, bending strength, compression and impact
strength) of fabricated boards. From the results of this study, it was
found that leather shavings and waste papers can be used as alternative
raw materials for particleboard production and that mechanical
properties were depended on the resin content and the blend ratio. Also,
mechanical properties were reduced with resin content increment, except
for impact strength and improved by high paper blend ratio