Physical and mechanical properties of binderless medium density fiberboard (MDF) from coconut fiber

Coconut fiber is a natural fiber extracted from coconut coir, a by-product of coconut based product. It is a potential material for fiberboard because it contains high cellulose and lignin which is similar to wood. Binderless medium density fiberboard (MDF) from coconut fiber was produced to reduce the consumption of wood and the emmission of synthetic adhesives such as urea formaldehyde using lignin as natural binder. The purpose of this research were to determine the physical and mechanical properties of MDF from coconut fiber based on SNI 01-4449-2006 and JIS A 5905:2003 and to investigate the effect of oxidation treatment, additional paraffin, and pressing time to the physical and mechanical properties of the fiberboard. The results showed that the fiberboards produced on this research had medium density of 0.44-0.56 g/cm3 which met the standard for MDF. Most of fiberboards from coconut fiber obtained in this study met the standard for physical properties such as density, moisture content, thickness swelling, and screw holding power. However, the mechanical properties such as modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, and internal bond of the fiberboards had not met the SNI 01-4449-2006 and JIS A 5905:2003 because of the lack of materials strength.