DEVELOPMENT OF ECO-FRIENDLY PARTICLEBOARD COMPOSITES USING RICE HUSK PARTICLES AND GUM ARABIC

The use of natural sponge particles (rice husks) as reinforcement for the production of particle board was the thrust of this research work. These fibres being cheap and readily available with low energy demand during manufacturing are strong contenders for this work. The particles, whose mass fraction was the variable in this work were cut down into smaller sizes and mixed with resins and other binders. The resulting slurry was then poured into rectangular moulds, which were compacted until the composite became hard. Microstructure, water absorptivity, and scatter index tests were carried out on the various samples with gum Arabic and formaldehyde (top bond), which showed the best binder combination for effective properties. These tests confirmed the possible use of sponge particles as reinforcement in the production of particle board. The developed particle board composites can be use