Physical and mechanical properties of particleboard made from palm tree prunings

Abstract

Palm trees are very fast-growing species. Their management produces annually a large amount of biomass that traditionally has been either disposed of at dumping sites or has been burnt onsite. This paper presents an experimental study to obtain particleboard using this biomass in a low energy process (short pressing time and low pressing temperature), using particles of different sizes from the rachis (midrib) of the three palm species most representative of urban gardening in Spain: canary palm (Phoenix canariensis hort. ex Chabaud), date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and washingtonia palm (Washingtonia robusta H. Wendl). Their physical and mechanical properties were tested, and the feasibility of their use as a construction material was evaluated. The results showed that the manufactured particleboard had similar performance to conventional wood particleboard and good thermal insulation properties. Boards made with the canary species showed better mechanical performance. The properties of the particleboard depended on the particle size and species. The use of the pruning waste of palm trees to produce durable materials such as particleboard could be beneficial to the environment since it is a method of carbon fixation, helping to decrease atmospheric pollution and reducing the amount of waste that ends in dumping sites.