Leucaena particleboard: A commercial trial

Abstract

In Malaysia, the depletion of raw materials has begun to impact mills, as their production could decrease or cease. This will impact the Malaysian wood-based economy, both locally and globally. Usage of trees with fast-growing characteristics is essential to add feedstock sources to mills. This study investigated the mechanical properties (MOR, MOR, IB, and screw withdrawal) of particleboard (density = 660 kg/m3) made of Leucaena leucocephala, rubberwood, and mixed tropical trees with different species ratios. The wood species ratios for the particleboards were 100% Leucaena, 50% Leucaena and 50% rubberwood, and 50% rubberwood and 50% mixed tropical wood. Boards with the dimensions 3680 mm × 2465 mm × 25 mm were produced. The results showed that all of the species ratios passed the minimum requirements for commercial use. The performance of the Leucaena particleboard was 17.40 MPa (MOR), 2654 MPa (MOE), 0.68 MPa (IB) and 623 N (Screw withdrawal). The Leucaena board performance matched that of the board made from the current raw materials used commercially (mixed tropical wood and rubberwood).