PRODUCTION OF PARTICLE BOARD FROM RICE HUSKS

Abstract

Rice husk is one of environmental concerns due to its non-commercialized value and the huge amount of waste disposals. Rice husk is an agricultural by-product with high silica content. In Asia, the source rice husks are abundant as rice is the major food in that continent. Traditionally, the rice husks are burnt in air to manage the disposal. This contributes to the primary pollution. In this study, the rice husks are mix with the adhesive to produce particle board. Characterization of received rice husk are 5% of moisture content and the chemical bonding exists n rice husk is detected by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The FTIR result of the raw rice husk contains Si-O-Si bond the highest compared to other bond such as-OH bond, C-H stretching and other. Si-O-Si shows that the rice husk contains high concentration of silica which can increase the rate at which the material gains strength. The rice husk boards are made with different sizes of rice husks after being sieved. The sizes are 250 µ, 125 µ, 65 µ. The rice husks are mix with the adhesive of Carpenter™ Wood Glue, shape into the mould of 13.3 cm x 8.9 cm x 1.2 cm, pressed and dried in the oven. As for the fabrication, the rice husks are mixed with 10 g of sugarcane bagasse and the application of 90.91mL resin is introduced. All dried samples are then labeled and tested. The performance of the boards is examined by water absorption test, 10 kg load test and tensile test. The tests show the rice husk of the smallest size (65 µ) is the most suitable substitute for the wood products. It can stand 10 kg load test, absorbs water the less with only 3.923% absorption and shows the highest in tensile strength with 823.33 N. The structure looks tough and easy to mould as the rice husk used are the smallest. As for the modification, the addition of bagasse makes the particle board lighter and more attractive. Besides, it is able to reduce the sugarcane bagasse wastes. The application of the resin makes the particle board more resistance to water but not in strength. The resin can be used as a coating to make the particle board more resistant towards water. The developed particle board can be used as building material as they are wood-like, cheap and able to prevent termites.