The purpose of this study is to evaluate the suitability of renewable Egyptian biomass for full-scale manufacturing process to produce particleboards of requested quality. The tested raw materials are based on Sesbania aegyptiaca plant (Sesbania Sesban), Banana pseudo-stem and grain Sorghum stalks. For evaluating these raw materials, the chemical properties of the selected materials and sugarcane bagasse (the conventional raw material in Egypt) were compared including holocellulose, Alfa-cellulose, lignin , ash contents, alcohol-benzene extractives, hot water extractives and solubility in dilute alkali (1% NaOH). In addition, the physical properties were determined including fiber length, diameter and cell wall thickness, scanning with SEM, estimate of α-cellulose degree of polymerization (DP) and pH of lignocellulosic materials.
Three layers particleboards were made from the selected materials and sugarcane bagasse using urea formaldehyde (UF) as a binder. The physical and mechanical properties of the manufactured panels such as density, thickness swelling (TS), modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), and internal bond (IB) were measured and compared with those panels which were manufactured from sugarcane bagasse.
Both of physical and mechanical properties of panels which are manufactured from Sesbania Sesban and grain Sorghum stalks are closed to those from sugarcane bagasse and all of produced panels met the requirement of European standard (EN 314-2010): the Load bearing boards for use in dry conditions type (P4), but panels which are manufactured from Banana pseudo-stem do not meet the requirement of European standard.