Relation of transverse air permeability with physical properties in different compositions of sugarcane bagasse particleboards

Abstract

Studies concerning the production of particleboards with sugarcane bagasse as an alternative fibrous material have been carried out as an attempt to provide a sustainable and viable destination for this residue. This work aimed to evaluate the influence of several processing variables related to the microstructure of sugarcane bagasse particleboards (mat type, adhesive type and adhesive content) on their permeability and water sorption properties. Air permeability data was collected by the rotameter method. Superficial air permeability (kg), Darcian constant (k1) and non-Darcian constant (k2) were measured. kg was related to sorption behavior of the particleboards. 1-layer particleboards presented significantly higher kg values than the 3-layer particleboards. In general, adhesive type, position and content did not influence kg of particleboards. However, these processing variables influenced interactions between fluid and material and tortuosity of the porous media. Particleboards produced with urea-formaldehyde with high kg presented higher water absorption and thickness swelling after 24 hours. Such relations were not observed in particleboards produced with melamine-urea-formaldehyde.