Binderless particle board made from 100% coconut husk

Binderless particle board made from 100% coconut husk
Fri Jan 13,2006
Manila Bulletin
http://www.mb.com.ph/BSNS2006011353751.html#

After the successful commercialization of virgin coconut oil (VCO) last year, scientists had discovered a new product out of coconut waste materials, particularly from coconut husks, which can now be used in the local construction industry as particle boards.

The Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI), a DoST agency based in Los Baños, Laguna, has developed a binderless particle board made of 100 percent coconut husks.

In a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin, Dr. Dwight Eusebio, FPRDI project leader for the Pilot Scale Production of Binderless Coco Coir Boards, said that the project was aimed at establishing the conditions for making high performance, environmentally-safe building and packaging materials from coco coir without the need to use expensive and hazardous synthetic binders like formaldehyde.

He added that coco coir contains a lot of lignin which converts into a natural binder once it is hotpressed.

For this year, however, the agency is planning to "determine the durability of the coco coir binder boards when it becomes exposed to the environment," Eusebio said.

Eusebio added this will determine if the particle boards made of 100 percent coconut husks would be able to resist deterioration during extreme heat and heavy rains.

"Because we expect questions like this to come up (from investors) someday," he said.

A panel product produced through pressing under heat and pressure, Eusebio said that coco coir binderless boards are also being promoted by the agency as "exterior paneling."

The coco coir binderless board is a technology which originated from the Netherlands’ Agro Technology and Food Innovations B.V. (A&F).

Eusebio however said the agency is planning to establish its own parameters in coming up with a "Filipino" method of conducting its own hot pressing schedule for the coco coir boards wherein 25 minutes is allotted for hot pressing time before disseminating the information to commercial plants.