Com-Ply Board Properties Made from Oil Palm Trunk Bonded with
Isocyanate, Phenol Formaldehyde and Urea Formaldehyde
Apri Heri Iswanto, Irawati Azhar, Tito Sucipto and Fazila Oktaviani Tarigan
Department of Forest Product, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Padang Bulan, Medan 20155, Indonesia
Keywords: Oil palm trunk, Com-Ply, PF, UF, Isocyanate.
Abstract: Problem of Indonesian wood industry is lack of wood as raw material. Need alternative materials to solve that
problem. Oil palm trunk is one of non-wood lignocellulosic material that potential to develop for material
substitution in the wood industry, especially of biocomposite industry. The objective of this research was to
evaluate of physical and mechanical properties of com-ply made from oil palm trunk bonded with UF, PF,
and isocyanate resin. The results showed that isocyanate resin produced the best properties of the board. All
parameters fulfill the requirement of JIS A5908 (2003). For all resin type, 7% adhesive level resulted in the
best properties of the board.
1 INTRODUCTION
The general problem of the Indonesiaan wood
industry is the lack of wood as raw material. Many
research had been done to find alternative material
from non-wood lignocellulosic materials. Oil palm
trunk is one of lignocellulose non-wood materials that
abundant in Indonesia. Sumatra islands are the
biggest plantations of oil palm in Indonesia. In the
plantation area, non-productive oil palm plant after
cutting process only became waste. This research
would try to utilize of oil palm trunk for biocomposite
materials, especially of the com-ply board.
Com-ply is biocomposite made from a
combination of particleboard for the core layer and
veneer for the surface layer (Tsoumis, 1991; Forest
Product Laboratory, 1999; Haygreen and Bowyer,
1985). Com-ply had better strength compared to
particleboard. Iswanto et al. (2017) reported that
utilization of veneer as a surface layer in
particleboard can improve the bending strength of
non-wood particleboard. In the producing of Com-
ply, adhesives have an essential role to result ining the
right product. Forest Product Laboratory (1999)
classified the adhesive into three types namely
exterior type (Phenol Formaldehyde-PF, Resorcinol
Formaldehyde-RF, Phenol Resorcinol
Formaldehyde, Isocyanate Emulsion, and Melamine
Formaldehyde-MF), limited exterior type (Melamine
Urea Formaldehyde-MUF, Isosianat, and Epoxy) and
interior type (Urea Formaldehyde and Casein). The
objective of this research was to evaluate properties
of com-ply made from oil palm trunk bonded with
Isocyanate, Phenol-Formaldehyde and Urea
Formaldehyde.
2 MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Materials
Materials were used in this research consisted of oil
palm trunk (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) was collected
from a plantation in North Sumatra, Meranti wood
veneer and Isocyanate, Phenol-Formaldehyde (PF)
and Urea Formaldehyde (UF) resin.
2.2 Methods
The com-ply board was fabricated in size of 25 by 25
cm with density and thickness target of 0.7 g/cm3 and
1 cm respectively. Resin variation in that determined
in this research was 3, 5, and 7%. Com-ply board
composition consisted of veneer used as a surface
layer (face and back) and particle of oil palm trunk
used as a core layer. Detail manufacturing process
showed in Fig.1.
Iswanto, A., Azhar, I., Sucipto, T. and Tarigan, F.
Com-Ply Board Properties Made from Oil Palm Trunk Bonded with Isocyanate, Phenol Formaldehyde and Urea Formaldehyde.
DOI: 10.5220/0008386500050007
In Proceedings of the International Conference on Natural Resources and Technology (ICONART 2019), pages 5-7
ISBN: 978-989-758-404-6
Copyright
c
 2019 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
5

Figure 1: Diagram of com-ply manufacturing.
3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The properties of com-ply results of this research
shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Data of physical and mechanical properties com-
ply board.
Parameters
Resin
Level
Resin Type
Isocyanate
PF
UF
Thickness Swelling
(%)
3
25.17
43.73
61.60
5
21.94
32.65
60.88
7
17.80
25.56
59.93
Water Absorbtion (%)
3
50.51
141.03
105.97
5
57.94
90.86
98.14
7
51.43
71.67
88.87
Modulus of Elasticity
(kg/cm
2
)
3
63,644
65,116
26,254
5
55,291
76,101
38,227
7
60,653
78,020
40,886
Modulus of Rupture
(kg/cm
2
)
3
626
475
195
5
625
505
192
7
639
548
234
Internal Bond
(kg/cm
2
)
3
3.38
2.73
0.31
5
5.05
3.03
0.57
7
5.76
3.98
0.62
Screw Withdrawl
(kg/cm
2
)
3
37.9
27.50
20.98
5
51.6
33.19
25.57
7
54.8
41.21
35.76
3.1 Physical Properties
3.1.1 Thickness Swelling (TS) and Water
Absorption (WA) of Board
Thickness swelling values of the board were varied
from 17.80% to 61.60%. Isocyanate resin resulted in
the lowest value of TS. Chemical bonding of
isocyanate resin resulted in good bonding compared
to PF and UF resin. Isocyanate group (–N=C=O) will
react with the hydroxyl group (OH) from wood
resulted in urethane (Teco, 2005 and Mara, 1992).
Combination factors such as a non-polar, aromatic
compound of Isocyanate more resistant to hydrolysis.
Furthermore, the trend of the data showed that a high
level of resin resulted in decreasing of TS value for
all resin type. It similar research that conducted by
Iswanto et al. (2018a, 2018b, 2019), They reported
that effect of increasing adhesive level on decreasing
the TS of passion fruit hulls particleboard bonded
with UF resin. JIS A 5908 (2003) requiring of
maximum TS value is 12%, all adhesive types in this
research did not fulfill of standard. UF resin had the
highest value of TS. It is worst resin in order to
dimensional stability because UF more easy
hydrolysed of the hidrogen bond as a result of
humidity, strong acid, especially in medium to a high
temperature so UF (Pizzi 1994).
Water absorption values of the board were varied
from 50.51% to141.03%. Similar trend data with TS
value also shown in WA, isocyanate resin resulted in
lowest WA value. Even though in the lowest resin
level (3%), isocyanate produced better dimensional
stability compared to PF. Teco (2005) and Mara
(1992) stated that compared to PF and UF, the
adhesive bond of isocyanate resin is chemical bond,
so that results of stable bond and strong.
3.2 Mechanical Properties
3.2.1 Modulus of Elasticity (MoE) and
Modulus of Rupture (MoR)
The MoE values of board were varied from 26,254.42
to 78,020.03 kg/cm
2
. PF resin produced by hihgest
MoE value. Generally, PF and isocyanate resin had
fulfilled JIS A 5908 (2003) that requirement the
lengthwise of MoE minimum of 40,000 kg/cm
2
. The
adhesive level had a linier correlation with MoE
value. The increasing of adhesive level produced of
higher MoE value. Maloney (1993) stated that MoE
affected by amount and adhesives type, adhesive
bond, and fiber length of particle. The difference of
Oil Palm Trunk
Sawdust
Drying (MC~ 5-7%)
Blending
Sawdust+Resin
Mat Forming
Surface: Veneer; Core: Particleboard
Conditioning
(1 week)
Physical and Mechanical Testing
(JIS A 5908 – 2003)
ICONART 2019 - International Conference on Natural Resources and Technology
6

resin level had a significant effect on mechanical
properties.
The MoR values of the board were varied from
192.56 to 639.43 kg/cm
2
. JIS A 5908 (2003) that
requirement the lengthwise of MoR minimum of 300
kg/cm
2
. Similar with MoE value, PF and Isocyanate
resin resulted in higher MoR value, and the higher
level of adhesive produced of greater MoR value.
Bowyer et al. (2003) stated that the increasing of resin
up to optimum condition resulted in the rise of MoR
value, the excess of resin did not result significant
effect on MoR value.
3.2.2 Internal Bond (IB) and Screw
Withdrawl (SW)
Internal bond values were varied from 0.31 to 5.76
kg/cm
2
. JIS A 5908 (2003) that requirement of IB
minimum of 3 kg/cm
2
. Board bonded with UF resin
did not fulfill standard, meanwhile of PF and
isocyanate resin overall meet the standard excepted of
3% level for PF resin. Data trend showed that higher
resin level resulted in better IB value for all resin type.
Haygreen and Bowyer (1985) stated that the internal
bond would be perfect as the adhesive level increases.
Screw withdrawal values were varied from 20.98
to 54.82 kg. JIS A 5908 (2003) that requirement SW
minimum of 51 kg. According to the standard, only
isocyanate resin at 5 and 7 level that fulfill the
requirement of JIS A 5908 (2003). Similar to the
previous mechanical properties, the increasing of
adhesive level caused of increasing of SW value.
4 CONCLUSIONS
Over all com-ply bonded with isocyanate resin fulfill
JIS A 5908 (2003). For UF and PF adhesives, resin
level 7% produced the best of physical and
mechanical properties of com-ply. While for
isocyanate resin, 3% level can be produced of com-
ply that fulfill of standard.
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Com-Ply Board Properties Made from Oil Palm Trunk Bonded with Isocyanate, Phenol Formaldehyde and Urea Formaldehyde
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