Management of Forest Residues as a Raw Material for the Production of Particleboards

Expanding the base of raw materials for use in the production of wood-based materials, researchers and panel manufacturers around the world are increasingly trying to produce panel prototypes from raw materials available in a given area and climate, or by managing waste from wood industry processing. The aim of the study was therefore to test the hypothesis that forest residues de-rived from Scots pine roundwood harvesting have the same suitability for the production of three-layer particleboard as the wood of the most valuable part of the Scots pine stem, by comparing selected properties of raw wood material and final product—particleboard. Characterization of both the raw material and the physical-mechanical and hygienic properties of the produced panels was carried out. For these panels from the tree trunk, MOR was 14.6 N/mm2, MOE 1960 N/mm2 and IB 0.46 N/mm2. The MOR and IB values turned out to be higher for the panel from the branch and are 16.5 and 0.72 N/mm2, respectively. Excessive swelling of the panels resulted in all manufactured particleboards meeting the standardized performance requirements of EN 312 for interior furnishing panels (including furniture) for use in dry conditions (type P2).