Properties of Particleboard Using Bagasse, Sisal and Waste Carpet

The demand for manufactured panels for construction, furniture and other applications place strains on the forestry industry leading to deforestation. Similarly, one component of the very large waste stream from construction and renovation is post consumer carpet. The post consumer carpet waste and widely available waste biomass streams can be used to produce panels sustainably. Laboratory scale panels were produced with several ratios of bagasse and carpet to deduce a reasonable formulation to produce M-2 grade particleboard. The selected formulation was used to produce several industrial prototype panels of 18mm thickness for independent testing. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the reliability of attaining required properties of several grades of particleboard. M-2 grade particleboard can be produced with greater than 95% reliability using 75% bagasse, 20% post consumer carpet, and 5% pMDI binder.