PRODUCTION OF PARTICLEBOARD PANELS FROM WOOD OF Ochroma pyramidale

The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of the species O. pyramidale for the production of particleboards. The trees, aged 6 years, came from the Municipality of Mira Estrela/SP state. The logs were peeled and processed in an industrial chopper to obtain particles. Eight treatments were carried out, varying the levels of paraffin emulsion (0, 1, 1.5 and 2%), and the levels of urea formaldehyde adhesives (10 and 12%). The particles went through a drying process until they reached 4% moisture. For pressing the panels, the parameters temperature of 160°C, specific pressure of 30 kgf/cm² and time of 10 minutes were used. The panels were tested by physical tests and mechanical tests, all following the procedures of the following standards: D-1037 (ASTM, 2006) for density, water determination and thickness increase and internal connection; DIN 52362 (1982) for parallel static bending. As a result, it was concluded that the increased addition of paraffin to the panels resulted in an improvement in their dimensional stability. The treatment that added 12% urea formaldehyde adhesive and 1.5% paraffin achieved superior results in mechanical properties, equivalent to 10390.91kgf cm-2 for the separation modulus, 101.46kgf cm-2 for the rupture modulus. The O. pyramidale particleboards reached the minimum values of 1.4 kgf/cm² for internal bonding and 56 kgf/cm² for the modulus of rupture required by CS 235-66 (1968), thus becoming a potential species for the production of particleboard panels.