Suitability of kiwi (Actinidia sinensis Planch.) prunings for particleboard manufacturing

The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of kiwi prunings as a raw material for particleboard manufacturing. The kiwi is a new cultivation in the East Black Sea Region of Turkey. Kiwi pruning particles and industrial wood particles in various proportions were used as the raw material for the core and surface layers of the three-layer particleboard. Commercial urea formaldehyde (UF) adhesive was used as a binder. Anatomical descriptions, chemical properties (holocellulose, cellulose, lignin and ash contents, alcohol-benzene, hot and cold water solubility, solubility in dilute alkali (1% NaOH)) and basic characteristics of the kiwi stalks (density, weight proportion of bark, core and pith), physical (thickness swelling (TS), water absorption (WA)), and mechanical (modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), internal bond (IB)) properties of particleboards were determined. The results showed that kiwi stalks had higher fiber length, width and wall thickness values than the wood of common forest species. They had higher solubility values, lignin and ash contents than those of the other plants. Increasing of kiwi pruning particles usage in the core negatively affects the board properties. Containing up to 50% kiwi pruning particles in the core, the MOR exceed the minimum requirements of the European standards, for general purpose. All of the particleboards produced from kiwi prunings had IB higher than the requirement. The WA and TS values were very high (poor). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.