Developing Environmentally Friendly Wood Composite Panels by Nanotechnology

Abstract

Nanoscience and nanotechnology provide numerous opportunities for enhancing the properties of wood composites. Formaldehyde emissions from wood composites are of great importance because of their negative impact on human health. Developing low formaldehyde-emitting particleboard and plywood panels as environmentally friendly composites by nanotechnology was the object of this study. The urea formaldehyde and melamine urea formaldehyde resins that were used to produce particleboard and plywood panels, respectively, were reinforced with various nanomaterials at different loading levels. Formaldehyde emission tests were carried out according to standard TS 4894 EN 120. The results acquired in this work indicated that nanomaterial reinforcement significantly affected the formaldehyde emission properties of the particleboard and plywood panels. Formaldehyde emissions of the composite panels decreased after reinforcement with nanoSiO(2), nanoAl(2)O(3), and nanoZnO materials at proper loading levels. Therefore, using nanotechnology, it is possible to produce environmentally friendly wood composite panels with low formaldehyde emissions.