Enhancement of mechanical strength of particleboard using environmentally friendly pine (Pinus pinaster L.) tannin adhesives with cellulose nanofibers

Condensed tannins have been successfully used as substitutes for phenol in the production of resins for wood products. However, the enhancement of the properties of tannin-based resins with nontoxic and cost effective additives is of great interest. In the present work, the performance enhancement of tannin-based particleboards with cellulose nanofibers was investigated. In presence of 2 % of cellulose nanofibers, the viscosity of tannin-based adhesives and the internal bonding strength (IB) of the corresponding particleboards were increased from 350 to 5,462 mPa·s and from 0.85 to 0.98 MPa respectively. The modulus of elastic (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) of the resins were also notably increased while thickness swelling (TS) of the panels was not affected. The addition of cellulose nanofibers to tannin adhesives is an effective method for the production of high performance particleboards. Tannin-based adhesive containing 2 % of cellulose nanofibers exhibits the best mechanical strength. The addition of cellulose nanofibers into tannin-based adhesives notably enhanced the mechanical properties of the wood particleboards produced. The formulation containing 2 % (w/w) of cellulose nanofibers exhibited the best mechanical strength.