ABSTRACT

This study seeks to evaluate the flame-retardant characteristics of experimental particleboard manufactured from coconut fibre using modified potato starch as a green binder. The coconut fibre was used as a replacement for the wood as a raw material in particleboard production. The adhesives used in the process were made by modifying potato starch with citric acid and glutardialdehyde. No flame-retardant additive was added during the processing, and this was done to evaluate the flame-retardant potential of the experimental coconut fibre-based particleboards. The limited oxygen index (LOI) test, the bomb calorimetry, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were used to evaluate the thermal properties and flame retardancy rate of such particleboards. The result of the DMA showed that   the coconut fibre-based particleboards had good storage modulus with heat. The bomb   calorimeter and LOI results also supported the flame-retardant performance of the panels. Based on the evaluations, it could be prescribed that the coconut fibre particleboard   made with citric acid modified potato starch (CAMPS) exhibited the best flame-retardant   properties.  

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