RECYCLED POLYETHYLENE BONDED PARTICLE BOARD FROM PULPED AND UNPULPED GMELINA ARBOREA SAW DUST WASTES

Particle boards were prepared from saw dust wastes obtained from Gmelina aborea using polyethylene as binder. The boards were produced under three different compositional variables, namely: particles sizes (1 µm, 1.5 µm and 2 µm), densities (450kg/m3, 550 kg/m3 and 650 kg/m3) and mixing ratios ofsaw dust to polyethylene (30:70, 40:60 and 50:50). Part of the saw dust samples were chemically modified by pulping with caustic soda at 110oC and the effect of modification was examined on the physical and mechanical properties of the particle boards. The results showed that the chemically modified particle boards showed improved resistance to swelling and water absorption while a decrease was observed in the values of the modulus of rupture and elasticity

Modeling of acetosolv pulp yields from plantain stalk

Organosolv pulping processes have been developed as a substitute to the conventional process because of its little or no emission into the environment. Plantain stalk was subjected to acetosolv pulping at atmospheric conditions under the influence of three operating parameters, namely, concentration of acetic acid, H2SO4 – catalyst and time. The influence of the operationalvariables on the pulp yield was evaluated using a second - order factorial design. The results showed that the highest pulp yield was 64.14 % which was obtained at the lowest value of the operational variables. The greatest influence on the pulp yield was caused by the concentration of acetic acid while the H2SO4 – catalyst had the least. The polynomial equation derived predicted the pulp yields with errors less than 6 %.Keywords: Acetosolv, pulp yield, operational variables, factorial desig