Low density of hemp hurd (Cannabis Sativa L), better end of life impact, performance
comparable to wood chips and low energy requirement for cultivation make it a suitable
alternative raw material for particleboards (Pb). However, due to concerns about sustainability
and formaldehyde emissions, it is essential to develop the new bio-based resins from renewable
resources. In this research, the mechanical and physical properties of Pb produced from hemp
hurds (HH) and a variety of resins: Urea-formaldehyde (UF), formaldehyde-free acrylic resin
(Acrodur®) and bio-based soy resin (Soyad™) were compared to those of wood particles (WP)
bonded with UF. The results indicate that boards from HH are generally lighter than WP with a
5.6% variation between HH+UF and WP+UF. Hemp boards based on soy-resin showed higher
tensile performance, with an average of 0.43 MPa compared to the 0.28 MPa and 0.24 MPa of
(HH+UF) and (WP+UF) respectively. Nevertheless, thickness swelling (TS) of HH+UF (27%)
was the least, while there was no significant difference in the water absorption (WA) compared
to HH+Soyad4740, both were still lower than that of WP+UF. The overall outcome shows that
bio-based soy resin can be a suitable alternative to UF as a binder in Pb production
