Manufacture of strand board bonded with disposal expanded polystyrene as binder

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of strand board bonded with disposal expanded polystyrene (EPS) as binder. The strand board was manufactured using strand made from Douglas-fir beams selected from construction scrap wood. The strands were oriented, and two types of three-layer (face-core-face) strand board were manufactured: one in which the board bonded with only disposal EPS (P board), and the other in which the board bonded with disposal EPS after isocyanate compound adhesive was applied to the strand (M board). The physical and mechanical properties of the boards were evaluated based on the Japanese Industrial Standard for Particleboards (JIS A 5908). The main results obtained were as follows: bending strength properties and internal bond (IB) strength of P board had larger than those of type 18 PB and 24-10 PB standard. However, thickness swelling (TS) of the board was large, and the problem in water-proof property of the board remained. Bending strength properties, IB strength and TS of M board were larger than those of type 24-10 PB standard. The performance of M board showed equal or larger performance than those of control board.