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. 2022 Jun 30;14(13):2680.
doi: 10.3390/polym14132680.

Properties Enhancement of Oil Palm Trunk Plywood against Decay and Termite for Marine Applications

Atikah Che Ismail  1 , Sabiha Salim  1 , Paridah Md Tahir  2 , Seng Hua Lee  2 , Muhammad Aizat Abd Ghani  2 , Syeed SaifulAzry Al Edrus  2 , Fadhlin Qayyum Ahmad Faisal  2
Affiliations

Properties Enhancement of Oil Palm Trunk Plywood against Decay and Termite for Marine Applications

Atikah Che Ismail et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Oil palm trunk (OPT) veneers have the potential to be used in the production of plywood for marine applications. However, OPT is not resistant to fungal decay and termites, limiting its use in the production of marine plywood. As a result, in this study, phenolic resin treatment was used to improve the biological durability of OPT and produce marine grade equivalent (MGE) plywood. The OPT veneer was treated with medium molecular weight phenol formaldehyde (MmwPF) resin. The results showed that MmwPF resin with a solid content of 30% resulted in higher weight percent gain and polymer retention. Veneers treated with 30% MmwPF resin were then pressed for more than 10 min at temperatures above 140 °C. Dimensional stability, shear strength, bending strength, fungal decay resistance, and termite resistance were all tested on the plywood produced. The results of this study revealed that MGE plywood has satisfactory bonding quality and excellent biological durability. Good bending strength was recorded for the MGE plywood with modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity ranged between 31.03 and 38.85 MPa and 4110 and 5120 MPa, respectively. Rubberwood, as a reference sample in this study, is not durable (Class 5) against white rot fungi and is moderately durable (Class III) against subterranean termite attacks. Interestingly, MGE plywood produced in this study was found very durable (Class 1) against white rot fungi. It is also durable (Class II) and very durable (Class I) against termite attacks, depending on the pressing parameters employed. Based on their outstanding bonding quality, bending strength, and biological durability, the study confirmed the feasibility of OPT plywood for marine applications.

Keywords: decay; marine plywood; oil palm trunk; phenolic resin; termite; veneer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Weight percent gain (WPG) of OPT veneers as a function of resin solid content and soaking time.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Polymer retention (PR) of OPT veneers as a function of resin solid content and soaking time.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Plywood produced using designated pressing temperatures and times showed failure in bonding.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Weight loss of samples after 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-weeks exposure to white rot fungi.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Fungal growth observation of the MGE plywood (left) and control (right) after 8-week exposure to white rot fungi.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Visual appearance of the MGE plywood and control samples after an 8-week exposure to white rot fungi.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Weight loss of samples after 2-, 3-, and 4-weeks exposure to subterranean termites.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Visual appearance of the MGE plywood and control samples after a 4-week exposure to subterranean termites. Note: Red circle in control sample showed sign of attack by termites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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