Potential for using tropical solid wood waste from the Amazon for the production of edge glued panels

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of solid wood waste of the following species Cedrela odorata, Enterolobium schomburgkii, Erisma uncinatum, and Qualea paraensis for the manufacture of edge glued panels. The quality of the finger joint and edge bonding with PVA and EPI adhesives, respectively, with spreading rates of 180 g.m-2, was evaluated through static bending, parallel tensile, and shear tests, using ASTM D 5572, EN 13353, and EN 13354 standards. A total of 1,460 test specimens exposed to dry, high temperature, triple cycle, and wet pre-treatments were tested for glue line resistance. The results of all tests for all pre-treatments of finger joints and edge bonding demonstrated the potential of wood waste for the manufacture of edge glued panels for interior use in dry environments. There was a tendency for resistance values to be balanced in splices and joints combined with mixtures of species, possibly due to the densities of the wood pieces. Wet pre-treatment delivered excellent lower 5th percentile results, highlighting the potential of Amazonian tropical solid wood waste for the production of edge glued panels.