Effect of waste melamine impregnated paper on properties of oriented strand board

The objective of this study is to evaluate some of the properties of oriented strand board (OSB) panels manufactured using waste melamine impregnated paper (WMIP) as filler. Shredded WMIP particles were used up to 50% with increment of 10% based on oven-dry wood weight in the core layer of experimental panels made from poplar (Populous euro × Americana) strands sprayed with urea formaldehyde as binder. A total of twelve three-layer panels with the dimensions of 40 cm by 40 cm by 1.0 cm having an average target density of 0.55 g/cm3 were manufactured. Mechanical and physical properties including modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture, internal bond strength, thickness swelling, and water absorption of the samples were determined according to EN 310, EN 319 and EN 317 standards, respectively. Based on the results of this work, the bending properties and internal bond strength values of the samples improved with increasing WMIP amount in the panels. In addition, thickness swelling and water absorption characteristics of the samples having WMIP content were lower than those of the control panels. It appears that WMIP could have potential to be utilized in OSB without any adverse influence on their strength properties.