Particleboard panels made with sugarcane bagasse waste—an exploratory study

The reuse of natural fibers, in order to manufacture a new product, is already becoming popular due to the generation of a series of advantages in social areas. Sugarcane bagasse is a set of tangled fibers of cellulose, produced in large quantities due to increased acreage and industrialization of sugarcane resulting from public and private investments in production aimed for the alcohol industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of producing sheet timber manufacture from the sugarcane bagasse, analyzing mechanical strength properties. A form of metal sheet for the molding of 12 specimens based on sugarcane bagasse and industrialized resin was made. Soon after molding, specimens were submitted to a three-point bending test, with the aid of a press. The analysis of the results allowed to conclude that the tensile strength and the modulus of elasticity did not obtain the minimum values recommended by the standard. The tensile strength must be improved to allow panels to be useful for ordinary strength applications.