Utilization of commercially available resource for particleboard and MDF. Part IV. Evaluation of mountain pine beetle-killed lodgepole pine as raw material for HDF manufacturing
The feasibility of using mountain pine beetle-killed (MPB) lodgepole pine as raw material for high density fibreboard (HDF) manufacturing was evaluated by making a series of HDF panels from green and MPB pine particles at five mixing ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100). Fibres were characterized for fibre length and width distributions. HDF boards were evaluated by measuring board density profiles and physical and mechanical properties, such as internal bond (IB) strength, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), 24-h thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA), 24-h Edge TS, and linear expansion (LE). Test results show that substitution of more than 25% green pine with MPB pine seemed to have a negative impact on board IB strength; however, no adverse impact was observed for other board properties. In general, the use of MPB pine seems to improve board performance, particularly at the 25% substitution level. In addition, the fibres derived from green and MPB pines had similar length and width distributions when both pine chips were refined under the same conditions. This study implies that MPB lodgepole pine is a suitable raw material for HDF manufacturing.