Abstract
A solid composite board was prepared by hot-pressing steam-exploded beech chips as the principal element.Steam-exploded beech powder (SE) was prepared by steaming beech chips at 210℃ for 10 min, which induced significant thermoplasticity and moldability. A bakelite-like solid board was molded from SE under the pressure of 90 kgf/cm²at 160℃for 10 min. The mechanical properties of SE-alone boards with a density of 1.2g/cm³were: bending strength, 270 kgf/cm² ; hickness swelling after 24 hr of immersion in water, 15.9%. On the other hand, the bending strength and thickness swelling of boards induced by the addition of 30 phr synthetic polymers to SE were 370 kgf/cm² and 4.65% with water-soluble phenolic resin, 439 kgf/cm² and 3.08% with alcohol-soluble phenolic resin, and 347 kgf/cm² and 5.69% with polystyrene, respectively. The boards made by the addition of 30 phr synthetic polymers showed good performance as compared with SE-alone boards.
