Evaluation of Balsa wood (Ochroma pyramidale) waste and OSB panels with castor oil polyurethane resin

ABSTRACT This research presents an advanced characterization of Balsa wood waste to evaluate its potential use as raw material for Oriented Strand Board (OSB) panel. For that, chemical, thermal and microstructural characterization of the Balsa wood particles were performed followed by the production and characterization of OSB agglomerated with castor oil polyurethane resin (Pu-Castor oil). The results indicated that the lignin content of the Balsa wood waste was lower than the content found in Pinus spp. wood, used in the industrial production of OSB panels, demonstrating the need for higher resin contents to ensure a perfect agglomeration of the particles. Microstructural analysis indicated that the Balsa wood presented characteristics to be used as a constituent raw material of OSB with Pu-Castor oil. The physical-mechanical characterization indicated that the material can be classified as OSB type 1 in accordance with the EN 300:2006 guidelines and is suitable for application in internal environments.