Surface Treatment of Fiberboard Wood Pulp Mat with Dispersed Water (by the Example of Arian Sina MDF Company)

Abstract

This research focuses on the effect of mat water spraying on the production yield and the quality of medium density fiberboard (MDF) on an industrial scale at Arian Sina MDF Company. A total of 180 raw medium density fiberboard panels, each with dimensions of 3.66×1.83×0.016 m, manufactured by the company in 2018, have been used as the experimental samples. These samples have been produced under various conditions, including 3 different groups: 1 – without mat water spraying; 2 and 3 – with mat water spraying using 40 and 50 g/m² of water, correspondingly. Other parameters have included a constant adhesive content (10 % of dry fiber content), a fixed mat moisture content (7 %), and the use of poplar species (70 %) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis (30 %). Additionally, a hardener (at 0.8 % of the dry weight of glue) has been applied. The results have demonstrated that water spraying onto both sides of the mat increases the strength properties and improves the production yield. This enhancement is attributed to the reduced time required for transferring heat from the press plates to the core layer of the mat. Furthermore, X-ray vertical profile density analysis has indicated that water spraying onto the mat surface also increases the surface and core layer density of the panels.