The production of M.OSB ; Miscanthus lutarioriparius-based oriented strand particleboards ; A particular modified starch-based adhesive (paraffin-free) was added in
The content of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin reached 39.07%, 8.90%, and 12.48% at the late growth stage of M. lutarioriparius, which was higher than the other three kinds of agricultural residues (rice-straw, cornstalk, and wheat-straw). It, therefore, has better physical properties as a base material for particleboards. The findings of this paper are a supplement to previous studies on non-wood particleboard. In conventional processes, two types of chemicals are usually utilized: thermosetting resin, such as urea-formaldehyde resin, acting as a binder; and paraffin emulsion, which improves the hygroscopic properties of the panel. A particular modified starch-based adhesive was added in M.OSB, which was free of paraffin. The main components of the modified starch-based adhesive are corn starch, polyvinyl alcohol, and water. As the formulation is a non-patented technology, this is not an exhaustive list, and components of less than 1% mass are not listed. For proper application of this LCA data, users should consider the intended use of M.OSB in construction settings that require materials with characteristics such as high moisture resistance and tensile strength. It is important to account for the paraffin-free nature of the adhesive when comparing to conventional particleboards in environmental impact assessments. The data should be used with the understanding that certain components comprising less than 1% of the mass are not listed due to non-patent related confidentiality. For accurate results in impact assessment, users should employ the cradle-to-gate system boundary approach, considering the agricultural and industrial subsystems without including the carbon sequestration during plant growth or the human activities beyond the production phase. Biomass fuel's CO2 emissions should be considered as neutral if used in the system, and the use of the cleaner production process flow designed in the study must be taken into account to claim environmental efficiency.
The main steps of the industrial system include preparation of the primary material, drying, adhesive production, sizing, forming, and finishing the board. The material preparation phase involves stockpiling the raw materials and screening them to remove impurities such as leaves, joints, and dust. In the drying phase, M. lutarioriparius are chipped and then dried to meet the required water content, after which particles are produced and screening is repeated. The production process of the adhesive involves a non-patented technology, and as such will not be elaborated on here. During the sizing phase, bio-adhesives are prepared in advance, with particles and glue being processed automatically until the binder is kept evenly on the surface by mutual friction in the glue mixer. The forming phase involves forming the sized particles into slabs, which are preloaded to reduce the thickness and increase the tensile strength. The qualified slabs go on to be shaped and repaired, with unqualified slabs being recycled by repeating this process. The final step is board finishing, in which the formed boards are stacked for two days after unloading, drying, and cutting. These steps are further divided into four stages: material preparation (I), adhesive production (II), particleboard production (III), and heat generation (IV). In addition, there are a few more auxiliary processes (V), including field cleaning and internal transportation.