Corn Distiller’s Grains – A New Source of Natural Glue for Particleboards
by Dr. Dilpreet Bajwa
Mechanical Engineering, North Dakota State University
Building products, construction and the furniture industry are the largest users of particleboards. The particleboard market grew at the rate of 6% during 2009-2016 period, reaching $17 billion in 2016. Typically, particleboard is made from wood particles, adhesive (glue) and wax. There are different types of glue that can be used to bind wood particles. The most common types of glue are fossil fuel derived, such as phenol formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde, melamine formaldehyde and methylene diphenyl diisocynate (MDI). They are widely popular as they are economical, abundant and their performance characteristics are well understood. (more…)