Chemical characteristics of straw fiber and properties of straw fiberboard with different pretreatments

Abstract

Surface chemical characteristics of straw fiber have a great effect on the properties of interfacial conglutination between straw fiber and adhesives. In our study, straw was treated by four different methods hot water, acetic acid, sodium sulfite and sodium hydrid sulfite. Our results show that the main chemical group of straw fiber, under the four different treatments, has not changed significantly. The acetic acid treatment reduces pH values of straw fibers and has a significant effect on the internal bonding strength of straw fiberboards. The modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity did not clearly improve with the four different treatments. The thickness swelling of straw fiberboard treated in different ways is higher than that of standard values. It is concluded that acid treatment is optimal for producing good quality straw fiberboard.