Federica Vitrone defends her PhD thesis
Federica Vitrone did a great job defending her PhD thesis on "SUSTAINABLE AND ADHESIVE-FREE LIGNOCELLULOSIC FIBERBOARDS FROM STEAM EXPLODED ARUNDO DONAX L" on July 12th, 2023. This thesis was supervised by Dr. Joan Salvadó (Senior member of Interfibio) and Dr. Diego Ramos.
The objective of this thesis is to explore the possibility of making sustainable lignocellulosic binderless fiberboards from the Arundo donax L. plant, through a process involving the following steps: pretreatment of the raw material with steam explosion, milling of the dried fibers, hot pressing, and final heat treatment. Given the above steps, this study particularly investigates the effects of pretreatment and final heat treatment parameters, while also considering the effect of pressing pressure. In addition, the effect of panel thickness and size, is studied. With the goal of optimizing parameters, the most suitable pretreatment and final heat treatment conditions for high density boards made from Arundo donax L. are first identified, by analyzing the data obtained for mechanical properties (modulus of elasticity MOE, modulus of rupture MOR, and internal bond IB), and physical properties (density, thickness swelling TS, and water absorption WA). In many cases, the results achieved the standard requirement and showed that it is possible to obtain high-quality fiberboards with a pretreatment temperature above 195°C. Finally, an initial study of the environmental impact of the production process is developed, through life cycle assessment and the calculation of environmental impact indicators. The results show that binderless fiberboards have a lower impact when compared to conventional panels, despite involving additional steps needed to address the lack of adhesive, such as steam explosion pretreatment. This last result, together with the good performance obtained with certain manufacturing conditions, reveals the effectiveness and sustainability of the process and the value of Arundo donax L. as a raw material to be used in this field.
Update: 13/07/2023
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