Vital Gluten for Particleboard Production: Effect of Wood-Particle Moisture on Board Properties

Abstract Growing environmental awareness is leading to an increased interest in the use of biobased adhesives and proteins such as vital gluten. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the wood-particle moisture content, water application, and press time on the internal bond strength, thickness expansion, and thickness swelling of particleboards glued with vital gluten. Green and dried wood particles with similar moisture content were achieved through drying or water addition and were blended with vital gluten powder and pressed for 1 to 3 minutes. The results show that not only the pressing time and moisture content, but also the way of achieving the moisture content, has a strong impact on the performance of the boards. At comparable moisture content, never-dried (green) particles with high moisture content in combination with a dry adhesive application produced boards that performed better than boards made of dry particles with water addition to simulate liquid adhesive application.