Properties of Particleboard Made from Kulit Manis(Cinnamomum burmanii)Wood

Kulit manis (Cinnamomum burmanii BL) is known and cultivated for its aromatic content.The distilation process ofcinnamomum essencefrom kayu manis wood produces waste in theforms of particles and sawdust.This research was to explore one possible usage of the waste,i.e.to produce particleboard.Two types ofparticleboard were produced, using particles and a mix ofparticles and sawdust of kayu manis, respectively. Both particles and sawdust were oven-dried to reach a moisture content ofabout 5%. Ureaformaldehyde adhesive was used to reconstitute the particleboard. A hot pressing process (140° C and 25kgl 'cm' for 10 minutes) was applied to obtain three different densities, namely 0. 6, 0.7 and 0.8 kg/'cm'.Examination oftheparticleboard revealedphysical and mechanical propertieswhich meet the requirement ofIndonesian National Standard, except theparticleboard that was reconstituted using a mix of particles and sawdust with 0. 6 and 0.7 targetted densities.