Study on Formalization of Oil Palm Trunk Modified by Melamine Formaldehyde

Abstract

Structure, composition and water content of an oil palm wood influence its dynamicmechanical properties. These are very important to be studied in relation to wood applications. The quality of oil palm wood can be improved through chemical modification, that is by formalization treatment in acid and alkaline conditions followed by an impregnation process using melamine formaldehyde. Variation of formalization time and curing temperature after impregnation on samples were investigated. Based on physical properties and FTIR characterizations, the modification in alkaline conditions is better than that in acidic conditions. The modification in alkaline condition can reduce the water content and increase the density of samples better than those in the acidic condition. The FTIR spectra also evidence this, there are emerging the new functional group and a shift in wave numbers on FTIR spectra with strong absorption peak for the samples after modification Keywords: acidic, alkaline, formalization, oil palm trunk