Summary: | The physical and mechanical properties of particleboard bonded with different cooking percentages of seaweed (<i>Kappaphycus alvarezii</i>), with different percentages of starch and different percentages of adhesives, and wood plastic composite (WPC) from High-Density Polyethlene (HDPE) with <i>Acacia mangium</i> wood powder were determined in this study. Seaweed mixed with different percentages of sulfuric acid (30%, 50%, 70%) and Sodium Hydroxide (70%, 50%, 30%) were prepared as a binder for particleboard. For a starch-based binder, different percentages of starch (10%, 15%, 20%) were prepared, before producing particleboard with different amounts of binder (20%, 25%, 30%). As for WPC, wood powders were bonded with different percentages of HDPE content (70%, 80%, 90%). Results indicated that WPC at 90% HDPE shows the best performance in the water absorption (0.07%) and thickness swelling test (2.54%). Starch-based particleboard recorded the highest Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) value (1115.07 N/mm<sup>2</sup> at 15% starch with 30% amount of binder), while WPC (90% HDPE) and starch-based particleboard (10% starch with 20% amount of binder) both recorded the highest Modulus of Rupture (MOR) at the same value, which is 7.84 N/mm<sup>2</sup>. Starch-based particleboard has a better internal bond, which is 0.05 N/mm<sup>2</sup>. However, seaweed-based particleboard has a higher density value, which is 0.6 g/cm<sup>3</sup>.
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