Production process for high density high performance binderless boards from whole coconut husk

Coconuts are typically growing in coastal areas of tropical countries. The husk is abundantly available as cheap residue from coconut production in many areas, which is known to yield the coarse coir fibre. In this project a simple and efficient technology has been developed to produce high strength-high density board materials from whole coconut husks, without the addition of chemical binders. The board exhibits excellent properties, which are comparable with or even superior to commercial wood based panels. The pressed coconut husk boards can be handled with common wood working equipment for drilling and sawing, planing and polishing. Screwing, however, is only possible after pre-drilling and the board product is too hard for nailing. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved