Comparison of Methodologies for Acid Buffering Capacity Determination—Empirical Verification of Models

Abstract

Raw materials used in particleboard production may have different chemical properties as they have different origins, nature, and storage histories. One of the most important factors is the acidity of the wood which affects the process of bond line formation. Thus, determination of the acid buffering capacity (ABC) of a raw material helps to adjust the optimal amount of hardener in the adhesive. In the present study, three methods for pH-metric ABC determination in the presence of lignocellulosic material were compared. Models that correlate the hardener amount with the internal bonding of particleboards were built from the ABC results. The approach was tested on three materials of different acidity—pine, oak, and ammonia-treated oak. The developed models allowed the prediction of the optimal amount of hardener for the maximized internal bond of the boards. The experimental verification of the models showed a high convergence of the calculated and empirical results.

Keywords

• wood acidity
• buffering capacity
• particleboard
• internal bond
• root-mean-square error (RMSE) model