Journal of Materials Science and Engineering B 11 (4-6) (2021) 43-58 doi: 10.17265/2161-6221/2021.4-6.001 Some Mechanical Properties of Particleboards Produced from Four Agro-Forest Residues Using Cassava Starch and Urea Formaldehyde as Adhesives Prosper Mensah 1 , Francis Wilson Owusu 1 , Stephen Jobson Mitchual 2 , Elijah Kusi 2 and Kwasi Frimpong-Mensah 3 1. CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, Wood Industry and Utilisation Division, P.O. Box UP 63, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana 2. Department of Construction and Wood Technology Education, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, P.O. Box 1277, Kumasi, Ghana 3. Department of Wood Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana Abstract: The increase in demand of particleboards for furniture and other applications has prompted a large-scale research into the suitability of various types of lignocellulosic materials for its manufacture. For the appropriate use of particleboards produced from such materials their properties need to be established. This study investigated the possible use of four agro-forest residues generated in Ghana as an alternative raw material for particleboard manufacture using cassava starch and urea formaldehyde as adhesives. The particle size of the materials ranged from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. An industrial pressing machine was used to press 20 mm × 300 mm × 300 mm homogeneous single layer particleboard at 170 °C for 480 s using compacting pressure of 3.5 MPa at a targeted density of 600 kg/m 3 with adhesive content of 12%. Mechanical properties were determined in accordance with ASTM D 1037-06a and ASTM D 7519-11. The results indicate that the density of the particleboards produced ranged from 421 kg/m 3 to 598 kg/m 3 . The results further indicate that the modulus of elasticity, modulus of rapture, internal bond strength and hardness of the particleboards produced for both cassava starch and urea formaldehyde were adequate. Comparatively, for all the agro-forest materials used for this study, the mechanical properties of the particleboards produced using urea formaldehyde as adhesive were better than those produced using cassava starch as adhesive. It could be concluded that the particleboards produced could be used for indoor applications or interior furnishings, fitments and other furniture under dry conditions. Additionally, it is recommended that studies on the physical properties of these manufactured particlebards be conducted. Key words: Agro-forest residues, cassava starch, mechanical properties, particleboard, urea formaldehyde. 1. Introduction Particleboard, an engineered wood product, dates back to the early 20th Century. It was developed during World War II to utilize inferior wood and wood waste when good quality wood was in short supply [1]. In the past, wood was the main raw material used for furniture and building applications, although the feasibility of non-wood alternatives had been investigated for many decades. Many factors including wood shortage as a result of the depletion of forest areas, environmental awareness and generation Corresponding author: Prosper Mensah, Principal Technologist, research fields: wood science and technology. of large quantities of agro-forest residues which have disposal challenges have increased the need for the substitution of wood as a major raw material for the production of furniture and other wood products with particleboard. The demand for particleboard products has increased substantially throughout the world, representing 57% of the total consumption of wood-based panels, a percentage that is continuously growing at a rate of 2%-5% annually. As a result of this, about 28.4 million m 3 of particleboards are produced in Europe each year mainly for furniture and building applications [2]. In recent times, most companies that produce particleboards have been substituting wood as a raw D DAVID PUBLISHING