International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science (IJAERS) [Vol-7, Issue-8, Aug- 2020] https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijaers.78.24 ISSN: 2349-6495(P) | 2456-1908(O) www.ijaers.com Page | 232 Ecological boards molded from low-cost local wood particles for wall panel Viviane Teixeira Iwakiri 1 , Rosilani Trianoski 2 , Dalton Luiz Razera 3 , Setsuo Iwakiri 4 and José de Almendra Freitas Jr. 5 1 Department of Urban Planning, Araucaria City Hall, Araucária, Brazil 2,4 Forest Engineering Department, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil 3 Design Department and Postgraduate Program of Design, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil 5 Civil Construction Department, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil Abstract—This research proposes a wall panel component molded from a wood of bracatinga (Mimosa Scabrella) and a lignin-phenol-formaldehyde adhesive. The development of a product with a simple and ecological construction technology was adopted as the approach, using low-cost wood particles. A composite made of bracatinga wood particles and alternative residual lignin (lignin-phenol-formaldehyde) adhesive was developed and characterized. The designed wall panel component was prototyped in full scale to evaluate the molding process and the final quality of the product. Preliminary results obtained with the pilot experiment demonstrated that the composite had properties and values that met the requirements of the standards EN 312:2010 and NBR 14810-2:2013, for structural boards for use in humid conditions (type P5). To prove the ecological aspect of the product, CO2 emissions resulting from its manufacture and the amounts of carbon of non-fossil origin and fixed by it (expressed as CO2 uptake) were calculated. The final balance proved to be favorable. Keywords— Wood closure panels, Molded products and reconstituted wood, Sustainable construction. I. INTRODUCTION In Brazil, wood wall panels are not properly used and do not meet the requirements for tightness and hygrothermal comfort, distancing the population from construction systems that employ wood (BITTENCOURT & HELLMMEISTER, 1995). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a product or a board molded from wood particles for house wall paneling. This development can allow the formation of walls with space between the panels for better thermal and acoustic insulation, as well as water and electric installations. Due to their good ratio between mechanical strength and low density, well-designed wood products are easy to assemble into construction elements and provide considerable design freedom. Molded products are formed from composites, which are structural molding materials consisted of a continuous polymeric phase (matrix) and reinforced by a discontinuous phase (fibers/particles). The composites are consolidated by a polymer crosslinking process (curing), in which the two phases are physically and chemically aggregated (MOSLEMI, 1974). In this research, the process applied for molding products was based on compression. According to Razera (2006), this process allows the use of wood as a matrix, raising its concentration to 90%. This fact represents a significant increase in the use of raw material from renewable sources in the product composition. The basic components used to manufacture wood products, molded by the compression process, are wood particles and adhesives. In this procedure, wood is reduced to small particles, which must be dried to approximately 3% humidity and mixed with the adhesive, whose type and content are defined according to the characteristics desired for the final product. During the gluing process or incorporation of the adhesive into the particles, components can be added to enhance the qualities of the product – such as catalysts, types of paraffin (acting as a waterproofing agent for particles), fungicides, insecticides, and flame retardant products – and to modify its visual appearance, e.g. dyes and pigments (MOSLEMI, 1974). After the particle mat is formed, it is deposited in the mold for the molding consolidation phase. The