International Wood Products Journal

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Binderless boards made of milled coconut husk:

an analysis of the technical feasibility and process
restraints

Thomas Böger, Sauro Bianchi, Corinna Salzer & Frédéric Pichelin

To cite this article: Thomas Böger, Sauro Bianchi, Corinna Salzer & Frédéric Pichelin (2018)
Binderless boards made of milled coconut husk: an analysis of the technical feasibility and process
restraints, International Wood Products Journal, 9:1, 3-8, DOI: 10.1080/20426445.2017.1400756

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Published online: 22 Nov 2017.

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INTERNATIONAL WOOD PRODUCTS JOURNAL, 2018
VOL. 9, NO. 1, 3–8
https://doi.org/10.1080/20426445.2017.1400756

Binderless boards made of milled coconut husk: an analysis of the technical

feasibility and process restraints
Thomas Bögera, Sauro Bianchia, Corinna Salzerb,c and Frédéric Pichelina
a
Institute for Materials and Wood Technology, Bern University of Applied Science, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland; bChalmers University of
Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden; cBase Builds, Singapore

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The possibility of producing binderless panels made of milled coconut husk, a largely available Received 19 June 2017
by-product of the coconut oil industry, has been shown in previous researches. Long pressing Revised 20 October 2017
times and a high risk of blisters have however hindered the industrial implementation of the Accepted 31 October 2017
process. In this study, a more energy-efficient manufacturing process, involving a tailored
KEYWORDS
degassing step, was developed on a laboratory scale and then validated at an industrial size Coconut husk; binderless
(2 × 1 m2). To achieve mechanical properties close to the European and Japanese standards board; hot pressing;
for fibreboards and to avoid the delamination of the boards, final densities between 900 and fibreboard
1000 kg m−3 had to be targeted. Similarly, a successful board production was only possible if
the moisture content of the husk was between 10 and 25%. The need for a suitable mat-
forming technology to avoid the risk of warping of the panel was highlighted.

Introduction
The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera [L.]) is a tree species
which grows in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Carib-
bean and the Pacific region. In 2013, the production of
coconut fruits was estimated to be 62.5 million tonnes
worldwide of which almost 15.5 million is from the
Philippines (FAOSTAT 2015). The thick mesocarp of
the fruit (Figure 1(a)), commonly known as husk, rep-
resents approximately 35% by weight of the fruit, and
represents a by-product of the coconut oil industry
that has limited exploitation. It contains approximately
30% of coconut fibres, called coir, and 70% of a spongy
and brittle matrix called pith, predominantly rep-
resented by parenchyma cells (van Dam, van den
Oever, Teunissen, et al. 2004 – Figure 1(b)). While
the coir is seldom used for the manufacturing of bed-
ding, mats, yarn, ropes and riverbank stabilisation
(Ganchero and Manapol 2007; Ramadhas et al.
2008), the pith remains a low-value leftover.
Wood-based panels in the Philippines are today
mainly imported due to the lack of a domestic pro-
duction. Such imported materials, mostly plywood,
are not affordable to the low-income population.
Exploitation of the coconut husk as a raw material
for the manufacturing of low-priced domestic fibre-
board might therefore represents a concrete opportu-
nity for the Philippines.
First reports on panels made of coconut husk and
bound with adhesive were found in 1944 (Anonymous
1944). Several following attempts were reported in
Youngquist et al. (1994). The possibility of producing
boards made of coconut husk without any adhesives
was first reported by Hadinoto (1957). Since then,
manufacturing processes and properties of binderless
panels based on different raw materials have been
described in a large number of papers: e.g. bagasse
pith (Mobarak et al. 1982; Nonaka et al. 2013), oil
palm trunk (Hashim et al. 2010), kenaf core (Okuda
and Sato 2004). The self-cohesion process has been
related to different and interdependent mechanisms,
such as the softening and flowing of cell-wall polymers
like lignin as they go beyond the glass transition temp-
erature, and the thermal degradation of wood constitu-
ents to reactive volatiles (e.g. aldehydes) which are able
to cross-link lignin and other phenolics extractives
(Pintiaux et al. 2015). In the case of coconut husk,
which is very rich in syringyl lignin, it was shown
that upon heating, the material showed a typical exo-
therm around 140°C which disappears in a second
heating cycle (van Dam, van den Oever, Teunissen,
et al. 2004). This irreversible change was related to a
thermosetting reaction of the lignin, which under con-
trolled thermal conditions (e.g. above 140°C) might
then work as a natural binder. Binderless board pro-
duction has in fact been generally performed at temp-
eratures between 180 and 260°C (Pintiaux et al. 2015)
often in combination with relatively long pressing fac-
tors (60–300 s mm−1) and high pressures (5–12 MPa).
The most extensive attempts in the manufacturing
of binderless coconut husk boards were described by
van Dam, van den Oever, and Keijsers (2004) and Snij-
der et al. (2005). In these studies, boards with densities

CONTACT Sauro Bianchi sauro.bianchi@bfh.ch

© 2017 IWSc, The Wood Technology Society of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
4 T. BÖGER ET AL.
Figure 1. Coconut fruit morphology: (a) coconut nut sur-
rounded by its mesocarp (husk); (b) SEM picture of a coconut
husk fibre embedded in parenchyma cells (pith).
between 1200 and 1300 kg m−3 were produced with a
batch operating hot press. The high density of the
boards hindered the release of the steam pressure
developed during the pressing: delamination cracks
and blisters were consequently frequently observed.
To solve this issue, the boards were cooled under
pressure inside the press. A continuous cooling and
reheating of a batch press is obviously not energy-effi-
cient at an industrial scale, and similar production con-
ditions are unrealistic to be performed on a continuous
press. Furthermore, the required pressing load
(>10 MPa) needed special equipment to be safely
applied at the industrial scale. As a consequence, the
developed process did not succeed to be turned into
an actual industrial production.
In this study, an alternative hot pressing process for
producing binderless boards made of coconut husk
without the need of the final cooling was developed.
A controlled degassing phase was introduced during
the pressing, inspired by similar solutions applied in
the production of wood-based hardboards (Dunky
and Niemz 2002). The developed pressing cycle was
applied and optimised on a pilot industrial-scale
plant (2 × 1 m2). Possibilities and limitations of the
developed process were discussed.
Materials and methods
Coconut husk
Coconut husks from the variety Laguna Tall were har-
vested in the Luzon region, sun dried, fumigated with
Figure 2. Thickness cross section of a 12 mm thick binderless panel made of milled coconut husk.
methyl bromide for 24 h, and delivered by airfreight
to Switzerland. The husk was then kiln-dried at 60°C
for 48 h until 15% in moisture content (MC). This
moisture content corresponded approximately to the
equilibrium MC of coconut husk in the mean climate
conditions in the Philippines (30°C – 80% relative
humidity). The husk was thereafter hammer milled
with a 5 mm screen. During hammer milling the pith
was powdered to very fine particles and partially lost
in the dust extraction system. Sieving analysis of the
milled husk showed that approximately 65% w/w of
the particles was below 0.310 mm, and nearly 50% w/w
between 0.125 and 0.310 mm. The length of the milled
fibres was approximately between 5 and 20 mm.
Mat forming
The milled coconut husk was fluffed in a drum blender
to ensure a homogeneous distribution of fibres and
pith. A mat was then formed by hand inside a wooden
frame, taking care to avoid an uneven distribution of
the husk throughout the mat and the separation of
the pith from the fibres. The density of the mat before
pressing was between 90 and 100 kg m−3. A K-type
thermocouple was placed in the centre of the mat to
record the middle-layer temperature during the hot
pressing.
Hot pressing
A hot pressing cycle for the manufacturing of coconut
husk panels of 5 and 12 mm in thickness was prelimi-
nary developed using a laboratory scale hot press
(HLOP210 Höfer Presstechnik GmbH – Austria).
The most suitable hot plate temperature range for the
production of the binderless panels was identified to
be between 170 and 190°C.
Higher temperatures increased the risk of delamina-
tion, while lower temperatures were not enough for
reaching a sufficient mechanical binding between
husk particles. The need for a degassing phase during
the hot pressing, to partially release the developed
steam pressure inside the boards, was evidenced.

Figure 3. Pressure, middle-layer temperature and press plate
distance used in the industrial production for a 5 mm panel
(2 × 1 m2) with a target density of 1000 kg m−3.
The developed pressing cycle was then applied and
optimised on an industrial size (1 × 2 m2) hot pressing
plant at Dieffenbacher GmbH (Eppinger, Germany)
heated to 170°C. Three industrial-scale coconut husk
panels of 5 mm in thickness and 1000 kg m−3 density
were produced according to the pressing cycle dis-
played in Figure 3. Trials using different press con-
ditions and/or other target densities were also made.
A total of 10 panels were produced. The developed
press cycle consisted of a quick initial closing to
9 mm, followed by a slower movement to a thickness
10% higher than the target value (5.5 mm) and holding
of this position for 150 s. These steps permitted the
necessary temperature of 150°C to be quickly reached
in the middle layer of the panel as determined van
Dam, van den Oever, Teunissen, et al. (2004), to start
the thermosetting curing of the husk lignin. Concur-
rently, the steam developed inside the panel had the
possibility to outflow easily through the panel before
it reached the final high compactness. In the next
step the press was closed to the target thickness
(5 mm) and held in this position for about 250 s.
During the last 2 min of the cycle, the press was
switched from position to pressure steering and the
load released at a rate of 0.5 MPa min−1.
Two 12 mm thick industrial-scale panels with a tar-
get density of 1000 kg m−3 were also produced using an
analogous press cycle. Three other panels with lower
densities were also produced. To compensate for the
higher thickness of the panel the initial and second
holding steps were increased to 400 and 300 s,
respectively.
Mechanical and physical properties
After production and air cooling at room temperature,
all the manufactured panels were sanded about 0.2 mm
INTERNATIONAL WOOD PRODUCTS JOURNAL 5
on both sides. The mechanical and physical properties
of the panels were measured and evaluated according
the following guidelines:
. EN 310:1993 = flexural modulus (modulus of elas-
ticity – MOE) and flexural strength (modulus of
rupture – MOR)
. EN 319:1993 = tensile strength perpendicular to the
plane of the board (internal bond – IB)
. EN 317:1993 = thickness swelling (TS)
The mean density of each specimen was first
measured according to the guideline EN 323:1993.
Density profiles along the thickness were measured
by X-ray absorption using a DAX 5000 (Grecon) device
with internal calibration.
Results and discussion
Panel production
The developed pressing cycle permitted the production
of 5 mm thick coconut husk panels in about 6.5 min at
the industrial scale. No cooling step was needed at the
end of the process, substantially reducing therefore
both the production time (30 min) and the energy con-
sumption in comparison to previous works (Snijder
et al. 2005). Similar pressing cycles including initial
degassing were used successfully in the production
of kenaf core binderless boards (Okuda and Sato
2004), but with a significantly longer pressing time
(11 min). 12 mm thick panels were also produced
showing a compact thickness cross section (Figure 2).
In this case the press cycle had to be prolonged to
13 min, in order to permit the middle layer to reach
150°C, conditions that are needed for starting of the
thermosetting behaviour of the lignin.
Furthermore, the maximum pressure reached
during the pressing of 1000 kg m−3 density panels
was always lower than 4 N mm−2, much less than the
9.5 N mm−2 reported by Snijder et al. (2005) even if
for significantly denser panels (1200 kg m−3). The
reduction of the maximum pressure in the manufactur-
ing process would then allow the use of the same press-
ing equipment as for standard wood-based fibreboards,
without the need for customised presses.
Some boundaries in the pressing conditions were
observed during the press cycle development. An
increase in the moisture content (MC) of the milled
coconut husk over 25%, even though it permitted a
slightly faster heating of the middle layer (because of
the boosted heat convection (Deppe and Niemz
1996), brought the risk of blister and delamination to
unacceptable levels.
The reduction of the husk MC to 6% also resulted in
panels with a lack of compactness and poor binding
between particles. This result is in agreement with
6 T. BÖGER ET AL.
Figure 4. Warped and delaminated coconut husk binderless panel.
previous studies that evidenced the need for a mini-
mum level of MC in binderless processes (Nadhari
et al. 2013) and identified an optimum working win-
dow in the MC range between 10 and 30% (Okuda
and Sato 2004).
Panels with a target density higher than
1000 kg m−3 could not be produced. In fact above
this density, delamination was frequently observed
(Figure 4), most likely due to the high compactness
of the material that did not permit a sufficient release
of the steam pressure.
During the panel production, warping of panels
occasionally occurred. It is likely that an uneven
material distribution as well as local variations of the
fibre/pith ratio in the cross section and in the plane
of the panel caused internal stresses during the pro-
duction. Density profile measurements on samples col-
lected from the same panel (Figure 5) and having the
same average density showed in fact that the local den-
sity varied considerably and randomly within the cross
section. A very careful mat forming focused to an even
distribution of the husk, reduced the warping of panels.
Always in concern to the material distribution, a
slight asymmetry of the density profile was observed
for both 5 and 12 mm thick panels (Figure 6), which
was most likely associated to a different distribution
of pith and fibres through the panel thickness. In fact
the fine pith powder was inclined to accumulate
Figure 5. Density profile of three samples collected by the
same 5 mm thick panel and having the same average density
(1050 kg m−3).
towards the lower surface during the mat forming,
leaving a fibre-richer layer at the upper surface. The
need for a customised mat-forming system for the
milled coconut husk was therefore highlighted in
view of an industrial implementation of the process.
Mechanical properties
The MOR, MOE and IB of 5 mm thick coconut
husk boards were measured on 138 samples each
retrieved from boards of average densities between
734 and 1156 kg m−3. MOR ranged between 4.4
and 37.4 N mm−2 and MOE between 467 and
4762 N mm−2. Both factors showed a distinct linear
correlation (R 2 = 0.827 and 0.844, respectively) with
the panel density in the range between 700 and
1200 kg m−3 (Figure 7). IB data were more dispersed
and poorly correlated with the density (R 2 = 0.274).
The wide spread in the IB data was most likely related
to the density profile of the produced panels (Figure 5).
In contrast to standard wood fibreboards (which are
characterised by obviously denser surfaces and a low-
density and much weaker core layer in which the IB
fracture is initiated), the coconut husk boards had a
less-defined profile. The fracture during the IB tests
were therefore localised in correspondence of the weak-
est layer, whose actual density, and therefore resistance,
was more arbitrary. An increasing trend of IB at the
Figure 6. Density profile of a 5 mm panel (dash line) and
12 mm panel (solid line) after sanding (each line is the average
of n = 8 samples).

Figure 7. MOE (dash line; cross marker) and MOR (solid line; diamond marker) of 5 mm thick binderless panels made of milled
coconut husk (n = 138 measurements). The green region represents the most suitable density range for the production of binder-
less coconut husk boards with sufficient mechanical properties and low risk of delamination or warping.
increase of the density could however, be observed, in
particular if the average IBs of 5 mm thick panels was
confronted with their average density (Table 1).
These linear dependencies have been reported as well
for wood-based panels (Kollmann et al. 1975; Deppe
and Ernst 1996).
The European guidelines for 5 mm thick fibreboards
to be used in non-load bearing application and dry
environment (EN622-5) recommended MOR >
23 N mm−2, MOE > 2700 N mm−2 and IB >
0.65 N mm−2. In relation to the linear regression
lines calculated for 5 mm thick panels, to meet the
minimum requirements for MOR and MOE the den-
sity of the coconut husk panels had to be higher than
1000 kg m−3 (Figure 7). Above this boundary, the effi-
cacy of the developed pressing cycle in avoiding cracks
and blisters was however considerably reduced. This
lead to the predicament that to produce undamaged
panels the density has to stay below 1000 kg m−3,
while to pass MOR and the MOE in EN 622-5 a density
above 1000 kg m−3 is required. IB requirements were
satisfied only in samples with density higher than
900 kg m−3.
Coconut husk panels of 5 mm in thickness and
between 900 and 1000 kg m−3 in density were however
able to satisfy the Japanese standard JIS A 5905:2003
mechanical requirements for Type 15 MDF to be used
in dry condition (MOR ≥ 15 N mm−2; IB ≥
0.3 N mm−2), and could therefore be of commercial inter-
est in the Asian market in non-load bearing applications.
In comparison with wood fibreboards of similar
densities, the bending properties of binderless coconut
husk boards were clearly poorer (Dunky and Niemz
Table 1. Internal bonding (IB) of 5 mm panels at three different
average densities.
Panel Density [kg m−3] IB [N mm−2]
1 1082 (±28) 1.50 (±0.33)
2 1003 (±10) 1.17 (±0.15)
3 913 (±23) 0.63 (±0.21)
Note: Mean ± standard deviation are reported; n = 10.
INTERNATIONAL WOOD PRODUCTS JOURNAL 7
2002). The lack of highly-densified surfaces, the limited
length of the milled coconut fibres (1–2 cm), and the
absence of a suitable thermosetting adhesive were likely
related to these differences. The binderless panels pro-
duced also showed lower mechanical properties than
the panels produced by van Dam, van den Oever,
Keijsers (2004) and Snijder et al. (2005) with the
high-pressure process followed by cooling. These
panels were however characterised by much higher
densities (1300–1400 kg m−3). Extrapolating the observed
trends towards this density range the values resulted, as a
matter of fact, in good agreement (Figure 7).
Thicker coconut panels appeared to have slightly
better, even if not significantly higher MOR than thin-
ner panels. Samples of 12 mm in thickness and about
900 kg m−3 in density showed in fact MOR equal to
19.3 ± 3.1 N mm−2 (n = 10). The achieved bending
properties were in any case not high enough to satisfy
the EN 622-5 requirements.
Thickness swelling
The thickness swelling of a 5 mm thick panel with an
average density of 900 kg m−3 was equal to 17.4 ±
2.2% (n = 5). For the panel with an average density
equal to 1050 kg m−3 the TS was 12.2 ± 1.2% (n = 10),
while for a 772 kg m−3 dense panel TS was 21.0 ±
2.0% (n = 7). An increase of the TS at the decrease of
the panel average density was therefore observed,
most likely related to the worsening of the interconnec-
tion between the husk particles. All the results fulfilled
the EN 622-5 requirements for panel thicknesses below
8 mm (TS < 30%), but only samples with density above
900 kg m−3 fulfilled the JIS A 5905 standards (TS <
17%).
For 12 mm thick panels, the TS variation at the
change of the density were more pronounced. Panels
with an average density of 900 kg m−3 showed TS =
18.0 ± 0.9% (n = 10), while for 765 kg m−3 dense panels
was TS = 46 ± 16% (n = 5). Both the EN 622-5 and the
JIS A 5905 guidelines have more restricted TS
8 T. BÖGER ET AL.
requirements for thicker boards (TS < 15% and TS <
12%, respectively). The 12 mm thick panels did not
thus fulfil the both requirements. The strong drop of
the TS at the lower densities in 12 mm panels was
most likely related to an insufficient development in
innermost layers of the suitable thermal conditions to
activate the self-bonding mechanism.
Conclusions
Binderless panels made of coconut husk of 5 and 12 mm
in thickness were successfully produced in a density
range between 900 and 1000 kg m−3. A hot pressing
cycle which permitted an efficient steam pressure release
and working in a pressure range similar to conventional
MDF production, was developed. The cycle represented
an improvement with respect to previously reported
technologies, which operated at very high pressure and
included a long and energy wasting cooling phase. The
final mechanical and physical properties of the 5 mm
thick panel were not enough to satisfy the European
standard, but were in agreement with the Japanese JIS
A 5905 requirements for Type 15 MDF. The 12 mm
thick panels failed however to satisfy the thickness swel-
ling requirements of both standards.
Remaining challenges include a method for a mat-
forming method that avoids uneven distribution of
pith and fibres in the panel. A study on the possibility
to increase the bending properties was considered a
priority for further developments.
Acknowledgments
For the support with the processing of the coconut husk and
manufacturing of the panels, the authors express also their
gratitude to Stadtgärtnerei Biel (Biel, Switzerland), Friedli
AG (Burgdorf, Switzerland) and Dieffenbacher GmbH
(Eppingen, Germany).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
The authors express their grateful acknowledgment to the
HILTI Foundation (Schaan, Liechtenstein) for the financial
support of the present research project.
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