The manufacture of plywood from oil palm trunk: a practical approach

Research and products development on oil (Elaeis guineensis) trunks (OPT) has been getting much attention from researchers and wood-based industry. This material has shown an exciting potential as an alternative raw material for the wood-based industry. The trunk which is abundantly available from replanting program has indicated promising opportunity to be manufactured into a wide range of products. It can be converted into sawn timber, plywood, laminated veneer lumber (non structural), blockboard and a various range of panel products such as particleboard, cement-bonded particleboard,gypsum-bonded particleboard and medium density fiberboard. The introduction and utilization of oil palm biomass is therefore timely for our wood-based industry to maneuver. With the combination of research knowledge, technical know-how and the right technology, a few of these products are now made available in production commercially. However, OPT based products are considered as new-fangled and at the infancy stage of the development. The products are currently manufactured on a small quantity, with overall restrained recovery and productivity, constrained by the fact that the existing machinery, equipment and production set up are designed to process the tropical hardwoods. Furthermore, OPT anatomically, is not truly a woody material. This is a true challenge to our RandD institutions and relevant manufacturers if we were eyeing on flourishing story on OPT biomass as what had been achieved to our rubberwood. As woodworking machinery manufacturers are mainly from abroad, they may know little on the characteristics of oil palm trunks. Being the pioneer in oil palm plantations, the source of matured OPT are abundant in Malaysia. Idyllically, we should aim and initiate the development of dedicated manufacturing line,designed solely to process OPT with Malaysian experience and know-how. In view of the scenario, this paper will highlight on the processing of plywood form OPT. The aim is to justify that OPT has the potential to be the raw material for plywood production. The manufacturing aspects, constraints, practical approach and some RandD results are revealing. However, the success of manufacturing OPT based panel-products will largely depend on the knowledge of OPT characteristics,proper process parameters, specially designated machinery, correct processing layout and strict quality control.