STUDYING THE GRAMMAGE IN LVL PANELS GLUED WITH CASTOR OIL-BASED POLYURETHANE ADHESIVE: A POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE TO FORMALDEHYDE RELEASING ADHESIVES.

ABSTRACT Efforts have been done in order to decrease the human dependence on petroleum materials. This idea can be applied for wood adhesives and wood products. This study proposes to evaluate laminated veneer lumber (LVL) panels of Hevea brasiliensis produced with castor oil-based polyurethane and resorcinol formaldehyde in different grammages. Six rubber tree (12 years old) with diameters at breast height (DBH) > 25 cm were harvested to generate veneers (500 x 500 x 2 mm; length, width, and thickness, respectively) for the panels production. The veneers were pre classified by a non-destructi...