Title of Invention	"A PARTICLE BOARD FROM DATE PALM LEAVES AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME"
Abstract	A particle board from date palm leaves comprising date palm leaves, thermosetting resin as adhesive of about 10-25% by weight of date palm leaves and agro waste filler material fibres of about 8 to 12% by weight of date palm leaves. The particle board is prepared from a viscous mix formed by mixing ground date palm leaves and agro waste filler material fibres in a solution of thermosetting resin. The viscous mix in a mould is heated until the thermosetting resin is completely polymerised and then hot pressed under pressure of about 20 kg per cm2 for certain time period and then allowed to cool to form the particle board from date palm leaves.

Title of Invention

"A PARTICLE BOARD FROM DATE PALM LEAVES AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME"

Abstract

A particle board from date palm leaves comprising date palm leaves, thermosetting resin as adhesive of about 10-25% by weight of date palm leaves and agro waste filler material fibres of about 8 to 12% by weight of date palm leaves. The particle board is prepared from a viscous mix formed by mixing ground date palm leaves and agro waste filler material fibres in a solution of thermosetting resin. The viscous mix in a mould is heated until the thermosetting resin is completely polymerised and then hot pressed under pressure of about 20 kg per cm2 for certain time period and then allowed to cool to form the particle board from date palm leaves.

Full Text	The present invention relates to a particle board from date palm leaves and the method of preparing the particle board from date palm leaves. Wood resources are continuously being depleted, while the demand for the raw material is increasing day by day. The invented particle board from date palm leaves can be used as a substitute for wood. The particle board from date palm leaves is also cheaper than wood. In the prior art, plywood and fibre board using jute stick fibres, known as jute stick particle board, are normally used as a substitute for wood. The jute stick particle board is made from jute stick fibres and synthetic polymer resin. It is observed that the plywood and jute stick particle board are susceptible to moisture absorption which imparts a disadvantage in the use of plywood and jute stick particle board for furniture and other applications. Moreover, natural wood is also susceptible to moisture absorption. An object of the present invention is to produce a particle board from date palm leaves whose susceptibility to moisture absorption is less than that of plywood, jute stick particle board and wood respectively. Also, the impact strength of the particle board from date palm leaves is higher than that of plywood, jute stick particle board and wood. Another advantage of the invention is that it is thermally and electrically insulated and is also cheaper than the products of the prior art. Another feature of the present invention is the method of manufacturing the particle board from date palm leaves. The particle board from date palm leaves comprises of dried date palm leaves, thermosetting resin and preferabry, but not essentially, agro waste filler material. The agro waste filler material may be chosen from jute stick fibres, bagasse fibres, etc. Mature date palm leaves are normally air-dried for at least 7 days. The dried date palm leaves are cut into small pieces of about 1.3 cm to 2.5 cm in length and subsequently chopped and/or ground in a grinding m/c. The thermosetting resin is mixed with water and kept ready. Then the ground date palm leaves and agro waste filler material, like jute stick fibres, are mixed with the thermosetting resin solution to form a viscous material which is poured in a mould and hot pressed for a particular time period. The mould is subsequently allowed to cool and the particle board from date palm leaves is formed. The advantages of the present invention, ie.., particle board from date palm leaves are: • The fibre length (1.5 mm - 2.50 mm) of date palm leaves (Phoenix Dactylifera-L) is much higher than that of wood/plywood (0.6-0.9 mm) and jute stick particle board (0.3-0.4 mm). • The α-cellulose content of mature (60 days of age) date palm leaves (DPL) is around 60% whereas the α-cellulose content of wood/plywood and jute stick particle board is 41% and 40% respectively. • The contact angle between the thermosetting resin and the ground date palm leaves is low and as a result, the 'work of interracial adhesion' between the resin and ground date palm leaves is much higher than that between the resin and plywood or the resin and jute stick fibre. • Due to the low contact angle and a higher α-cellulose content, the physico- mechanical properties, like moisture repellency and impact strength, of the particle board from date palm leaves are much better compared to wood, plywood and jute stick particle board of same dimensions. • The interfacial bonding between the ground date palm leaves and the thermosetting resin is considerably improved by the addition of filler materials like organic powder of agricultural by-products (agro-waste) or mill-waste or jute stick fibrous material which leads to enhanced mechanical properties. The impact strength of particle board from date palm leaves with jute stick fibre as filler material, was found to be four times higher than jute stick particle board and two times higher than wood/plywood board. These very advantageous properties are suitable for making furniture or false-ceiling or other applications. • The moisture content of jute stick particle board/wood/plywood plays an important role in the dimensional stability of the respective material. The hemicellulose content of these materials is mainly responsible for moisture absorption because the cell wall polymer of fibre of particle board contains hydroxyl and oxygen containing groups that attract moisture through hydrogen bonding. Date Palm Leaves contain a lower percentage of hemicelluloses (about 50% less) compared to wood/plywood and jute stick fibre. • Wood/Plywood board and jute stick particle board contain a distribution of voids/porosity of different shapes. Water, air and resin fill the voids, as a result of which the surface of the wood, plywood board and jute stick particle board tends to develop cracks. Also their mechanical and other properties deteriorate over time. However, in the case of particle boards from date palm leaves prepared with fillers and thermosetting resin, the presence of voids/porosity is minimized. According to the present invention there is provided: A particle board from date palm leaves comprising date palm leaves blended with fibres of an agro waste material of 8% to 12% by weight of date palm leaves as filler material impregnated with thermosetting resin as adhesive of about 10-25% by weight of date palm leaves. Method of preparing a particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of: the green matured date palm leaves are immersed in plain water and kept for nearly eight days and subsequently the date palm leaves are removed from water and dried in air and the green colour of date palm leaves change to brownish green after air drying; the dried date palm leaves are subjected to treatment with ammonium oxalate solution (oo.5%.w/v) followed by textone (Sodium chloride 1% w/v) bleaching for removing impurities from the date palm leaves; purified air dried date palm leaves are chopped into small pieces of about 1.2 cm to 2.5 cm in length which are subsequently grounded in a grinding machine; straining grounded date palm leaves in a strainer whose mesh size is 40-60; straining fibres of agro waste filler material in a strainer whose mesh size is 80- 100; uniformly blending strained date palm leaves with strained fibres of agro waste filler material in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer; preparing thermosetting resin solution as adhesive by dissolving the thermosetting resin in water and subsequently the blend of date palm leaves and fibres of agro waste filler material are homogeneously mixed with thermosetting resin solution in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer to form a viscous mix; placing a ferro-aluminium plate coated with non sticking agent, like kerosene oil or wax solution, inside a mould and subsequently the viscous substance is poured on the ferro-aluminium plate in the mould; placing a second ferro-aluminium plate whose inside surface is also coated with non sticking material, like kerosene oil or wax solution, is placed over the mould; transferring the mould to a hot press and the mould is steam heated to a temperature 1500 C to 1600 C in closed chamber until the thermosetting resin is completely polymerised; the heated mould is kept under pressure of about 20 kg/cm2 for a period of 15 to 20 minutes and is then allowed to cool to form the particle board. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The particle board from date palm leaves comprises of ground date-palm leaves, thermosetting resin and agro waste filler material fibres. The thermosetting resin content is about 10 to 25% by weight of date-palm leaves. The agro waste filler material fibres are about 8 % to 12% by weight of date-palm leaves. The agro waste filler material can be one selected from jute stick fibres, bagasse fibers, etc. It is observed that a 15% thermosetting resin content using 10% jute stick fibres as agro waste filler material gives the best binding strength of the particle board. The thermosetting resin, used as adhesive, is either Urea-formaldehyde or Phenol formaldehyde or a natural resin (for example, tamarind seed powder). The thermosetting resin content of the particle board is also dependent on the specific gravity of the agro waste filler material. The higher the specific gravity of the agro waste filler material used, the lower the resin content needed for the invented particle board. Table I shows a comparative chart in which the physical properties of DPL (date palm leaves), jute stick fibres, bagasse, wood and soft wood are shown and these physical properties are important parameters for determining strength and moisture absorption properties of the particle board and wood. The green matured (60 days' old) date palm leaves are kept immersed in plain water for eight days. The colour of water gradually changes and finally become alkaline (PH Value reflected more than 8). This is due to dissolution of pectin, wax and partly lignin from the green leaves.It is observed that the green colour of leaves changed to brownish green after air drying. On drying the leaves, the weight loss of leaves was found to be about 10%. Thereafter the leaves were subjected to treatment with ammonium oxalate solution (oo.5%.w/v) followed by textone (Sodium chloride 1% w/v) bleaching. The impurities of the leaves were totally removed and the colour of date palm leaves become bright and lustrous and the same raw materials are ready for making particle boards after chopping in smaller length. The dried date palm leaves are cut into small pieces of about 1.3 cm to 2.5 cm in length and subsequently chopped and/or ground in a grinding m/c. The ground date palm leaves are passed through a strainer having a mesh size of 40-60. The jute stick fibres as filler material is passed through a strainer having mesh size 80-100. The strained ground date palm leaves and strained jute stick fibres, 10% by weight of date palm leaves, are blended uniformly in an electrical driven sigma blade mixer. The thermosetting resin (e.g. Urea-formaldehyde or phenol formaldehyde) or a natural resin (for example, tamarind seed powder), to be used as adhesive, is proportionately mixed with water and then the blend of ground date palm leaves and filler material of jute stick fibres are homogeneously mixed with this thermosetting resin solution in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer to form a viscous mix. A ferro- aluminium plate is placed inside a square mould and the inside surface of the ferro- aluminium plate is painted with an anti-sticking agent like kerosene oil or wax solution. Subsequently the viscous mix is poured onto the ferro-aluminium plate inside the square mould. Another ferro-aluminium plate, whose inside surface is also painted with an anti- sticking agent, is placed on the viscous mix. The mould is subsequently transferred to a hot press and pressed in steam-heated closed chambers. The temperature of the chambers is maintained between 1500 C and 1600 C for sufficient time, so that the resin is completely polymerised and mixes homogeneously with the strained ground date palm leaves and the jute stick fibres as filler material. The pressure applied on the mould in the hot press is about 20 kg/cm2 for a period of about 15 to 20 mins. The pressure to be applied varies with the thickness of the particle board. Special care is also taken to prevent introduction of air bubbles which may cause blistering effect on the surface of the particle board. The particle board is subsequently taken out of the hot press and cooled in air. The edges of the particle board from date palm leaves thus formed are finished by electric sawing machines and stored in open air for conditioning. In multiple-layer hot pressing units, multiple moulds with the viscous mix are placed and the temperature is gradually increased by steam heating until the requisite temperature, which is 1500 C to 1600 C, is obtained uniformly over the entire surface in each of the multiple layers of the mould for complete polymerisation of the thermosetting resin. In alternative embodiments, other types of agro waste filler material fibres like bagasse fibres, etc. may be used instead of jute stick fibres. The thermosetting resin content for the particle board will vary in such cases. In another alternative embodiment, natural resin like tamarind seed powder may be used as adhesive instead of thermosetting resin for preparing the particle board from date palm leaves. Table II, III & IV show a comparison chart of the contact angles and the work of adhesion for particular fibre diameters with different thermosetting resin contents for each of the types, particle board from the date palm leaves with thermosetting resin, jute stick fibre with thermosetting resin and date palm leaf blended with jute stick fibre with thermosetting resin. From the tables it is evident that particle board from date palm leaves with jute stick fibres as agro waste filler material has the highest work of adhesion for 15% thermosetting resin content. Although the invention has been described with reference to the prescribed embodiments, it will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that many addition/alterations of the content and the type of adhesive and agro waste filler material in the invented particle board are possible without deviating from the actual scope of the invention. WE CLAIM: 1. A particle board from date palm leaves comprising date palm leaves blended with fibres of an agro waste material of 8% to 12% by weight of date palm leaves as filler material impregnated with thermosetting resin as adhesive of about 10-25% by weight of date palm leaves. 2. A particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fibres of an agro waste as filler material is either jute stick fibres or bagasse fibres. 3. A particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermosetting resin is either Urea formaldehyde or Phenol formaldehyde or natural resin. 4. A particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thermosetting resin content is 15% by weight of date palm leaves. 5. A particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1 wherein the size of the date palm leaves are that strained from a strainer whose mesh size is 40-60 and the size of the fibres of agro waste filler material are that strained from a strainer whose mesh size is 80-100. 6. Method of preparing a particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of: the green matured date palm leaves are immersed in plain water and kept for nearly eight days and subsequently the date palm leaves are removed from water and dried in air and the green colour of date palm leaves change to brownish green after air drying; the dried date palm leaves are subjected to treatment with ammonium oxalate solution (oo.5%.w/v) followed by textone (Sodium chloride 1% w/v) bleaching for removing impurities from the date palm leaves; purified air dried date palm leaves are chopped into small pieces of about 1.2 cm to 2.5 cm in length which are subsequently grounded in a grinding machine; straining grounded date palm leaves in a strainer whose mesh size is 40-60; straining fibres of agro waste filler material in a strainer whose mesh size is 80- 100; uniformly blending strained date palm leaves with strained fibres of agro waste filler material in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer; preparing thermosetting resin solution as adhesive by dissolving the thermosetting resin in water and subsequently the blend of date palm leaves and fibres of agro waste filler material are homogeneously mixed with thermosetting resin solution in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer to form a viscous mix; placing a ferro-aluminium plate coated with non sticking agent, like kerosene oil or wax solution, inside a mould and subsequently the viscous substance is poured on the ferro-aluminium plate in the mould; placing a second ferro-aluminium plate whose inside surface is also coated with non sticking material, like kerosene oil or wax solution, is placed over the mould; transferring the mould to a hot press and the mould is steam heated to a temperature 1500 C to 1600 C in closed chamber until the thermosetting resin is completely polymerised; the heated mould is kept under pressure of about 20 kg/cm2 for a period of 15 to 20 minutes and is then allowed to cool to form the particle board. 7. Method of preparing a particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fibres of agro waste filler material is either a jute stick fibres or bagasse fibres. 8. A particle board from date palm leaves substantially as herein before described. 9. Method of preparing a particle board from date palm leaves substantially as herein before described. ABSTRACT TITLE: A PARTICLE BOARD FROM DATE PALM LEAVES AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME A particle board from date palm leaves comprising date palm leaves, thermosetting resin as adhesive of about 10-25% by weight of date palm leaves and agro waste filler material fibres of about 8 to 12% by weight of date palm leaves. The particle board is prepared from a viscous mix formed by mixing ground date palm leaves and agro waste filler material fibres in a solution of thermosetting resin. The viscous mix in a mould is heated until the thermosetting resin is completely polymerised and then hot pressed under pressure of about 20 kg per cm2 for certain time period and then allowed to cool to form the particle board from date palm leaves.

Full Text

The present invention relates to a particle board from date palm leaves and the
method of preparing the particle board from date palm leaves.
Wood resources are continuously being depleted, while the demand for the raw
material is increasing day by day. The invented particle board from date palm leaves can
be used as a substitute for wood. The particle board from date palm leaves is also cheaper
than wood.
In the prior art, plywood and fibre board using jute stick fibres, known as jute stick
particle board, are normally used as a substitute for wood. The jute stick particle board is
made from jute stick fibres and synthetic polymer resin. It is observed that the plywood
and jute stick particle board are susceptible to moisture absorption which imparts a
disadvantage in the use of plywood and jute stick particle board for furniture and other
applications. Moreover, natural wood is also susceptible to moisture absorption.
An object of the present invention is to produce a particle board from date palm
leaves whose susceptibility to moisture absorption is less than that of plywood, jute stick
particle board and wood respectively.
Also, the impact strength of the particle board from date palm leaves is higher than
that of plywood, jute stick particle board and wood.
Another advantage of the invention is that it is thermally and electrically insulated
and is also cheaper than the products of the prior art.
Another feature of the present invention is the method of manufacturing the
particle board from date palm leaves.
The particle board from date palm leaves comprises of dried date palm leaves,
thermosetting resin and preferabry, but not essentially, agro waste filler material. The
agro waste filler material may be chosen from jute stick fibres, bagasse fibres, etc.
Mature date palm leaves are normally air-dried for at least 7 days. The dried date
palm leaves are cut into small pieces of about 1.3 cm to 2.5 cm in length and subsequently
chopped and/or ground in a grinding m/c. The thermosetting resin is mixed with water

and kept ready. Then the ground date palm leaves and agro waste filler material, like jute
stick fibres, are mixed with the thermosetting resin solution to form a viscous material
which is poured in a mould and hot pressed for a particular time period. The mould is
subsequently allowed to cool and the particle board from date palm leaves is formed.
The advantages of the present invention, ie.., particle board from date palm leaves
are:
• The fibre length (1.5 mm - 2.50 mm) of date palm leaves (Phoenix
Dactylifera-L) is much higher than that of wood/plywood (0.6-0.9 mm) and
jute stick particle board (0.3-0.4 mm).
• The α-cellulose content of mature (60 days of age) date palm leaves (DPL) is
around 60% whereas the α-cellulose content of wood/plywood and jute stick
particle board is 41% and 40% respectively.
• The contact angle between the thermosetting resin and the ground date
palm leaves is low and as a result, the 'work of interracial adhesion' between
the resin and ground date palm leaves is much higher than that between the
resin and plywood or the resin and jute stick fibre.
• Due to the low contact angle and a higher α-cellulose content, the physico-
mechanical properties, like moisture repellency and impact strength, of the
particle board from date palm leaves are much better compared to wood,
plywood and jute stick particle board of same dimensions.
• The interfacial bonding between the ground date palm leaves and the
thermosetting resin is considerably improved by the addition of filler
materials like organic powder of agricultural by-products (agro-waste) or
mill-waste or jute stick fibrous material which leads to enhanced mechanical
properties. The impact strength of particle board from date palm leaves
with jute stick fibre as filler material, was found to be four times higher than
jute stick particle board and two times higher than wood/plywood board.
These very advantageous properties are suitable for making furniture or
false-ceiling or other applications.
• The moisture content of jute stick particle board/wood/plywood plays an
important role in the dimensional stability of the respective material. The
hemicellulose content of these materials is mainly responsible for moisture

absorption because the cell wall polymer of fibre of particle board contains
hydroxyl and oxygen containing groups that attract moisture through
hydrogen bonding. Date Palm Leaves contain a lower percentage of
hemicelluloses (about 50% less) compared to wood/plywood and jute stick
fibre.
• Wood/Plywood board and jute stick particle board contain a distribution of
voids/porosity of different shapes. Water, air and resin fill the voids, as a
result of which the surface of the wood, plywood board and jute stick
particle board tends to develop cracks. Also their mechanical and other
properties deteriorate over time. However, in the case of particle boards
from date palm leaves prepared with fillers and thermosetting resin, the
presence of voids/porosity is minimized.
According to the present invention there is provided:
A particle board from date palm leaves comprising date palm leaves blended with
fibres of an agro waste material of 8% to 12% by weight of date palm leaves as filler
material impregnated with thermosetting resin as adhesive of about 10-25% by weight of
date palm leaves.
Method of preparing a particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1,
comprising the steps of:
the green matured date palm leaves are immersed in plain water and kept for
nearly eight days and subsequently the date palm leaves are removed from water and
dried in air and the green colour of date palm leaves change to brownish green after air
drying;
the dried date palm leaves are subjected to treatment with ammonium oxalate
solution (oo.5%.w/v) followed by textone (Sodium chloride 1% w/v) bleaching for
removing impurities from the date palm leaves;
purified air dried date palm leaves are chopped into small pieces of about 1.2 cm to
2.5 cm in length which are subsequently grounded in a grinding machine;
straining grounded date palm leaves in a strainer whose mesh size is 40-60;
straining fibres of agro waste filler material in a strainer whose mesh size is 80-
100;

uniformly blending strained date palm leaves with strained fibres of agro waste
filler material in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer;
preparing thermosetting resin solution as adhesive by dissolving the thermosetting
resin in water and subsequently the blend of date palm leaves and fibres of agro waste
filler material are homogeneously mixed with thermosetting resin solution in an
electrically driven sigma blade mixer to form a viscous mix;
placing a ferro-aluminium plate coated with non sticking agent, like kerosene oil or
wax solution, inside a mould and subsequently the viscous substance is poured on the
ferro-aluminium plate in the mould;
placing a second ferro-aluminium plate whose inside surface is also coated with
non sticking material, like kerosene oil or wax solution, is placed over the mould;
transferring the mould to a hot press and the mould is steam heated to a
temperature 1500 C to 1600 C in closed chamber until the thermosetting resin is
completely polymerised;
the heated mould is kept under pressure of about 20 kg/cm2 for a period of 15 to
20 minutes and is then allowed to cool to form the particle board.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The particle board from date palm leaves comprises of ground date-palm leaves,
thermosetting resin and agro waste filler material fibres. The thermosetting resin content
is about 10 to 25% by weight of date-palm leaves. The agro waste filler material fibres are
about 8 % to 12% by weight of date-palm leaves. The agro waste filler material can be one
selected from jute stick fibres, bagasse fibers, etc. It is observed that a 15% thermosetting
resin content using 10% jute stick fibres as agro waste filler material gives the best
binding strength of the particle board. The thermosetting resin, used as adhesive, is either
Urea-formaldehyde or Phenol formaldehyde or a natural resin (for example, tamarind
seed powder). The thermosetting resin content of the particle board is also dependent on
the specific gravity of the agro waste filler material. The higher the specific gravity of the
agro waste filler material used, the lower the resin content needed for the invented
particle board.
Table I shows a comparative chart in which the physical properties of DPL (date
palm leaves), jute stick fibres, bagasse, wood and soft wood are shown and these physical

properties are important parameters for determining strength and moisture absorption
properties of the particle board and wood.
The green matured (60 days' old) date palm leaves are kept immersed in plain
water for eight days. The colour of water gradually changes and finally become alkaline
(PH Value reflected more than 8). This is due to dissolution of pectin, wax and partly
lignin from the green leaves.It is observed that the green colour of leaves changed to
brownish green after air drying. On drying the leaves, the weight loss of leaves was found
to be about 10%. Thereafter the leaves were subjected to treatment with ammonium
oxalate solution (oo.5%.w/v) followed by textone (Sodium chloride 1% w/v) bleaching.
The impurities of the leaves were totally removed and the colour of date palm leaves
become bright and lustrous and the same raw materials are ready for making particle
boards after chopping in smaller length. The dried date palm leaves are cut into small
pieces of about 1.3 cm to 2.5 cm in length and subsequently chopped and/or ground in a
grinding m/c. The ground date palm leaves are passed through a strainer having a mesh
size of 40-60. The jute stick fibres as filler material is passed through a strainer having
mesh size 80-100. The strained ground date palm leaves and strained jute stick fibres,
10% by weight of date palm leaves, are blended uniformly in an electrical driven sigma
blade mixer. The thermosetting resin (e.g. Urea-formaldehyde or phenol formaldehyde)
or a natural resin (for example, tamarind seed powder), to be used as adhesive, is
proportionately mixed with water and then the blend of ground date palm leaves and
filler material of jute stick fibres are homogeneously mixed with this thermosetting resin
solution in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer to form a viscous mix. A ferro-
aluminium plate is placed inside a square mould and the inside surface of the ferro-
aluminium plate is painted with an anti-sticking agent like kerosene oil or wax solution.
Subsequently the viscous mix is poured onto the ferro-aluminium plate inside the square
mould. Another ferro-aluminium plate, whose inside surface is also painted with an anti-
sticking agent, is placed on the viscous mix. The mould is subsequently transferred to a
hot press and pressed in steam-heated closed chambers. The temperature of the
chambers is maintained between 1500 C and 1600 C for sufficient time, so that the resin is
completely polymerised and mixes homogeneously with the strained ground date palm
leaves and the jute stick fibres as filler material. The pressure applied on the mould in the
hot press is about 20 kg/cm2 for a period of about 15 to 20 mins. The pressure to be
applied varies with the thickness of the particle board. Special care is also taken to

prevent introduction of air bubbles which may cause blistering effect on the surface of the
particle board. The particle board is subsequently taken out of the hot press and cooled
in air. The edges of the particle board from date palm leaves thus formed are finished by
electric sawing machines and stored in open air for conditioning.
In multiple-layer hot pressing units, multiple moulds with the viscous mix are
placed and the temperature is gradually increased by steam heating until the requisite
temperature, which is 1500 C to 1600 C, is obtained uniformly over the entire surface in
each of the multiple layers of the mould for complete polymerisation of the thermosetting
resin.
In alternative embodiments, other types of agro waste filler material fibres like
bagasse fibres, etc. may be used instead of jute stick fibres. The thermosetting resin
content for the particle board will vary in such cases.
In another alternative embodiment, natural resin like tamarind seed powder may
be used as adhesive instead of thermosetting resin for preparing the particle board from
date palm leaves.
Table II, III & IV show a comparison chart of the contact angles and the work of
adhesion for particular fibre diameters with different thermosetting resin contents for
each of the types, particle board from the date palm leaves with thermosetting resin, jute
stick fibre with thermosetting resin and date palm leaf blended with jute stick fibre with
thermosetting resin. From the tables it is evident that particle board from date palm
leaves with jute stick fibres as agro waste filler material has the highest work of adhesion
for 15% thermosetting resin content.
Although the invention has been described with reference to the prescribed
embodiments, it will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that many
addition/alterations of the content and the type of adhesive and agro waste filler material
in the invented particle board are possible without deviating from the actual scope of the
invention.

WE CLAIM:
1. A particle board from date palm leaves comprising date palm leaves blended
with fibres of an agro waste material of 8% to 12% by weight of date palm leaves as
filler material impregnated with thermosetting resin as adhesive of about 10-25% by
weight of date palm leaves.
2. A particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fibres
of an agro waste as filler material is either jute stick fibres or bagasse fibres.
3. A particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
thermosetting resin is either Urea formaldehyde or Phenol formaldehyde or natural
resin.
4. A particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1 wherein the
thermosetting resin content is 15% by weight of date palm leaves.
5. A particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim 1 wherein the size of
the date palm leaves are that strained from a strainer whose mesh size is 40-60 and the
size of the fibres of agro waste filler material are that strained from a strainer whose
mesh size is 80-100.
6. Method of preparing a particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim
1, comprising the steps of:
the green matured date palm leaves are immersed in plain water and kept for
nearly eight days and subsequently the date palm leaves are removed from water and
dried in air and the green colour of date palm leaves change to brownish green after air
drying;
the dried date palm leaves are subjected to treatment with ammonium oxalate
solution (oo.5%.w/v) followed by textone (Sodium chloride 1% w/v) bleaching for
removing impurities from the date palm leaves;
purified air dried date palm leaves are chopped into small pieces of about 1.2 cm
to 2.5 cm in length which are subsequently grounded in a grinding machine;
straining grounded date palm leaves in a strainer whose mesh size is 40-60;

straining fibres of agro waste filler material in a strainer whose mesh size is 80-
100;
uniformly blending strained date palm leaves with strained fibres of agro waste
filler material in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer;
preparing thermosetting resin solution as adhesive by dissolving the
thermosetting resin in water and subsequently the blend of date palm leaves and fibres
of agro waste filler material are homogeneously mixed with thermosetting resin
solution in an electrically driven sigma blade mixer to form a viscous mix;
placing a ferro-aluminium plate coated with non sticking agent, like kerosene
oil or wax solution, inside a mould and subsequently the viscous substance is poured
on the ferro-aluminium plate in the mould;
placing a second ferro-aluminium plate whose inside surface is also coated with
non sticking material, like kerosene oil or wax solution, is placed over the mould;
transferring the mould to a hot press and the mould is steam heated to a
temperature 1500 C to 1600 C in closed chamber until the thermosetting resin is
completely polymerised;
the heated mould is kept under pressure of about 20 kg/cm2 for a period of 15
to 20 minutes and is then allowed to cool to form the particle board.
7. Method of preparing a particle board from date palm leaves as claimed in claim
6, wherein the fibres of agro waste filler material is either a jute stick fibres or bagasse
fibres.
8. A particle board from date palm leaves substantially as herein before described.
9. Method of preparing a particle board from date palm leaves substantially as
herein before described.

ABSTRACT

TITLE: A PARTICLE BOARD FROM DATE PALM LEAVES AND
METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME
A particle board from date palm leaves comprising date palm leaves, thermosetting
resin as adhesive of about 10-25% by weight of date palm leaves and agro waste filler
material fibres of about 8 to 12% by weight of date palm leaves. The particle board is
prepared from a viscous mix formed by mixing ground date palm leaves and agro
waste filler material fibres in a solution of thermosetting resin. The viscous mix in a
mould is heated until the thermosetting resin is completely polymerised and then hot
pressed under pressure of about 20 kg per cm2 for certain time period and then
allowed to cool to form the particle board from date palm leaves.

Documents:

00307-kol-2006-abstract.pdf

00307-kol-2006-claims.pdf

00307-kol-2006-correspondence others-1.1.pdf

00307-kol-2006-correspondence others.pdf

00307-kol-2006-description(complete).pdf

00307-kol-2006-form-1-1.1.pdf

00307-kol-2006-form-5-1.1.pdf

00307-kol-2006-form1.pdf

00307-kol-2006-form2.pdf

00307-kol-2006-form3.pdf

00307-kol-2006-form5.pdf

307-KOL-2006-(14-08-2013)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

307-KOL-2006-(16-11-2012)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

307-KOL-2006-(27-04-2012)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

307-KOL-2006-(27-04-2012)-OTHERS.pdf

307-KOL-2006-ABSTRACT 1.1.pdf

307-KOL-2006-ABSTRACT.pdf

307-KOL-2006-ASSIGNMENT.pdf

307-KOL-2006-CANCELLED DOCUMENTS.pdf

307-KOL-2006-CLAIMS 1.1.pdf

307-KOL-2006-CLAIMS.pdf

307-KOL-2006-CORRESPONDENCE 1.1.pdf

307-KOL-2006-CORRESPONDENCE-1.2.pdf

307-KOL-2006-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

307-KOL-2006-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE) 1.1.pdf

307-KOL-2006-DESCRIPTION COMPLETE.pdf

307-KOL-2006-EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf

307-KOL-2006-FORM 1.1.1.pdf

307-KOL-2006-FORM 1.pdf

307-KOL-2006-FORM 18.pdf

307-KOL-2006-FORM 2.1.1.pdf

307-KOL-2006-FORM 2.pdf

307-KOL-2006-FORM 26.pdf

307-KOL-2006-GRANTED-ABSTRACT.pdf

307-KOL-2006-GRANTED-CLAIMS.pdf

307-KOL-2006-GRANTED-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE).pdf

307-KOL-2006-GRANTED-FORM 1.pdf

307-KOL-2006-GRANTED-FORM 2.pdf

307-KOL-2006-GRANTED-FORM 3.pdf

307-KOL-2006-GRANTED-FORM 5.pdf

307-KOL-2006-GRANTED-SPECIFICATION-COMPLETE.pdf

307-KOL-2006-OTHERS.pdf

307-KOL-2006-REPLY TO EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf

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Patent Number

257501

Indian Patent Application Number

307/KOL/2006

PG Journal Number

41/2013

Publication Date

11-Oct-2013

Grant Date

09-Oct-2013

Date of Filing

05-Apr-2006

Name of Patentee

National Institute of Research on Jute & Allied Fibre Technology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Applicant Address

12, Regent Park, Kolkata 700040.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	DR. SUJIT KUMAR GHOSH	C/O NIRJAFT, 12, Regent Park, Kolkata 700040.
2	DR. LAXMIKANTA NAYAK	C/O NIRJAFT, 12, Regent Park, Kolkata 700040.
3	DR. ABHINDRA DEY	C/O NIRJAFT, 12, Regent Park, Kolkata 700040.

PCT International Classification Number

B27N3/00

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1			NA