JP7260861B2 - How to use palm wood - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is a method for utilizing palm trees that have been discarded without being used as a wood resource. The trunk and foliage of palm trees are separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, and the separated vascular bundles and parenchyma cells are separated. are used for different purposes respectively.

Palm (palm) is a general term for plants belonging to the family Arecaceae of the order Palmaceae, monocotyledons, and is a plant that is widely distributed mainly in the tropics, from the subtropical zone to the temperate zone. These palmaceous plants are important as resource plants in tropical regions, and many species have been used in various ways since ancient times. For example, coconut palm oil is used as food, and the clear liquid in the center of the fruit is used as a drink. Palm oil, which is extracted from the fruit of the oil palm, is an important edible and industrial material.

As such, palms are a useful plant resource, but only the pulp and seeds are mainly used. Woody parts such as tree trunks have low practical strength, have no utility value as wood, and are left unused. For example, oil palm (hereinafter referred to as "oil palm") is cultivated on a large scale as a commercial crop mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia. Cultivation of this oil palm is aimed at extracting oil, and only the flesh and seeds are used.

Twenty-five to thirty years after planting, the yield of fruits decreases and oil palm ends its economic life, and is replanted about every twenty-five years. The large amount of oil palm trunk material generated during this reforestation is considered to be too erratic for lumber use and unsuitable for lumbering. Therefore, the felled oil palm trunks are not effectively used and are disposed of as industrial waste or left as they are in oil palm plantations.

Therefore, various attempts have been made to effectively utilize this oil palm trunk material as a resource. In recent years, it is being considered as a raw material for carbon-neutral fuel as a biomass resource. For example, Patent Literature 1 below proposes “use of oil palm wood as a raw material for bioethanol”.

Unlike other tree species, harvested oil palm trunks contain a large amount of free sugars in addition to cellulose and hemicellulose. These free sugars are mainly composed of sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc., and contain about 10% of the stem material. Furthermore, the oil palm trunk material is said to contain about 25% starch (Non-Patent Document 1 below).

Therefore, in Patent Literature 1 below, the oil palm stem material is pressed to separate into a press liquid containing free sugar and strained lees (pressed lees). Furthermore, this press cake is treated with an enzyme (amylase treatment) to obtain a treatment solution containing monosaccharides, and the mixture of this treatment solution and the press solution is fermented to obtain ethanol.

Moreover, in the following patent document 2, instead of decomposing the oil palm trunk material, a "water-absorbent material" using this material as a raw material is proposed. This water-absorbing material is a highly water-absorbing material whose main component is parenchyma obtained from oil palm stem material (considered to be "parenchyma cells" that store starch and the like).

Furthermore, Patent Document 3 below proposes "a plywood, a palm plywood, a plywood manufacturing method, and a palm plywood manufacturing method" using an oil palm trunk as an original woody material. This palm plywood is obtained by bonding veneers obtained from the oil palm trunk material with an adhesive. , and glued together by applying an adhesive between them to form one board (plywood).

JP-A-2009-112246 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-224479 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-068015 T. Matsuda, Y. Tomimura; Tropical Forestry, No. 24 (1992) 37-46

By the way, the use of bioethanol as a raw material in Patent Document 1 is wonderful for the production of carbon-neutral fuel, but it is necessary to press the oil palm stem material, treat it with enzymes, and further ferment it, which is complicated. process and require large-scale equipment. Furthermore, vascular bundles, which account for the majority of the compressed lees, cannot be effectively used, resulting in new industrial waste.

In addition, the water-absorbent material of Patent Document 2 is used as an industrial material, but requires complicated processes such as compression, drying of solid residue, pulverization, and separation of soft tissues and vascular bundles by sieving. . In addition, soft tissue, which is a water-absorbing material, accounts for about 50 to 60% of the solid residue from pressing, and new industrial waste such as the disposal of squeezed liquid and unnecessary solid content of vascular bundles will be generated. .

On the other hand, in the use as a palm plywood of Patent Document 3, a veneer obtained by peeling and drying an oil palm trunk can be used as it is. Therefore, since many parts of the oil palm trunk can be used, no new industrial waste is generated.

However, the veneer obtained from the oil palm trunk is different from the veneer such as lauan that is conventionally used for plywood, and has a low density. It became a problem and could not be used in a wide range of applications to replace hard wood.

Therefore, the present invention addresses the above problems by efficiently separating palm wood such as oil palm wood, which has been left unused until now, into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, and separating the vascular bundles into parenchyma cells. To provide a method for using palm wood, which effectively utilizes both the parenchyma and parenchyma cells .

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention, as a result of extensive research, have found that the vascular bundles and parenchyma cells are almost completely separated by crushing, squeezing, blasting, high-pressure water jetting, etc. on the oil palm material. The present invention has been completed. In addition, the present invention was completed by using the separated vascular bundle as a structural material.

That is, according to the description of claim 1, the method of using coconut wood according to the present invention is as follows:
Separating coconut wood into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells by crushing, squeezing, blasting, high-pressure jetting of water jets, etc.
It is characterized in that the separated vascular bundles and parenchyma cells are effectively used as industrial materials or resources for agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

In addition, the method is characterized by using separated parenchyma cells and utilizing the parenchyma cells as livestock feed.

Alternatively, the method is characterized by using separated parenchyma cells and using the parenchyma cells as a raw material for bioethanol.

Alternatively, the method is characterized by using isolated parenchyma cells and using the parenchyma cells as a medium for mushroom bed cultivation.

In addition, according to the description of claim 2, the present invention is a method of using coconut wood according to claim 1,
In the method for separating the palm material into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells,
A pressing device equipped with two metal rolls having a plurality of V-shaped or uneven grooves consisting of peaks and valleys, which are provided in parallel along the circumferential direction on the surface of the cylinder, is used. ,
These metal rolls rotate in opposite directions with their cylindrical axes parallel to each other and with their peaks and valleys engaged with each other,
By inserting the palm wood plate piece between the two metal rolls that are interlocked and rotated so that the longitudinal direction of the vascular bundle is parallel to or intersects the interlocking grooves,
It is characterized by efficient separation into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells.

Further, according to the description of claim 3, the present invention is a method of using coconut wood according to claim 1,
In the method for separating the palm material into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells,
It consists of a pulverization operation using a pulverization device and a sieving operation of separating the pulverized material after the pulverization operation into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells with a sifter,
In the pulverization operation, by changing the mesh size of the porous sieve provided at the outlet of the pulverization device and the mesh size of the sieve used in the sieving operation,
It is characterized by changing the axial diameter and axial length of the separated vascular bundle and the ratio of parenchymal cells remaining in the vascular bundle.

In addition, according to the description of claim 4, the present invention is a method of using coconut wood according to claim 3,
The aperture of the porous sieve has a hole diameter of 5 mm to 20 mm,
It is characterized by using the vascular bundles and the parenchyma cells that have passed through the porous sieve.

In addition, according to the description of claim 5, the present invention is a method of using coconut wood according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
It is characterized by separating the vascular bundles and the parenchyma cells after the coconut wood has been felled and dried to a moisture content of 15% by mass or less.

In addition, according to the description of claim 6, the present invention is a method of using coconut wood according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
It is characterized by separating the vascular bundles and the parenchyma cells without drying after felling the palm wood .

According to the above configuration, in the method of using coconut wood according to the present invention, first, coconut wood is separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells. As the separation method, means such as pulverization, compression, blasting, and high-pressure jetting of water jets can be used. Among the separated parts, the vascular bundle can be effectively used as an industrial material such as a structural material of woody material. On the other hand, parenchyma cells can be effectively used as industrial materials such as bioethanol raw materials, livestock feeds, and agricultural, forestry and fisheries resources such as culture media for fungal bed cultivation of mushrooms. As a result, palm trees that have been left unused until now can be effectively used, and new industrial wastes are not generated.

Further, according to the above configuration, in the method of separating the palm into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, a pressing device having two metal rolls may be used. The two metal rolls each have a plurality of grooves provided in parallel along the circumferential direction on the surface of the cylinder. These grooves have a V-shape or an uneven shape consisting of peaks and valleys. In addition, these metal rolls rotate in opposite directions with their cylindrical axes parallel to each other and with their peaks and valleys engaged with each other.

Under these conditions, a piece of palm wood is inserted between two metal rolls that are intermeshed and rotating. The palm plate pieces are inserted parallel to or intersecting with a plurality of grooves that interlock in the longitudinal direction of the vascular bundle. This allows a clear separation of the vascular bundles and the parenchyma from the palm wood, which consists mainly of the vascular bundles and the parenchyma cells. By controlling the shape and pitch of the peaks and valleys of the metal rolls and the spacing and number of revolutions between the two metal rolls, the separation ratio between the vascular bundles and the parenchyma cells and the parenchyma cells remaining in the vascular bundles can be controlled. You can adjust the ratio of

In addition, according to the above configuration, in the method of separating coconut wood into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, the crushing operation using a crushing device and the crushed material after the crushing operation are separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells by a sifter. It may be combined with a sieving operation that separates into As a result, by changing the mesh size of the porous sieve provided at the discharge port of the pulverizer and the mesh size of the sieve used for the sieving operation, the axial diameter and axial length of the separated vascular bundle, and The percentage of parenchymal cells remaining in the vascular bundle can be altered.

Further, according to the above configuration, the opening of the porous sieve provided at the discharge port of the pulverizing device may have a pore diameter of 5 mm to 20 mm. This makes it possible to adjust the separation ratio of vascular bundles and parenchyma cells and the ratio of parenchymal cells remaining in vascular bundles.

From the above, according to the present invention, palm wood such as oil palm wood, which has been left unused until now, is efficiently separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, and the vascular bundles and parenchyma cells are separated. It is possible to provide a method of using palm wood that is effectively used.

It is a flowchart of the utilization method which made the oil palm material the example. 1 is an electron micrograph showing vascular bundles and parenchyma of an oil palm stem material. It is a photograph which shows the zephyrization apparatus used in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a photograph showing a state in which grooves of two metal rolls are engaged with each other at peaks and valleys in the zephyr-forming device of FIG. 3 ; Fig. 3 is a photograph showing a state in which a veneer prepared from an oil palm trunk is inserted into a zephyr-forming device. Fig. 3 is a photograph showing a state in which vascular bundles and parenchyma cells are separated from a zephyrization device and come out. 1 is a photograph showing vascular bundles separated by a zephyrization device. Fig. 3 is a photograph showing parenchyma cells separated by a zephyrization device. 1 is an enlarged electron micrograph of the surface of a vascular bundle separated by a zephyrization device. FIG. 10 is an electron micrograph in which the surface of the vascular bundle of FIG. 9 is further enlarged. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a three-layer mat before laminate molding in the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a five-layer mat before laminate molding in the third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an overview of a compaction device used in the third embodiment; FIG. 10 is a process diagram showing an outline of a process of consolidating wood-based material in the third embodiment. It is a photograph which shows the oil palm veneer, hammer crusher, and crushed material which are used in 5th Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a photograph showing a pulverized product obtained by pulverizing an air-dried oil palm trunk material under each condition in the fifth embodiment. FIG. FIG. 10 is a photograph showing pulverized materials obtained by pulverizing a water-saturated oil palm trunk material under various conditions in the fifth embodiment. FIG. FIG. 10 is a photograph showing a state in which the pulverized material after pulverization is sieved into a vascular bundle portion and a parenchyma portion in the fifth embodiment.

In the present invention, the term "palm" refers to all plants belonging to the family Arecaceae of the order Palmaceae, monocotyledonous plants, as described above. In the present invention, coconut palms and oil palms (oil palms), which are widely cultivated as resource plants in tropical regions, are particularly important from the viewpoint of large-scale use as industrial materials and agricultural, forestry and fishery resources. In the present invention, the present invention will be described below using oil palm as an example.

Oil palm, also known as oil palm, is a general term for monocotyledonous plants that are native to West Africa and are classified in the palm family oil palm genus. cultivated on a large scale. Adult trees consist of a single trunk and reach 20 m in height. The leaves are pinnate and about 3 to 5 m long, and 20 to 30 new ones grow every year.

In addition, as described above, oil palms reach the end of their economic life with a decrease in the yield of fruits 25 to 30 years after planting, and are replanted about every 25 years. Since oil palm cultivation uses only the pulp and seeds for the purpose of extracting oil, the trunk material has not been effectively used until now, and has been discarded as industrial waste or left as it is in oil palm plantations. there is

In the cross section of the oil palm trunk, there are visible vascular bundles with a diameter of about 0.4 to 1.2 mm and parenchyma cells storing starch and the like around them. Note that the vascular bundle is long and parallel to the length direction of the trunk. These cell walls are made up of resin components such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. In addition, the stem material contains about 10% free sugar (mainly sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.) and about 25% starch. (Non-Patent Document 1 above).

Hereinafter, a method for using palm material according to the present invention will be described in each embodiment, taking oil palm material as an example. First, in the first to fifth embodiments, a woody material, which is one of the methods of using vascular bundles separated from oil palm wood, and a method for producing the woody material will be described. Next, in the sixth embodiment, livestock feed, which is one of the methods of using the parenchyma cells separated from the oil palm material, will be described. In addition, in the seventh embodiment, a bioethanol raw material, which is one of the methods of using parenchyma cells separated from oil palm material, will be described.

In addition, this invention is not limited only to each embodiment shown below. In addition, in each embodiment, the oil palm trunk material is mainly used as the palm material, but it is not limited to this. You may make it utilize parts, such as a stem and a leaf.

First embodiment:
In the first embodiment, an oil palm trunk material is separated and its vascular bundle is used as a component of a woody material. In addition, in the first embodiment, a laminate in which separated vascular bundles are immobilized is manufactured as the wood-based material according to the present invention. The manufacturing method thereof will be described below. The method for manufacturing a laminate according to the first embodiment includes a separation step, an application step, and a bonding step. Each step will be described below.

1. Separation Step In the separation step according to the first embodiment, the oil palm material is separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells. FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method of utilization of oil palm material considered by the present inventors as an example. In FIG. 1, first, the oil palm stem material is crushed (including crushing in the present invention), squeezing, blasting, high-pressure jetting of water jets, etc. (hereinafter also referred to as “separation means”) to separate vascular bundles and parenchyma. separate into

Therefore, the present inventors observed the cross section of the oil palm trunk material. FIG. 2 is an electron micrograph showing vascular bundles and parenchyma cells of an oil palm stem material. In FIG. 2, vascular bundles (indicated as vascular sheath) and parenchyma cells surrounding them (indicated as parenchyma) can be clearly distinguished. In addition, since these tissues have different structural strengths, they can be easily separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells by a separating means. Although parenchyma cells adhere to the outer shell of the vascular bundle, the ratio of parenchyma remaining in the vascular bundle after separation can be adjusted by controlling the type of separating means and the operation process.

The device of the separating means for separating the oil palm stem material into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells is not particularly limited. Examples of pulverizing devices (including crushing devices) include various mills such as hammer mills, spiral mills, vibrating ball mills, vibrating rod mills and wheelie mills, crushers such as hammer crushers, chippers and shredders. Moreover, a zephyrization apparatus etc. can be mentioned as a pressing apparatus. Devices such as steam explosion can also be used. Furthermore, a device for high-pressure jetting of the dispersion fluid at 100 to 250 MPa can also be used.

By adjusting the processing conditions when using these devices, for example, output, number of times, time, roll interval, etc., the separation ratio between vascular bundles and parenchymal cells, the size of the processed product, and the , the proportion of parenchyma cells remaining in the vascular bundles can be adjusted. According to Patent Document 2, about 50 to 60% by mass of the xylem of the oil palm trunk is said to be parenchyma cells. However, if the treatment conditions are weakened, the parenchyma cells are separated into vascular bundles in which many parenchyma cells are retained and detached parenchyma cells. Conversely, if the treatment conditions are strong, the parenchyma is separated into a mixture of mostly detached vascular bundles and detached parenchymal cells and destroyed vascular bundles.

In addition, when separating the oil palm stem material into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, when separating in an air-dried state (a dry state with a moisture content of 15% by mass) and when separating in a green state, vascular bundles and The separation ratio with parenchyma, the size of the processed product, and the ratio of parenchyma remaining in the vascular bundle can be adjusted. In addition, when the oil palm stem material felled in the oil palm plantation is treated on the spot, it is preferable to separate it in the green state. In any case, the type of equipment, treatment conditions, and water content of the oil palm stem material may be appropriately set according to the application of each separated material.

In the first embodiment, a zephyrization device, which is a type of compression device, is used as the separation means. A zephyr-forming device has been conventionally used to produce bamboo zephyrs, zephyr boards, and the like. However, zephyrization equipment has never been used or even suggested for the treatment of oil palm trunks. Also, it has never been used to separate tissue from wood. The present inventors have studied the structure and action of the zephyrization device, and have determined that the use of the zephyrization device is appropriate as a means for separating long vascular bundles without cutting them excessively. The reason for this will be explained below.

The zephyrization device basically has the following structure. First, two cylindrical metal rolls are used. It should be noted that two wires may be used as one pair, and a plurality of pairs may be used continuously. Each metal roll has a plurality of circumferentially parallel grooves on its surface. The groove is formed in an uneven shape having peaks and valleys. In addition, in the present invention, unlike an ordinary zephyrization device, a V-shaped or other shape groove structure may be adopted according to the use of the vascular bundle to be separated. Further, in addition to the V-shaped, rugged, and other groove structures, the interval between the two metal rolls and the groove-to-groove distance (pitch) may also be adjusted.

Such a pair of metal rolls rotate in opposite directions with their cylindrical axes parallel to each other and with their peaks and valleys engaged with each other. A plate piece prepared from the oil palm trunk is inserted into the meshing portion of the two metal rolls rotating in this way. Here, the state of the vascular bundle in the plate piece of the oil palm will be described. As described above, the vascular bundles are long and parallel to the length direction of the trunk of the oil palm. Therefore, by preparing a plate material in the longitudinal direction of the trunk from the oil palm trunk material, a straight-grained plate material in which the vascular bundles are arranged in parallel can be obtained. In the first embodiment, when preparing a plate material from an oil palm trunk material, a single plate made by a rotary race or the like is used. In this veneer, vascular bundles are arranged in parallel.

By changing the direction in which such a veneer is inserted into the interlocking portion of the two rotating metal rolls, the state of the resulting vascular bundle differs. For example, when the vascular bundle is inserted with its longitudinal direction parallel to the grooves of the metal roll, the vascular bundle can be separated in a long state without excessive cutting. On the other hand, when the vascular bundle is inserted in the direction orthogonal to the grooves of the metal roll, the vascular bundle can be separated in a state of being cut short.

Here, in the first embodiment, the operation of separating the oil palm stem material into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells using a conventional zephyr-forming device will be described. FIG. 3 is a photograph showing the zephyrization apparatus used in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a photograph showing a state in which the grooves (concavo-convex shapes in the first embodiment) of the two metal rolls of the zephyr-forming device are engaged with each other at peaks and valleys. The zephyr-forming apparatus used was equipped with a plurality of pairs of metal rolls (five pairs in the apparatus used), with two rolls being one pair.

In the first embodiment, a rotary lace was used to prepare a veneer from an oil palm trunk, and a dried veneer was used. Therefore, the veneer contains vascular bundles arranged in parallel. FIG. 5 is a photograph showing a state in which a veneer prepared from an oil palm trunk is inserted into a zephyr-forming device. In the first embodiment, the veneers were inserted with the longitudinal direction of the vascular bundle parallel to the grooves of the metal roll.

FIG. 6 is a photograph showing a state in which vascular bundles and parenchyma cells are separated from the zephyrization device. FIG. 7 is a photograph showing vascular bundles separated by the zephyrization device. In FIG. 7, it can be seen that the resulting vascular bundles are separated in a long form without excessive cutting. Moreover, FIG. 8 is a photograph showing parenchyma cells separated by a zephyrization device. In FIG. 8, it can be seen that the obtained parenchyma cells were separated in a fine powder state without contamination with shredded vascular bundle fragments.

It should be noted that the conventional zephyrization device is not intended to separate vascular bundles and parenchyma as in the present invention. In the first embodiment, 26.2 kg (77.1%) of vascular bundles and 3.1 kg (9.1%) of parenchyma cells were recovered from about 34 kg of oil palm trunk veneers. Overall recovery was 86.1%. The reason why the recovery rate is so low is that when the conventional zephyrization apparatus is used, the separated parenchyma cells scatter and cannot be efficiently recovered.

Therefore, in the zephyrization apparatus used in the present invention or a similar apparatus, a dust collector capable of efficiently collecting the separated parenchyma cells may be used. The type and type of dust collector used in the present invention are not particularly limited. For example, a centrifugal dust collector such as a cyclone and a filtering dust collector such as a bag filter can be used.

Next, the state of the vascular bundle separated by the zephyrization device was observed. FIG. 9 is an enlarged electron micrograph of the surface of the vascular bundles separated by the zephyrization device. Further, FIG. 10 is an electron micrograph of the surface of the vascular bundle further enlarged. 9 and 10, the surface of the vascular bundle has no large scratches, and the vascular bundle is not damaged by the treatment with the zephyr-forming device, indicating that the vascular bundle is effective as a structural material. In addition, it can be seen that what seems to be silica crystals is attached to the outer periphery of the vascular bundle.

Here, the components of vascular bundles and parenchyma of oil palm wood are compared. Table 1 is a table showing the ratio of the components of the vascular bundles and parenchyma cells of the oil palm material published in the known literature (H.Abe, et.al.BioResources, 8 (2), 1573-1581 (2013)) is. The actual ratio of the components of the vascular bundles and parenchyma separated in the first embodiment has not been analyzed.

In Table 1, it can be seen that the ratio of α-cellulose and the ratio of starch differ greatly between vascular bundles and parenchyma cells. In addition, it is slightly different from the starch ratio of the oil palm trunk material (about 25%) disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 above. All of them are materials of publicly known literature, but the influence of individual differences, regional differences, seasonal fluctuations, etc. is conceivable.

In any case, it can be seen that it is effective to use vascular bundles with a high proportion of α-cellulose as structural materials for woody materials. It is also found that it is effective to use parenchyma cells with a high starch ratio as feed for livestock, raw materials for bioethanol, or mushroom beds for mushroom cultivation.

On the other hand, the physical properties of the vascular bundle of the oil palm material obtained in the first embodiment were confirmed. First, according to a known document (Nor Hafizab Ab Wahab, et al. Journal of Adhesion, 90 (3), 210-229 (2014)), the density of vascular bundles of oil palm material is 0.62 g/cm ³ It is said that On the other hand, the apparent density of the vascular bundles separated in the first embodiment was measured by immersion in petroleum ether using Archimedes' principle, and the measured value was 0.7 to 0.8 g/cm ³ . there were.

Next, the tensile strength of the vascular bundle separated in the first embodiment was measured. The measurement was performed with a precision universal testing machine Autograph (registered trademark; manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) at a loading speed of 3.0 mm/min. For the calculation of tensile strength, the diameter of the fractured portion was measured from two directions on the assumption that the vascular bundle was cylindrical, and the average value was used for calculation. The measured tensile strength of the vascular bundle separated in the first embodiment was 146.8 MPa. This value is compared to Jute: 550 MPa, Hardwood: 130 MPa, Softwood: 140 MPa, Bamboo: 300 MPa, Lint: 480 MPa, Polyester: 520 MPa, according to a known document (Wood Research, No. 30, P. 32-39 (1994)). It has very good strength. Therefore, it can be seen that it is effective to use a vascular bundle having a high tensile strength as a structural material of a woody material.

Next, the production of a laminated plate using the vascular bundle obtained in the separation step as a structural material will be described. In the first embodiment, the separated long vascular bundles were used as they were, and a laminated plate was manufactured by orienting them in two orthogonal directions.

2. Application Step First, the step of applying the resin material to the vascular bundle will be described. The laminated plate according to the first embodiment is obtained by impregnating separated vascular bundles with a resin material to bind the vascular bundles together. The resin material referred to in the present invention refers to a material that adheres and binds vascular bundles together, a material that fills between vascular bundles to bind them together, or partially permeates into the inside of vascular bundles to form vascular bundles. It is a broad concept including a material that reacts with cellulose or other substances to bind them together, and any material that finally forms a state in which vascular bundles are bound together may be used. Therefore, in the step of applying to the vascular bundle in the applying step, any of polymers, prepolymers, oligomers, and monomers may be used.

Specifically, polymers or prepolymers include synthetic resins such as phenol resins, urea resins, melamine resins, furan resins, urethane resins and epoxy resins, and natural resins such as shellac. In the case of phenolic resins and melamine resins, they may be oligomers or monomers or dimers with smaller molecular weights. Furthermore, it may be a polyfunctional cross-linking agent that reacts with cellulose or the like. Examples of cross-linking agents include polyfunctional isocyanates, polyfunctional epoxies, polyfunctional aldehydes, and polyfunctional carboxylic acids.

In addition, in the 1st Embodiment of this invention, the phenolic resin was used. As the phenolic resin for impregnating the vascular bundle, it is preferable to use a resol type phenolic resin. These phenolic resins may be either low-molecular-weight phenolic resins (filled-type resins) having a number-average molecular weight of about 400 or less, or oligomer-type phenolic resins (adhesive-type resins) having a higher molecular weight. Moreover, the phenol resin may be used alone or in combination with a catalyst or the like. In the first embodiment, a low molecular weight phenolic resin (filled resin) having a number average molecular weight of Mn=272 and a weight average molecular weight of Mw=408 was used.

The impregnation of the vascular bundle with the phenolic resin is performed by first dissolving the phenolic resin in water to obtain a concentration of 2 to 50% by mass, more preferably 10 to 30% by mass, still more preferably 20 to 30% by mass. Prepare an aqueous solution. If the concentration of the aqueous phenolic resin solution is less than 2% by mass, the impregnation amount of the vascular bundles is insufficient, and the physical properties of the laminate are considered to deteriorate. On the other hand, if the concentration of the phenolic resin aqueous solution exceeds 50% by mass, the laminate becomes brittle and the manufacturing cost increases.

Next, the vascular bundle is immersed in the prepared phenolic resin aqueous solution at room temperature for 0.2 to 24 hours to impregnate the vascular bundle with the phenolic resin. At this time, if necessary, an impregnation method such as decompression or pressurization may be adopted. In addition, in the first embodiment, the substrate was immersed for 0.5 hours at normal temperature and normal pressure. The impregnation rate at this time was 134.6%. Next, the vascular bundle impregnated with the aqueous phenolic resin solution is air-dried and then dried at a temperature of about 50° C. to 105° C. for about 10 minutes to 12 hours. In the first embodiment, the vascular bundle impregnated with the phenolic resin aqueous solution was air-dried for about 12 hours and then dried at 80° C. for 3 hours. The resin solid content of the resin-containing vascular bundle obtained by this operation was about 30% by mass.

Next, a three-layer mat was prepared by aligning the vascular bundles impregnated with these phenol resins and dried in the longitudinal direction. A mat is a term used in particle boards and the like, and refers to each layer in which fibers and particles (vascular bundles in the first embodiment) are scattered and accumulated before being compressed. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a three-layer mat before lamination molding. Each of the mats W1 to W3 is formed in a state in which the vascular bundles constituting each mat are oriented in the longitudinal direction. The mats W1 to W3 are arranged so that their alignment directions are alternately orthogonal to each other. In FIG. 11, mats W1 and W3 have their vascular bundles oriented in the same direction (upper right direction in the drawing), and mat W2 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to them (horizontal direction in the drawing). As a result, the physical properties of the laminated plate obtained by laminating these materials are improved, and the physical properties are further improved due to the long length of the vascular bundles used.

3. Bonding Process Next, a bonding process for bonding the oriented vascular bundles used for the mats W1 to W3 and bonding the mats W1 to W3 to each other will be described. In addition, in the first embodiment,
Essentially no consolidation was performed in the binding process to improve the packing density of each vascular bundle. Therefore, it was decided to match the target density of the laminated plate after molding with the above-mentioned actually measured density of the vascular bundle.

First, the prepared mats W1 to W3 are arranged as shown in FIG. 11 to prepare a laminate before bonding. This laminated plate is set in a hot press and heated by the upper and lower hot plates, and the heated laminated plate is compressed by applying a predetermined pressing pressure to the upper and lower hot plates from the thickness direction. Furthermore, while maintaining this clamping pressure, the temperature is further raised and maintained at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time.

As an immobilization condition, the predetermined temperature is generally within the temperature range of 140 to 220°C, preferably within the temperature range of 160 to 200°C, although it depends on the type of resin material used. The time for maintaining this temperature range is appropriately selected depending on the target to be immobilized, and is, for example, within the range of 10 minutes to 120 minutes, preferably within the range of 10 minutes to 60 minutes. . On the other hand, the pressing pressure applied from the thickness direction is appropriately selected depending on the object to be immobilized, but is preferably in the range of 1 to 10 MPa, for example. In the first embodiment, a laminated plate (thickness before pressing: about 10 cm) laminated with mats W1 to W3 is treated at a temperature of 180° C. and a pressing pressure of 1.5 MPa for 15 minutes. A laminated plate having a thickness of about 12 mm was fixed by pressing.

The value of the air-dried density of the laminated plate thus obtained after immobilization is equal to or slightly lower than the measured density of the above-mentioned vascular bundle (0.7-0.8 g/cm ³ ), from 0.55 to It was 0.71 g/cm ³ . In the first embodiment, molding was performed with a pressing pressure of 1.5 MPa. is preferably within the range of 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm ³ . If the value of the air-dried density after molding is within the range of 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm ³ , physical properties such as rigidity (flexural Young's modulus) of the fixed laminate will be good.

Here, the physical properties of the immobilized laminated plate were confirmed. The physical property test items performed in the first embodiment are a bending test, a water absorption thickness expansion coefficient test, a wood screw holding force test, and a surface hardness (Brinell hardness) test. Each test method and results are described below.

<Bending test>
A bending test was performed according to JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board). In addition, in the first embodiment, in addition to the measurement with the normal test piece, the measurement with the wet test piece (method B) after 2 hours of boiling was performed. In addition, since the laminated plate of the first embodiment is composed of three layers, the test piece was measured only in the vertical direction. Here, the longitudinal direction of the test piece indicates a test piece whose longitudinal direction is aligned with the direction in which the vascular bundles are oriented in the two layers of mats W1 and W3 in FIG.

For the measurement, first, a test piece having a thickness of 12 mm, a width of 50 mm and a length of 230 mm was prepared. Next, it was measured at an average loading speed of 10 mm/min by a three-point loading method. Measurement items were bending strength (MPa), bending Young's modulus (GPa), and bending work (J). Table 2 shows the measurement results for the immobilized laminate according to the first embodiment. The density in Table 2 refers to the density of the prepared test piece (before measurement) in an air-dried state.

According to the above-mentioned JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board) standard, bending strength: 17.5 MPa or more (10.5 MPa or more when wet), bending Young's modulus: 3.0 GPa or more. All were good.

<Water absorption thickness expansion rate test>
The water absorption thickness expansion rate test was performed according to JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board). First, a test piece having a width of 50 mm and a length of 50 mm was prepared, and the thickness and weight of the central portion were measured. Next, the test piece was placed horizontally 30 mm below the water surface in water at 20° C. and immersed for 24 hours. Thereafter, the thickness and weight of the central portion of the test piece were measured, and the water absorption thickness expansion coefficient and water absorption coefficient were calculated. As reference values, dimensional changes in the width and length of the test piece were also measured. Furthermore, instead of immersion at 20°C for 24 hours, measurements were also made in the same manner for immersion in boiling water for 2 hours. Table 3 shows the measurement results for the immobilized laminate according to the first embodiment. The density in Table 3 refers to the density of the prepared test piece (before measurement) in an air-dried state.

According to the above-mentioned JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board) standard, the water absorption thickness expansion coefficient of the sample with a thickness of 12.7 mm or less is 25% or less, and the results in Table 3 significantly exceed this standard. It was something.

<Wood screw holding force test>
A wood screw retention test was performed according to JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board). First, a test piece having a width of 50 mm and a length of 50 mm was prepared, and a wood screw having a diameter of 2.7 mm and a length of 16 mm was vertically screwed into the central portion of the test piece to the threaded portion (approximately 11 mm). Next, the test piece was fixed, the wood screw was pulled out vertically, and the maximum load required was measured with a precision universal testing machine, Autograph (registered trademark; manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation). Table 4 shows the measurement results for the immobilized laminate according to the first embodiment. The density in Table 4 refers to the density of the prepared test piece (before measurement) in an air-dried state.

According to the above-mentioned JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board) standard, the wood screw holding force is 500 N or more, and the results in Table 4 maintain this level.

<Surface hardness (Brinell hardness) test>
A surface hardness (Brinell hardness) test was performed according to JIS Z 2101:2009 (testing method for wood). First, a hemispherical plunger with a tip radius of 5 mm is pressed into the surface of the test piece at a constant speed of 0.5 mm/min to a depth of 1/π (about 0.32 mm), and when that depth is reached was measured. Next, the measured load is divided by 10 (because the surface area of the press fitting surface is 10 mm 2 ) to obtain the Brinell hardness. Table 5 shows the measurement results for the immobilized laminate according to the first embodiment. The density in Table 5 refers to the density of the prepared test piece (before measurement) in an air-dried state.

In this test method, it is believed that a laminate having excellent physical properties, which is resistant to scratches, can be provided when the surface hardness of the test piece is 10 MPa or more. The results in Table 4 show a value close to 15 MPa, exceeding this level, and it is believed that the range of applications will further expand.

From the above, according to the first embodiment, palm wood such as oil palm wood that has been left unused until now is efficiently separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, and the separated vascular bundles are separated. It is possible to provide a wood-based material that has physical properties similar to or better than those of conventional wood and that can be practically used in applications such as building materials, and a method for producing the wood-based material.

Second embodiment:
In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a laminated plate in which separated vascular bundles are fixed is manufactured as the wood-based material according to the present invention. A manufacturing method thereof will be described. The method of manufacturing a laminate according to the second embodiment includes a separation step, an application step, and a bonding step as in the first embodiment. Each step will be described below.

1. Separation Step In the second embodiment as well, a zephyrization apparatus was used in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In addition, as the oil palm plate pieces to be fed into the zephyr-forming apparatus, a veneer plate obtained by rotary race similar to that of the first embodiment was used.

Next, the production of a laminated plate using the vascular bundle obtained in the separation step as a structural material will be described. In the second embodiment, long vascular bundles separated in the same manner as in the first embodiment are used as they are, and a consolidated laminated plate is manufactured by orienting them in two orthogonal directions.

2. Application Step In the second embodiment, the resin material applied to the vascular bundle in the application step is changed from that of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, polyfunctional isocyanate, which is a cross-linking agent that reacts with cellulose or the like, is used as the resin material. Specifically, bifunctional diphenylmethane diisocyanate (hereinafter referred to as "MDI") was used. In the second embodiment, 10% by mass of MDI was added to the vascular bundle, and the bundle was allowed to stand in an air-dried state for about 2 hours. Next, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, a three-layer mat was prepared by orienting the vascular bundles to which MDI had been applied in the longitudinal direction (see FIG. 11).

3. Binding Step In the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, basically no consolidation is performed in the binding step, and the packing density of each vascular bundle is improved. Therefore, it was decided to match the target density of the laminated plate after molding with the above-mentioned actually measured density of the vascular bundle.

First, the prepared mats W1 to W3 are arranged as shown in FIG. 11 to prepare a laminate before bonding. This laminated plate is set in a hot press and heated by the upper and lower hot plates, and the heated laminated plate is compressed by applying a predetermined pressing pressure to the upper and lower hot plates from the thickness direction. Furthermore, while maintaining this clamping pressure, the temperature is further raised and maintained at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time.

In the second embodiment, the conditions corresponding to the first embodiment were adopted as the immobilization conditions. Specifically, in the second embodiment as well, a laminated plate (thickness before clamping: about 10 cm) in which mats W1 to W3 are laminated is subjected to a temperature of 180° C. and a clamping pressure of 1.5 MPa. After 15 minutes of treatment, a laminate with a thickness of about 12 mm was fixed.

The value of the air-dried density of the laminated plate thus obtained after immobilization is equal to or slightly lower than the measured density of the above-mentioned vascular bundle (0.7-0.8 g/cm ³ ), from 0.63 to It was 0.72 g/cm ³ . In the second embodiment, molding was performed with a pressing pressure of 1.5 MPa. is preferably within the range of 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm ³ . If the value of the air-dried density after molding is within the range of 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm ³ , physical properties such as rigidity (flexural Young's modulus) of the fixed laminate will be good.

Here, the physical properties of the immobilized laminated plate were confirmed. The physical property test items performed in the second embodiment are a bending test and a water absorption thickness expansion coefficient test. Each test method and results are described below.

<Bending test>
In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, according to JIS A 5908: 2008 (particle board), in addition to measurement with a test piece in a normal state, a test piece in a wet state after 2 hours of boiling Both measurements (method B) were performed. In addition, since the laminate of the second embodiment is composed of three layers, the test piece was measured only in the vertical direction. Here, the longitudinal direction of the test piece indicates a test piece whose longitudinal direction is aligned with the direction in which the vascular bundles are oriented in the two layers of mats W1 and W3 in FIG.

For the measurement, first, a test piece having a thickness of 12 mm, a width of 50 mm, and a length of 230 mm was prepared in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Next, it was measured at an average loading speed of 10 mm/min by a three-point loading method. Measurement items were bending strength (MPa), bending Young's modulus (GPa), and bending work (J). Table 6 shows the measurement results for the immobilized laminate according to the second embodiment. The density in Table 6 refers to the density of the prepared test piece (before measurement) in an air-dried state.

According to the above-mentioned JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board) standard, bending strength: 17.5 MPa or more (10.5 MPa or more when wet), bending Young's modulus: 3.0 GPa or more. All were good.

<Water absorption thickness expansion rate test>
In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it was carried out according to JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board). First, a test piece having a width of 50 mm and a length of 50 mm was prepared, and the thickness and weight of the central portion were measured. Next, the test piece was placed horizontally 30 mm below the water surface in water at 20° C. and immersed for 24 hours. Thereafter, the thickness and weight of the central portion of the test piece were measured, and the water absorption thickness expansion coefficient and water absorption coefficient were calculated. As reference values, dimensional changes in the width and length of the test piece were also measured. Furthermore, instead of immersion at 20°C for 24 hours, measurements were also made in the same manner for immersion in boiling water for 2 hours. Table 7 shows the measurement results for the immobilized laminate according to the second embodiment. The density in Table 7 refers to the density of the prepared test piece (before measurement) in an air-dried state.

According to the above-mentioned JIS A 5908:2008 (particle board) standard, the water absorption thickness expansion coefficient of the sample with a thickness of 12.7 mm or less is 25% or less, and the results in Table 7 greatly exceed this standard. It was something.

From the above, according to the second embodiment, palm wood such as oil palm wood that has been left unused until now is efficiently separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, and the separated vascular bundles are separated. It is possible to provide a wood-based material that has physical properties similar to or better than those of conventional wood and that can be practically used in applications such as building materials, and a method for producing the wood-based material.

Third embodiment:
In the third embodiment, as the wood-based material according to the present invention, a consolidated laminated plate is produced by consolidating separated vascular bundles. The manufacturing method thereof will be described below. The method for producing a compacted laminate according to the third embodiment comprises a separation step, an application step, and a bonding step as in the first embodiment. Each step will be described below.

1. Separation Process In the third embodiment, a zephyrization apparatus was used as in the first embodiment. In addition, as the oil palm plate pieces to be fed into the zephyr-forming apparatus, a single plate formed by a rotary race similar to that of the first embodiment was used.

Next, the production of a consolidated laminate using the vascular bundle obtained in the separation process as a structural material will be described. In the third embodiment, the separated long vascular bundles are used as they are, and a consolidated laminated plate is manufactured by orienting them in two orthogonal directions.

2. Application Step In the third embodiment, a low-molecular-weight phenolic resin (filled resin) having a number average molecular weight of 400 or less was used as the resin material for impregnating the vascular bundles in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The method and amount of phenolic resin applied to the vascular bundle were also the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, details are omitted here.

Next, a five-layer mat was prepared by aligning the vascular bundles impregnated with these phenol resins and dried in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a five-layer mat before lamination molding. Each of the mats W11 to W15 is formed in a state in which the vascular bundles constituting each mat are oriented in the longitudinal direction. Each of the mats W11 to W15 is configured such that the alignment directions are alternately orthogonal to each other. In FIG. 12, the mats W11, W13, and W15 orient the vascular bundles in the same direction (upper right direction in the figure), and the mats W12 and W14 orthogonal to this align the vascular bundles in the same direction (the lateral direction in the figure). Oriented. As a result, the physical properties of the compacted laminate obtained by laminating them are improved, and the physical properties are further improved by the long length of the vascular bundles used.

3. Bonding Process Next, a bonding process for bonding the oriented vascular bundles used in the mats W11 to W15 and bonding the mats W11 to W15 to each other will be described. In the third embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the bonding step involves fixing by compaction.

Here, the consolidation (consolidation and fixation) of the woody material will be described. The present inventors have so far studied the consolidation of wood and the plastic working of wood. From this background, a number of patents have been established, such as a wood consolidation method (Patent No. 4787432) and a plastically processed wood (Patent No. 5138080). Therefore, the present inventors have developed a compacted woody material using the separated vascular bundles as a structural material by making use of these technical findings and devices.

First, mats W11 to W15 composed of vascular bundles impregnated with the aqueous phenolic resin solution in the application step are laminated and dried at a temperature of about 50° C. to 105° C. for about 10 minutes to 12 hours. Thus, a laminate before compaction is prepared.

Next, the laminated sheet before consolidation prepared as described above is heated, and the heated laminated sheet before consolidation is compressed by applying a predetermined pressing pressure from the thickness direction. Furthermore, while maintaining this compaction pressure, the temperature is further raised, and after the temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, the temperature is lowered and cooled to complete the compaction and fixation.

As for the conditions for consolidation and fixation in the third embodiment, first, the predetermined temperature is within the temperature range of 140 to 220.degree. C., preferably within the temperature range of 160 to 200.degree. In addition, the time for maintaining this temperature range is appropriately selected depending on the object to be compacted and fixed. be. On the other hand, the pressing pressure applied from the thickness direction is appropriately selected according to the object to be compacted and fixed, but is preferably within the range of 1 to 10 MPa, for example.

Here, the consolidation apparatus MC for consolidating the woody material in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the compaction device MC used in the third embodiment. In FIG. 13, the consolidation apparatus MC is composed of a press platen 10 divided vertically into two (an upper press platen 10A and a lower press platen 10B).

The upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B are vertically divided to form an internal space IS and positioning holes 18 . The positioning hole 18 defines and regulates the position of the laminated plate PW1 before compaction, and is formed in the lower press platen 10B so that the peripheral edge portion 10b faces the peripheral edge portion 10a of the upper press platen 10A. there is A seal member 11 is formed on the peripheral edge portion 10a of the upper press platen 10A to seal the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 within the range of vertical movement of the press platen 10A.

Further, the upper press platen 10A is provided with a pipe 12 having a pipe port 12a that communicates with the internal space IS from its upper surface side and supplies steam to the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18. As shown in FIG. A valve V4 is provided on the downstream side of the pipe 12 . On the other hand, the lower press platen 10B is provided with a pipe 13 that communicates with the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 from the side thereof and has a pipe port 13a for discharging water vapor from the internal space IS. The pipe 13 is provided with a pressure gauge P2 for detecting the internal steam pressure, a valve V5 on the downstream side thereof, and a drain pipe 14 connected to the valve V5.

Further, the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B are formed with pipes 15 and 16 for raising the temperature to a predetermined temperature by passing high-temperature steam through the interior thereof. Pipes ST2 and ST3 branched from the pipe ST1 on the steam supply side and pipes ET1 and ET2 on the steam discharge side are connected to the . Valves V1, V2, V3 and a pressure gauge P1 for detecting the steam pressure in the pipe ST1 are arranged in the middle of these pipes ST1, ST2, ST3 on the steam supply side. is connected to a drain pipe 14 via a valve V6.

13 includes a boiler apparatus for supplying steam to the pipe ST1, and a hydraulic mechanism for raising/lowering the upper press platen 10A with respect to the lower press platen 10B on the stationary side of the press platen 10 and applying pressure. A press lifting device is omitted.

Further, a cooling water supply side pipe ST11 branches off from a cooling water supply side pipe ST11 for cooling to a desired temperature by passing low-temperature cooling water instead of water vapor through pipes 15 and 16 formed in the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B. The pipes ST12 and ST13 are connected to the pipes ST2 and ST3, respectively. Further, valves V11, V12 and V13 are arranged in the middle of the pipes ST11, ST12 and ST13 on the cooling water supply side. In addition, in FIG. 13, a cooling water supply device for supplying cooling water to the pipe ST11 is omitted.

Next, a manufacturing process for manufacturing a compacted laminated plate PW2 using the compaction apparatus MC configured as described above will be described along each step in FIG. First, in FIG. 14(a), the upper press platen 10A is raised with respect to the lower press platen 10B on the fixed side of the consolidation apparatus MC, and the laminated plate PW1, which has been dried in advance under predetermined conditions and has not yet been compacted, is placed upward. It is placed in the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 formed by the press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B.

Here, in the third embodiment, the laminated plate PW1 before compaction is formed in predetermined dimensions (thickness, width, length), and its upper and lower surfaces are formed by the upper pressing platen 10A and the lower pressing platen. It is placed in the positioning holes 18 of the lower press platen 10B so as to face each pressing surface of the platen 10B.

Next, in FIG. 14(b), the upper press platen 10A is lowered with respect to the unconsolidated laminate PW1 placed on the positioning hole 18 of the lower press platen 10B on the fixed side to press the unconsolidated laminate. It is brought into vertical contact with the upper surface of PW1. In this state, water vapor at a predetermined temperature (for example, 110° C. to 180° C.) is passed through the piping 15 of the upper press platen 10A and the piping 16 of the lower press platen 10B, and the interior space IS and the positioning hole 18 are heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, , 110° C. to 180° C.). In this state, the space formed by the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 is not yet sealed.

Next, the clamping pressure of the upper press platen 10A is set to a predetermined pressure (for example, 1 to 10 MPa) with respect to the lower press platen 10B on the fixed side, and the laminate PW1 before compaction is pressed by the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen. It is heated and compressed for a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes to 40 minutes) on the board 10B. In order to prevent cracking, the pressing pressure at this time depends on the temperature rise of the laminated plate PW1 before consolidation, that is, the state of heat conduction (internal temperature rise) of the laminated plate PW1 before consolidation. It is desirable to gradually raise the temperature by heating, and it is preferable to set the heating and compression time in consideration of the time required for heat conduction. In this state, the space formed by the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 is not yet sealed.

Next, in FIG. 14(c), when the peripheral edge portion 10a of the upper press platen 10A comes into contact with the peripheral edge portion 10b of the lower press platen 10B, the seal member 11 disposed on the peripheral edge portion 10a of the upper press platen 10A causes the upper The internal space IS formed by the press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B and the positioning hole 18 are sealed. In this state, the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 are kept sealed, and the pressing pressure is maintained by the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B. The temperature is raised to

In the third embodiment, the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 when the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 formed by the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B are sealed via the seal member 11. is set to the finished dimension (compression ratio) in the thickness direction so that the value of the air-dried density after compaction becomes a preset value. For this reason, the compressibility of the entire thickness of the laminated plate PW1 before consolidation, that is, the change in thickness due to compression of the laminated plate PW1 before consolidation is such that the peripheral edge portion 10a of the upper press platen 10A is less than that of the lower press platen 10B. It is determined by contact with the peripheral edge portion 10b.

In this state, the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 are sealed as shown in FIG. A consolidated laminate that is maintained at a predetermined temperature (eg, 150 to 210° C.) for a predetermined time (eg, 30 to 120 minutes) and does not return (expand) when the subsequent cooling compression is released. A heat treatment is performed to form PW2. At this time, a high-temperature and high-pressure vapor pressure is generated between the peripheral surface of the laminated plate PW1 before compaction and its interior through the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 which are sealed by the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B. can enter and exit freely.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B are in surface contact with the front and back surfaces of the laminated plate PW1 before compaction, and the sealed internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 are closed. Since the laminated plate PW1 is held, the entire thickness of the laminated plate PW1 before compaction is sufficiently heated and is efficiently compressed and deformed.

Next, in FIG. 14(d), when the heat compression process is being performed in the closed state of the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18, the steam in the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 is detected by the pressure gauge P2 as the steam pressure control process. Pressure is detected and valve V5 is opened and closed as appropriate. As a result, high-temperature and high-pressure steam is discharged to the drain pipe 14 side from the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 through the pipe port 13a and the pipe 13. Excess moisture in the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18 based on the rate is removed, and the internal space IS and the inside of the positioning hole 18 are adjusted to have a predetermined vapor pressure.

Further, if necessary, a predetermined steam pressure can be supplied to the internal space IS via the pipe 12 connected to the valve V4 and the pipe port 12a (FIG. 13). As a result, the fixation of the heat-compression treatment of the consolidated laminate, that is, the fixation of the consolidated laminate is further promoted.

Further, immediately before the heat compression by the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B shifts from the heat compression to the cooling compression, the valve V5 is opened as a vapor pressure control process, so that the internal space passes through the pipe port 13a and the pipe 13. High-temperature and high-pressure steam is discharged from the IS and the positioning hole 18 to the drain pipe 14 side.

Next, in FIG. 14(e), the cooling water at room temperature is passed through the pipe 15 of the upper press platen 10A and the pipe 16 of the lower press platen 10B, so that the upper press platen 10A and the lower press platen 10B are cooled to room temperature. It is cooled back and forth and held for a predetermined time (for example, 10 to 120 minutes) that varies depending on the material. At this time, the pressing pressure of the upper press platen 10A against the lower press platen 10B on the fixed side is kept at the same predetermined pressure (for example, 1 to 10 MPa) as the pressure at the time of heat compression. And the lower press platen 10B is cooled.

Finally, in FIG. 14(f), the upper press platen 10A is lifted with respect to the lower press platen 10B on the fixed side, and the finished compacted laminate PW2 is taken out from the internal space IS and the positioning hole 18. A series of processing steps is completed.

Consolidated laminate PW2 produced as described above had an air dry density value of about 1.0 g/cm ³ after consolidation. In addition, in the third embodiment, molding was performed by consolidation. It is preferably within the range of 5 g/cm ³ . If the value of the air dry density after molding is within the range of 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm ³ , physical properties such as rigidity (flexural Young's modulus) of the consolidated laminate PW2 will be good.

Fourth embodiment:
In the fourth embodiment, as the wooden material according to the present invention, a compacted plate is manufactured using a non-oriented vascular bundle as a structural material. The manufacturing method thereof will be described below. A method for manufacturing a compaction plate according to the fourth embodiment includes a separation step, an application step, and a bonding step as in the first embodiment. Each step will be described below.

1. Separation Process In the fourth embodiment, a zephyrization apparatus is used in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In addition, as the oil palm plate pieces to be fed into the zephyr-forming apparatus, a single plate formed by a rotary race similar to that of the first embodiment was used. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the long vascular bundle obtained in the first embodiment is cut into a predetermined length to form a structural material. By using long vascular bundles, the length of the structural material can be arbitrarily adjusted, and the physical properties of the structural material can be improved by combining vascular bundles of different lengths. In the fourth embodiment, the long vascular bundle obtained in the first embodiment was cut into pieces of 5 mm to 8 mm and used.

2. Application Step In the fourth embodiment, a low-molecular-weight phenolic resin (filled resin) having a number average molecular weight of 400 or less is used as the resin material for impregnating the vascular bundles in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The method and amount of phenolic resin applied to the vascular bundle were also the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, details are omitted here.

Next, a structural material is produced from the vascular bundle impregnated with phenolic resin. In the fourth embodiment, the structural material is formed not as a laminated plate but as a thick one-layer plate-like body. Short but uniform vascular bundles exist in non-orientation inside the plate-like body before molding.

3. Bonding Step Next, the vascular bundles of the prepared plate-like body before molding are bonded. Also in the fourth embodiment, the same consolidation device (see FIGS. 13 and 14) as in the third embodiment was used. The structure and operation of the consolidation device were the same as in the third embodiment.

The compacted plate thus produced had an air dry density value of about 1.2 g/cm ³ after compaction. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, molding was performed by consolidation. It is preferably within the range of 5 g/cm ³ . If the value of the air dry density after molding is within the range of 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm ³ , physical properties such as rigidity (flexural Young's modulus) of the consolidated laminate PW2 will be good.

Fifth embodiment:
In the fifth embodiment, as in the first to fourth embodiments, the trunk material of the oil palm is separated, and the vascular bundles thereof are used as constituent elements of the woody material. The method for manufacturing a laminate according to the fifth embodiment includes a separation step, an application step, and a bonding step. However, in the fifth embodiment, unlike the first to fourth embodiments, the separation means for separating the oil palm stem material into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells in the separation step is different. Each step will be described below.

1. Separation process In the fifth embodiment, a hammer crusher, which is a type of crushing device, is used as a separation means to crush oil palm trunk material in an air-dried state and a water-saturated state (assuming a raw material state). separated into bundles and parenchyma. FIG. 15 is a photograph showing an oil palm veneer, a hammer crusher and crushed material used in the fifth embodiment. As the oil palm veneer before separation, 100 g of an air-dried veneer obtained by turning an oil palm trunk into a veneer with a rotary lace was used. The separating apparatus used was Hammer Crusher NH-50S (manufactured by Sansho Industry Co., Ltd.), 200 V, 3.7 kW, an inner diameter of an outer cylinder of 290 mm, and a hammer rotation speed of 3,450 rpm. The pulverized material shown in FIG. 3 is a mixture of vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, and passed through a porous sieve (pore size 15 mm) attached to the pulverized material outlet of the hammer crusher.

FIG. 16 is a photograph showing pulverized materials obtained by pulverizing air-dried oil palm trunk material under various conditions in the fifth embodiment. On the other hand, FIG. 17 assumes a raw material state in the fifth embodiment,
Fig. 3 is a photograph showing pulverized materials obtained by pulverizing under various conditions the trunk material saturated with water by impregnating oil palm material in an air-dried state with water. 16 and 17 show the state of the pulverized material when it is processed once to three times with a hammer crusher. Also, the state of the pulverized material when a porous sieve (pore diameter of 15 mm or 7 mm) was attached to the pulverized material discharge port of the hammer crusher and when it was not attached is shown. It can be seen that the axial diameter and axial length of the vascular bundle change under each condition.

Table 8 shows the yield of pulverized material obtained by pulverizing the air-dried oil palm veneer under each condition and the mass ratio of vascular bundles to parenchyma cells. The number of pulverization times of 2 means that the pulverized material (passed through a porous sieve) that has been pulverized once is pulverized again with a hammer crusher. Similarly, the number of crushing times of 3 means that the crushed product (passed through a porous sieve) that was crushed twice was again crushed with a hammer crusher.

As can be seen from Table 8, the mass ratio of vascular bundles decreases and the mass ratio of parenchyma cells increases as the number of pulverization increases. Also, as the pore size of the porous sieve becomes smaller, the mass ratio of parenchyma cells increases. As described above, it is said that about 50 to 60% by mass of the xylem of the oil palm trunk is parenchyma cells. Therefore, the vascular bundles pulverized in the fifth embodiment still retain a considerable number of parenchyma cells, and are separated into the vascular bundles in which many parenchyma cells remain and the detached parenchyma cells. I know there is.

Next, the vascular bundles are extracted from the pulverized material (mixture of vascular bundles and parenchyma cells) separated as described above, and production of a compacted woody material using this as a component will be described. FIG. 18 is a photograph showing a state in which the pulverized material after pulverization is sieved into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 18 shows the vascular bundles and parenchyma cells after the pulverized material passed through a porous sieve with a pore size of 15 mm and pulverized once was sieved by a sifter with an opening of 750 μm. In the fifth embodiment, the vascular bundle shown in FIG. 18 was used.

2. Application step In the fifth embodiment, as in the first and third to fifth embodiments, a low-molecular-weight phenolic resin (filled resin) having a number average molecular weight of 400 or less is used as the resin material with which the vascular bundle is impregnated. used. The method and amount of phenolic resin applied to the vascular bundle were also the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, details are omitted here.

Next, a structural material is produced from the vascular bundle impregnated with phenolic resin. In the fifth embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, the structural material is formed not as a laminated plate but as a thick one-layer plate-like body. Short but uniform vascular bundles exist in non-orientation inside the plate-like body before molding.

3. Bonding Step Next, the vascular bundles of the prepared plate-like body before molding are bonded. Also in the fifth embodiment, the same consolidation device (see FIGS. 13 and 14) as in the third to fifth embodiments was used. The structure and operation of the consolidation device were the same as in the third embodiment.

The compacted plate thus produced had an air dry density value of about 1.0 g/cm ³ after compaction. In addition, in the fifth embodiment, molding was performed by consolidation. It is preferably within the range of 5 g/cm ³ . If the value of the air dry density after molding is within the range of 0.3 to 1.5 g/cm ³ , physical properties such as rigidity (flexural Young's modulus) of the consolidated laminate PW2 will be good.

Sixth embodiment:
In the sixth embodiment, an oil palm stem material is separated and its parenchyma cells are used as livestock feed. As mentioned above, the oil palm trunk material contains about 10% free sugar (mainly sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.) and about 25% starch. In addition, parenchyma cells store starch, etc. Unlike vascular bundles, which are mainly composed of lignocellulose, most of the starch and free sugar contained in oil palm stems are contained in parenchyma cells. Conceivable.

In the sixth embodiment, these highly nutritious parenchyma cells are used as livestock feed or formulations for livestock feed. In the sixth embodiment, the parenchyma cells separated by the zephyrization apparatus in the first embodiment are used. Parenchymal cells after separation by the zephyrization apparatus were less contaminated with fragments of vascular bundles, and were suitable for livestock feed.

Further, the separation operation of the zephyrization device may be controlled to control the mixing ratio of the fibrous material, which is a fragment of the vascular bundle, in accordance with the intended use. Furthermore, the parenchyma cells obtained by sieving the pulverized material separated by the hammer crusher in the fourth embodiment with a sifter with an arbitrary mesh size (for example, 750 μm) may be used.

The parenchyma cells separated from the oil palm stem material are highly nutritious as they are, and are highly evaluated by livestock experts. The parenchyma cells separated from the oil palm stem material can be used not only as they are, but also as fermented feed for silage materials. In this way, by using the parenchyma cells, which are the residue of the vascular bundles used in the first embodiment, as feed for livestock, a method of utilizing palm wood that does not generate new industrial waste is provided. can be done.

Seventh embodiment:
In the seventh embodiment, an oil palm stem material is separated and its parenchyma cells are used as a raw material for bioethanol. As mentioned above, the oil palm trunk material contains about 10% free sugar (mainly sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.) and about 25% starch. In addition, parenchyma cells store starch, etc. Unlike vascular bundles, which are mainly composed of lignocellulose, most of the starch and free sugar contained in oil palm stems are contained in parenchyma cells. Conceivable.

In the seventh embodiment, parenchyma cells containing a large amount of these monosaccharides and polysaccharides (starch and free sugars) can be used as bioethanol raw materials. In particular, the content of cellulose, which is difficult to saccharify, is very low, and the content of starch, which is easy to saccharify, is very high. Therefore, the parenchyma cells separated from the oil palm stem material can be used as a raw material for high-purity bioethanol. Also in the seventh embodiment, the parenchyma cells separated by the zephyrization apparatus in the first embodiment are used in the same manner as in the sixth embodiment. Also in this case, parenchyma cells obtained by sieving the pulverized material separated by the hammer crusher in the fourth embodiment with a sifter with an arbitrary mesh size (for example, 750 μm) may be used.

As a method for producing ethanol from these monosaccharides and polysaccharides, a method using existing enzymes can be adopted. For example, the method of Patent Document 1 can be used. This method utilizes a starch-degrading enzyme such as amylase, and is one of the methods suitable for parenchyma cells with a high starch content. The method for producing ethanol from parenchyma is omitted here. In this way, by using the parenchyma cells, which are the residue excluding the vascular bundles used in the first embodiment, as a raw material for bioethanol, it is possible to provide a method of using palm wood that does not generate new industrial waste. can be done.

Eighth embodiment:
In the eighth embodiment, an oil palm stem material is separated and its parenchyma cells are used as a medium for mushroom bed cultivation.

In general, the mushroom bed used for mushroom bed cultivation is an artificial medium in which nutrients such as rice bran are mixed with woody substrates such as sawdust. It is possible to stabilize the harvest volume and distribute it throughout the year.

As mentioned above, the oil palm trunk material contains about 10% free sugar (mainly sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.) and about 25% starch. Moreover, the parenchyma is a portion that stores starch and the like, and most of the starch and free sugars contained in the oil palm stem material are considered to be contained in the parenchyma.

In the eighth embodiment, these highly nutritious parenchyma cells are used as a medium or medium formulation for mushroom bed cultivation. In the eighth embodiment, the parenchyma cells separated by the zephyrization apparatus in the first embodiment are used. Separation by the zephyrization apparatus results in less contamination of parenchyma cells with fragments of vascular bundles after separation, making it suitable as a medium for fungal bed cultivation.

Further, the separation operation of the zephyrization device may be controlled to control the mixing ratio of the fibrous material, which is a fragment of the vascular bundle, in accordance with the intended use. Furthermore, the parenchyma cells obtained by sieving the pulverized material separated by the hammer crusher in the fourth embodiment with a sifter with an arbitrary mesh size (for example, 750 μm) may be used.

The parenchyma cells separated from the oil palm stem material are highly nutritious as they are, and are highly expected by mushroom cultivation experts. In this way, by using the parenchyma cells, which are the residue excluding the vascular bundles used in the first embodiment, as a medium for mushroom bed cultivation, palm trees can be grown without generating new industrial waste. Can provide usage instructions.

From the above, according to the present invention, palm wood such as oil palm wood, which has been left unused until now, is efficiently separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, and the vascular bundles and parenchyma cells are separated. It is possible to provide a method of using palm wood that is effectively used. Further, according to the present invention, a wood-based material that utilizes separated vascular bundles and has physical properties similar to or better than those of conventional wood, and that can be practically used for applications such as building materials, and a method for producing the same are provided. can do.

Further, the wood-based material according to the present invention is
Of the vascular bundles and parenchyma cells that make up palm wood, using the vascular bundles in a state in which the parenchyma cells have been detached,
It is characterized by comprising a structural material obtained by combining a plurality of the vascular bundles and a resin material for binding the vascular bundles.

In addition, the structural material is characterized in that the vascular bundles are oriented in directions of two or more mutually intersecting axes.

Alternatively, the structural material is characterized in that it is composed of non-oriented vascular bundles cut to a predetermined length.

In addition, the structural material is molded in a state in which a resin material is applied,
The air dry density value after molding is 0.3 to 1.5 (g / cm ³ ) is within the range of

Further, the method for producing a wood-based material according to the present invention includes:
a separation step of separating palm wood into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells;
an applying step of applying a resin material to the vascular bundle;
a bonding step of bonding between the vascular bundles with a resin material,
In the granting step,
Phenolic resin is used as the resin material, and the vascular bundle is impregnated with an aqueous phenolic resin solution having a concentration of 2 to 50% by mass,
In the binding step,
A vascular bundle impregnated with an aqueous phenolic resin solution is dried and then molded by a high-pressure press at a temperature of 140 to 220°C.

In addition, according to the above configuration, when separating the vascular bundles and the parenchyma of the coconut wood, the coconut wood may be cut and then dried to a moisture content of 15% by mass or less before the separation, or After felling the palm wood, it may be separated without drying. Thus, by appropriately changing the moisture content of the coconut wood before separation, the separation ratio between the vascular bundle and the parenchyma and the ratio of the parenchyma remaining in the vascular bundle can be adjusted. Wider utilization of vascular bundles and parenchyma can be achieved.

Further, according to the above configuration, the separated vascular bundle can be molded after being applied with the resin material and used as a structural member of the woody material. In addition, in the structural material of the woody material, the vascular bundles may be oriented in directions of two or more axes that intersect with each other, or the vascular bundles cut to a predetermined length may be configured in a non-oriented manner. good too.

Further, according to the above configuration, the wood-based material has an air-dry density value of 0.3 to 1.5 (g/cm ³ ) may be within the range of As a result, the physical properties of wood-based materials are improved, and conventional
It is possible to provide a wood-based material that can be used in a wide range of applications in place of hard wood.

Further, according to the above configuration, the method for producing a wood-based material includes a separation step of separating a palm tree into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells, an applying step of applying a resin material to the vascular bundles, and a resin material separating the vascular bundles. and a bonding step of bonding. In the application step, a phenolic resin may be used as the resin material, and the vascular bundle may be impregnated with an aqueous phenolic resin solution having a concentration of 2 to 50% by mass. Next, in the bonding step, the vascular bundle impregnated with the aqueous phenolic resin solution may be dried and then molded using a high-pressure press at a temperature of 140 to 220°C. As a result, the physical properties of the wood-based material are improved, and it is possible to provide a method for producing a wood-based material that can more specifically exhibit the above effects.

In addition, in carrying out the present invention, the following various modifications are possible without being limited to the above embodiments.
(1) In each of the above embodiments, the description is made using oil palm material, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other palm materials such as coconut palm may be used.
(2) In each of the above embodiments, a zephyr-forming device or a hammer crusher is used as the separation means in the separation step, but the invention is not limited to these, and other separation means may be used. Other separation means can include hammer mills, spiral mills, vibrating ball mills, vibrating rod mills, wheelie mills, chippers, shredders, steam blasters, high pressure injection devices, and the like.
(3) In each of the above embodiments, a low-molecular-weight phenolic resin (filled resin) or an isocyanate cross-linking agent is used as the resin material used to produce the wood-based material, but the material is not limited to this. A material that adheres and bonds vascular bundles together, a material that fills between vascular bundles to bind them together, or partially permeates the inside of vascular bundles and reacts with cellulose or other substances that compose the vascular bundles. A wide range of resin materials may be used, including materials that bond
(4) In the first to third embodiments, three or five layers of mats are laminated to produce a laminated board or a compacted laminated board. Layers, or six or more layers may be laminated.
(5) In the above-described first to third embodiments, a laminated plate or a compacted laminated plate is produced by laminating only mats in which vascular bundles are oriented. Other wooden boards may be laminated as boards.
(6) In the third to fifth embodiments, a special consolidation device is used for consolidation, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a normal hot press may be used.
(7) In each of the above embodiments, the vascular bundles separated from the oil palm material are used as the structural material of the wood-based material. ) may be used as a filler.
(8) In the above-described fourth embodiment, the vascular bundle obtained by sieving the pulverized material that has passed through a porous sieve having a pore size of 15 mm with a sieve having an opening of 750 μm after pulverizing once was used. However, it is not limited to this, and by appropriately selecting the number of pulverizations, the pore size of the perforated sieve, and the mesh size of the sieve, it is also possible to use a material having a size suitable for the purpose.
(9) In the above first to fifth embodiments, the vascular bundles separated from the oil palm material are used as the structural material of the woody material, but the vascular bundles are not limited to this. You may make it use as resources for agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
(10) In the sixth to eighth embodiments, the parenchyma cells separated from the oil palm material are used as feed for livestock, raw materials for bioethanol, and mushroom beds, but are not limited to this. Parenchyma cells may also be used as other industrial materials or resources for agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

W1 to W5... Mat, PW1... Laminate before consolidation, PW2... Consolidation laminate,
MC... consolidation device, 10... press platen, 10A... upper press platen, 10B... lower press platen,
IS...Internal space, 18...Positioning hole.

Claims (6)

crushing or pressing palm wood without steaming and sieving to separate vascular bundles and parenchyma cells;
A palm material, wherein the separated vascular bundles are used as a woody material, and the separated parenchyma cells are used as feed for livestock, a raw material for bioethanol, or a medium for mushroom bed cultivation. How to use. In the method for separating the palm material into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells,
A pressing device equipped with two metal rolls having a plurality of V-shaped or uneven grooves consisting of peaks and valleys, which are provided in parallel along the circumferential direction on the surface of the cylinder, is used. ,
These metal rolls rotate in opposite directions with their cylindrical axes parallel to each other and with their peaks and valleys engaged with each other,
By inserting the palm wood plate piece between the two metal rolls that are interlocked and rotated so that the longitudinal direction of the vascular bundle is parallel to or intersects the interlocking grooves,
2. The method for using palm wood according to claim 1, wherein the palm material is separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells. In the method for separating the palm material into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells,
It consists of a pulverization operation using a pulverization device and a sieving operation of separating the pulverized material after the pulverization operation into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells with a sifter,
In the pulverization operation, by changing the mesh size of the porous sieve provided at the outlet of the pulverization device and the mesh size of the sieve used in the sieving operation,
2. The method of using palm wood according to claim 1, wherein the axial diameter and axial length of the separated vascular bundles and the ratio of parenchyma cells remaining in the vascular bundles are changed. The aperture of the porous sieve has a hole diameter of 5 mm to 20 mm,
4. The method of using a palm material according to claim 3, wherein said vascular bundles and said parenchyma cells that have passed through said porous sieve are used. 5. The method of using the coconut wood according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein after the coconut wood is felled, it is dried to a water content of 15% by mass or less, and then separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells. . 5. The method for using a coconut tree according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the coconut tree is separated into vascular bundles and parenchyma cells without drying after felling.

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