A NEW ALTERNATIVE TO WOOD-BASED ON RENEWABLE MATERIALS

A medium density fibre board, a composite material, has been developed and patented which can be used in place of wood effectively. It consi sts of coir fibre and cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) as the major cons tituents. Both the materials are agro-based and renewable. The product is smooth-surfaced, dark brown and is suitable for interior applicati ons. The physico-mechanical properties of the board meet the general p urpose requirements as specified in the IS:3087-(1983). In this paper salient features of the developed product, raw material details, prope rties and the technology for its production are described in brief.