PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PARTICLE BOARD OR WOOD FIBER BOARD

Abstract

A process for the production of particle board, MDF board or HDF board includes the step of recycling particle board material, MDF and/or HDF board material in which recycled chips and/or recycled wood fibers are produced. The process includes the step in which the particle board material, the MDF and/or HDF board material is wetted, heated and pressurized, such that this material is kept under pressure and at an elevated temperature for a certain time. The process involves the step of supplying the recycled chips and/or the recycled wood fibers as base material in a production process of particle board, MDF board or HDF board.

Claims

1.-57. (canceled)

58. A process for the production of particle board, MDF board or HDF board, wherein this process comprises the step of recycling particle board material, MDF and/or HDF board material in which recycled chips and/or recycled wood fibers are produced; and wherein the process comprises the step in which the particle board material, the MDF and/or HDF board material is wetted, heated and pressurized; wherein this material is kept under pressure and at an elevated temperate for a certain time, wherein this process comprises the step of supplying the recycled chips and/or the recycled wood fibers as base material in a production process for particle board, MDF board or HDF board.

59. The process as in claim 58, wherein the step of wetting, heating and pressurizing comprises the step of wetting the particle board material, the MDF and/or HDF board material.

60. The process as in claim 59, wherein this wetting is performed using steam.

61. The process as in claim 58, wherein, during the wetting, heating and pressurizing step, the particle board material, the MDF and/or HDF board material is heated to a temperature of less than 240° C.

62. The process as in claim 61, wherein the particle board material, the MDF and/or HDF board material is subjected to a pressure of between 3 and 30 bar for a time of at least 15 seconds.

63. The process as in claim 58, wherein heating is achieved using steam by means of steam injection in the process equipment which comprises or conveys the particle board material, MDF and/or HDF board material.

64. The process as in claim 58, wherein the process comprises the step of steam explosion of the wetted, heated and pressurized particle board material, MDF and/or HDF board material, in which recycled chips and/or recycled wood fibers are produced during the steam explosion.

65. The process as in claim 64, wherein the steam explosion step is performed after the particle board material, MDF and/or HDF board material has been conveyed in a screw.

66. The process as in claim 65, wherein the screw is configured in such a way that the particle board material, MDF and/or HDF board material in the screw is mechanically compressed.

67. The process as in claim 65, wherein steam is injected into the screw.

68. The process as in claim 64, wherein the pressure drop during the steam explosion is at least 3 bar.

69. The process as in claim 64, wherein, during the steam explosion step, the pressure expands from a pressure of between 4 and 30 bar.

70. The process as in claim 64, wherein, during the steam explosion step, the pressure expands in less than 3 seconds.

71. The process as in claim 64, wherein, during the steam explosion step, the ratio between the pressure drop during the steam explosion and the duration of the steam explosion is greater than 5 bar/second.

72. The process as in claim 64, wherein the steam explosion is a multistage steam explosion, or wherein repeated steam explosion steps are performed.

73. The process as in claim 58, wherein the material undergoes a mechanical dewatering process, after the step in which the particle board material, the MDF and/or HDF board material has been wetted, heated and pressurized; wherein, if the process comprises the step of steam explosion of the wetted and pressurized particle board material, MDF and/or HDF board material, the mechanical dewatering process is performed after the steam explosion step.

74. The process as in claim 58, wherein the recycled chips and/or recycled wood fibers are coated with adhesive, preferably with urea-formaldehyde adhesive, with melamine urea-formaldehyde adhesive, phenol adhesive, or with MDI or pMDI adhesive, or with bioadhesive, or with adhesive compositions which comprise one or more of the adhesives mentioned.

75. The process as in claim 58, wherein, in the step of producing particle board, MDF board or HDF board according to a dry process, the recycled chips and/or recycled wood fibers are used as base material, thus forming the recycled base material; and also new chips and/or new wood fibers are used as base material, thus forming the new base material.

76. The process as in claim 58, wherein this process relates to the production of MDF board or HDF board, wherein the recycling step relates to the recycling of particle board material or MDF and/or HDF board material in which recycled wood fibers are produced; and introducing the recycled wood fibers in the production process of MDF or HDF boards wherein the recycled wood fibers and also new wood fibers are used as base material in the step of producing MDF board or HDF board via a dry process.

77. The process as in claim 58, wherein the production process for producing particle board, MDF board or HDF board is a dry production process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0073] In order to show the features of the invention in more detail, some preferred embodiments are described below by way of example and without being limited thereto, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0074] FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates an example or a process according to the invention for the production of MDF or HDF boards; and

[0075] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an MDF board produced by means of a process according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENTS

[0076] FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates an example of a process according to the invention for the production or MDF or HDF boards. This process comprises the step of recycling MDF and/or HDF board material in which recycled wood fibers are produced. The recycled wood fibers are fed into a dry production process for MDF board or HDF board as base material.

[0077] MDF and/or HDF board material (A) is introduced into the process and mechanically broken down in step S11, for example into pieces having an average size of less than 3 cubic centimeters. Preferably, dust is separated off in this step, or optionally after this step, for example by means of sieving or by means of another suitable technique.

[0078] In step S12, the broken material is wetted with steam S; optionally additives may be added in this case, but it may also be performed without additives.

[0079] In step S13, the material is then pressurized and heated; in this case, steam may be supplied, and then the steam explosion step is carried out, in which the material suddenly expands, with the pressure quickly, preferably in less than 0.5 seconds, dropping from, for example, 15 bar to 2.5 bar; or expands, preferably in 1 second or less, from 10 bar to 5 bar (with the material then, from a pressure of 5 bar being conveyed in a turbulent airflow in a blowline). This step S13 may, for example, be carried out partly or completely in a conveyor screw which conveys and compresses the material, in which case steam—optionally containing additives, but it may also not contain additives—is preferably injected into this screw. The steam explosion can then occur at the exit of the screw, where a specific opening or nozzle is provided for this purpose.

[0080] The recycled wood fibers produced in this way are then conveyed pneumatically in a turbulent flow (step S14) which may result in entangled recycled wood fibers being untangled. Optionally, the produced, recycled wood fibers may before or during this step be adhesive-coated by injecting adhesive in liquid form. To this end, the standard adhesives which are known for producing MDF or HDF boards may be used.

[0081] In parallel with the described production of recycled wood fibers, new wood fibers are produced from wood. Wood (B) is supplied. This wood (B) is supplied in the form of small pieces of wood and fed to the pre-heater and the boiler, which are denoted in FIG. 1 in combination by step S21. During pre-boiling, the small wooden pieces are heated to 80-95° C. by means of steam. In the boiler, the small wooden pieces are then brought to a temperature of, for example, 160° C. and a pressure of 8 bar by means of steam injection; the small wooden pieces remain at this temperature for three to five minutes, following which the small wooden pieces are added to the refiner. The refiner is a mechanical apparatus which consists of grinding discs with ridges into which the small wooden pieces are introduced. Due to the mechanical action of these grinding discs (step S22), the small pieces are refined to form wood fibers, so that wood fibers are obtained at the exit of the refiner which are conveyed further pneumatically in step S23. During this pneumatic conveying, the newly produced wood fibers may be coated with adhesive by injecting adhesive. It is also possible to coat the recycled wood fibers with adhesive together with the newly produced wood fibers.

[0082] In step S31, which is a pneumatic conveying step, the newly produced wood fibers are conveyed further, together with the—optionally adhesive-coated—recycled wood fibers. In this case, the recycled wood fibers and the newly produced wood fibers become mixed. Preferably, the conveying step S31 comprises a hot, turbulent air stream which dries the conveyed material and also helps to untangle the entangled wood fibers—both the recycled wood fibers and newly produced wood fibers.

[0083] Preferably—although not shown in FIG. 1—conveying in the turbulent air stream is followed by one or more separating units, for example for separating water vapor and hot gases—for example by means of a cyclone—and/or for separating off heavy constituents—preferably by means of the force of gravity.

[0084] In step S32, the actual production of the MDF or HDF board (C) takes place by means of fiber deposition and pressing the fiber mat at elevated temperature, during which the adhesive is cured.

[0085] The entire process as described proceeds in-line and continuous.

[0086] In the example described here, the composition will be uniform across the entire thickness of the produced MDF or HDF board with regard to the percentage of recycled fibers and the percentage of newly produced fibers. However, it is possible to use different supply channels, so that the board comprises layers which differ in composition regarding the combination of recycled wood fibers and newly produced wood fibers, or even comprises layers which do not comprise recycled wood fibers.

[0087] It should be noted that in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, no further mechanical refining of the recycled material occurs after the mechanical refining of the MDF or HDF board material in step S11 during the further process of producing and conveying the recycled wood fibers. However, this is possible, if desired, for example by passing the recycled material through a refiner after the steam explosion.

[0088] The example illustrated in FIG. 1 relates to a continuous process. However, it is also possible to carry out some or all of the steps in the production process discontinuously—in batches. It is, for example, possible to carry out the step of the steam explosion in a discontinuous process, in which case the material is situated in a pressurized receptacle and the pressure is quickly released as a result of which the steam explosion takes place, the material being removed from the receptacle after the steam explosion.

[0089] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an MDF board 100 produced using a process according to the invention. The resultant MDF board 100 is composed of three layers. More particularly, this MDF board is composed of a core layer 102. A surface layer 104, 106 is present on both sides of the core layer 102. The two surface layers 104, 106 do not comprises any recycled wood fibers, but only wood fibers produced from new and/or recycled wood. The core layer 102 comprises both wood fibers which have been produced from new and/or recycled wood and which have been coated with adhesive, as recycled wood fibers recovered from MDF and/or HDF board material. These recycled wood fibers may optionally have been coated with adhesive during the production process of the recycled fibers in the production process of the MDF board 100. It is possible for a decorative or functional layer to be applied to one or both surface layers, for example a printed paper layer soaked in melamine resin and pressed onto the MDF board.