DEVELOPMENT OF WOODCERAMICS FROM TROPICAL FLORA

Woodceramics are porous carbon or hybrid materials, derived from woody materials impregnated with a thermosetting resin and vacuum carbonized at a high temperature. Woodceramics have become commercially valuable as these are used in many appliances such as heaters, gas filters, absorbents, humidity and temperature sensors. Hence, this study aimed to determine the suitable conditions for producing woodceramics from various materials and their potential applications. The Specific Surface Area (SSA), pore volume, pore diameter, and adsorption isotherm of woodceramics made from Bamboo, Pine, Eucalyptus, Rubberwood, and Oil Palm shell particleboards were obtained using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. The average pore diameter is classified as being mesoporous (2-50 nm). The SSA and adsorption isotherm results of the woodceramics made from Eucalyptus showed that these species can be used as an activated charcoal and their volume electrical resistivity is similar to that of a semiconductor. When carbonized at maximum temperatures of 800 °C and 1,000 °C, the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (ESE) of woodceramics was approximately 20-60 dB within a frequency range of 800-2,200 MHz. This ESE   was higher than that woven from boron carbon fiber, carbon boron, and stainless steel fiber filled thermoplastics. Moreover, the woodceramics production cost was lower than that of using the commercial materials.