In the woodworking industry, as well as in other economic sectors, materials are rapidly evolving. This can be attributed both to the expertise of professionals working in these fields and to the continuous development of technology and digitalization, which increasingly permeates all aspects of our lives. Focusing solely on woodworking, the furniture industry offers a wide selection of materials, ranging from solid wood to various wood-based composites such as particleboard, fiberboard, plywood and more. In construction, OSB panels are commonly used due to their good mechanical properties. In all of these composites, wood serves as the base material. Wood is a natural and conditionally renewable material, with proven positive effects on human health and well-being. Closely linked to wood is bark, a material whose potential remains largely untapped and underutilized. Bark is most often used as a source of energy (biomass), in landscaping, leather tanning and the pharmaceutical industry. When producing wood-based composites like particleboard and fiberboard, we face numerous challenges, among them, selecting suitable raw materials for wood particles and minimizing energy consumption, particularly the energy required for drying. To address this, we produced particleboards using bark by wet pressing method, with target initial moisture contents of 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, and 50 %. The particles were categorized into small, medium, and large sizes. We measured the sorption and mechanical properties of particleboards and found that they have lower bending strength but better internal bond strength. Additionally, particleboards showed good sorption characteristics, such as thickness swelling and water absorption. Inferior mechanical performance was observed at the highest initial moisture content (50 %), while up to 20 % moisture, no significant differences were noted, which is very promising from the energy efficiency standpoint and cost-effectiveness in drying. Based on results, we can conclude that bark-based panels could serve as an alternative to conventional materials or wood-based boards in the furniture and construction industries. They may also be particularly suitable for use in environments with elevated humidity or where increased moisture resistance is required.
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