Manufacturing and Characterization of Composite Fibreboards with Posidonia oceanica Wastes with an Environmentally-Friendly Binder from Epoxy Resin

Highly environmentally-friendly fibreboards were manufactured by hot-press moulding using Posidonia ocaeanica wastes and a partially biobased epoxy resin as binder. Fibreboards with a constant fibre content of 70 wt % were successfully manufactured by thermo-compression. The effects of a conventional alkali treatment were compared to the synergistic effects that additional silanization with two silanes (amino and glycidyl) can exert on the mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of fibreboards. The results revealed a remarkable improvement of the mechanical properties with the combination of the alkali treatment followed by the silanization. Scanning electron microscopy also revealed increased resin-fibre interactions due to the synergistic effect of both amino- and glycidyl-silanes. These fibreboards represent a formaldehyde-free solution and can positively contribute to sustainable development as the lignocellulosic component is a waste and the binder resin is partially biobased.