Abstract:
In various industries, the accumulation of rice husk and sawdust has posed significant
environmental challenges, necessitating innovative solutions for their utilization. This
research presents an experimental investigation into the feasibility of producing partition
wall boards using a blend of rice husk and sawdust as raw materials, along with an
adhesive composition comprising wood glue (top bond) and water. The study involved a
meticulous mixing process of rice husk, sawdust, wood glue, and water, with a
predetermined mixture ratio of 0.75 kg rice husk and saw dust, 0.152 L wood glue, and
0.10 L water, combined manually using a mixer. The resulting mixture was poured into
molds with dimensions of 30 cm × 30 cm × 15 cm. Rice Husk and saw dust Particleboard
samples were subjected to water absorption and compressive strength tests to confirm
their mechanical performance as building and structural materials. The percentages of
water absorption were then calculated and were 16.67%. This value indicates that the
board should be reserved for indoor application since percentage water absorption
absorbed increases with increasing time of immersion. The results showed that and
compressive strength ranging from 2Mpa up to 2.25 MPa respectively and the cost
estimation of the partition wall board were 99.6Rwf per 0.09 m 2 . It is concluded that
partition wallboard made by both RH and SD can be utilized in the manufacture of a
water-resistant particleboard tropical area like Rwanda with long raining season because
the test results showed that the rice husk, water and wood glue combination provides
results which have high potential to be used in the production of particleboard.
