Trinidad, Cez Anne I.  <br/><br/>
Utilization of dried sugar palm fruit ( Arenga Pinnata) pericarp as raw material in particle board and polyester  resin as a binder/  
Cez Anne I. Trinidad, Mary An C. Dorado, Mary Mhay S. Layola, Anna May B. Lopez, and Joedel B. Rodriguez .-- 
 - Manila:   Technological University of the Philippines,   2025 
 - x, 87pages:   29cm.  
<br/><br/> Bachelor's thesis 
<br/><br/>College of Industrial Technology .-- 
<br/><br/>Includes bibliographic references and index. 
<br/><br/> The purpose of this study is to investigate and produce a locally available particleboard<br/>using dried sugar palm fruit (Arenga Pinnata) pericarp and polyester resin as a binder. The<br/>particleboards were manufactured at the Forest Products Research and Development<br/>Institute at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños. The produced particleboards used<br/>a mix design of 50:50, 45:55, 40:60, 35:65, and 30:70 ratios of dried sugar palm fruit<br/>pericarp to polyester resin, with a density of 0.8 g/cc. To determine the physical properties<br/>of the dried sugar palm fruit pericarp particleboard, all specimens were subjected to a series<br/>of tests, including modulus of rupture, internal bond, face screw holding, water absorption,<br/>thickness swelling, and density tests. Mechanical and physical properties were tested<br/>following ASTM D1037-12 and compared to PNS ISO 16893-2017. The 30:70 mix ratio<br/>yielded the best mechanical properties (4.13 MPa Modulus of Rupture, 3.14 MPa Face<br/>Screw Holding), while 35:65 (1.498 MPa) met the minimum standard. In physical tests,<br/>30:70 excelled in Relative Density (3.81%), while 50:50 showed the highest water<br/>absorption (26.61%). The Dried Sugar Palm Fruit Pericarp particleboard was rated “Very<br/>Acceptable” across all criteria, with an overall mean of 4.42 from 50 assessors using the<br/>TUP Evaluation Instrument. The highest-rated aspect was aesthetics (4.54), highlighting<br/>its visual appeal and suitable size. Workability (4.30), durability (4.51), economy (4.49),<br/>safety (4.42), and salability (4.27) also received high ratings. Evaluators recommend<br/>further research to enhance durability.<br/><br/>Keywords: Sugar Palm Fruit Pericarp, ASTM D1037-12, Hot Press, Particleboard,<br/>Polyester Resin 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>Construction technology <br/>Construction materials <br/>Material development <br/>Sugar palm <br/>Particle board 
<br/><br/><label>LC Class. No.: </label>BTH TH 438   / T75 2025