Physical and mechanical properties of cement board made from oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre: A review

Abstract

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fibre has been introduced to replace current materials mainly such as wood fibre that was not encouraged to be used as a construction sourced due to the sustainability of wood fibres and prevents the high demand of forest resources. In Malaysia, the cultivation and use of the oil palm and its products have increased because of high market demand, and this has resulted in the abundant availability of the empty fruit bunch (EFB). The EFB fibre geometry and particle size in the EFB cement bonded boards have their own mechanical and physical properties. The fibre to cement ratios are also different to boards made out of wood fibres. This experimental research work has been conducted by other researchers. The larger the particle size, the better the compaction of EFB-CB effects of cement setting by much larger surface on the board area. Short particles lead to low values of modulus of elasticity (MOE), caused by inadequate of empty fruit bunch (EFB) particles to cement substances. Nevertheless, short particles avoid large void spaces and irregularities towards cement board. Using different Cement-EFB fibre ratio has direct influence on thickness swelling (TS), modulus of rupture (MOR), and modulus of elasticity (MOE). Strength of EFB-CB depends on the bonding between fibre and cement composites. The pre-treatment fibre was indicated where the EFB fibre composite were dimensionally stable for bonding mechanisms and could be used for both interior and exterior building utilizations based on the tested physical and mechanical properties on cement-boards.