Karakteristik Perekat Gambir Phenol Formaldehida (GPF) Berbahan Gambir dari Dairi dan Pakpak Bharat Sumatera Utara dan Aplikasinya pada Kayu Lapis

Abstract

Plywood is derivative product of processed wood with increasing demand in the community. The product industry has been using petroleum-based adhesives such as UF, PF, RF, and Polystyrene for the past few decades. These adhesives are expensive and harmful effects on health. According to some studies, commercial adhesives contain about 1-3% free formaldehyde. In this study, the adhesive used released free formaldehyde by 0.13-1.21%, which is relatively low. Gambier is vegetable material with condensed tannins (catechins) that are able to react with phenols and formaldehyde. The properties of formaldehyde scavenger from gambier have the potential to be an environmentally friendly adhesive. Based on previous research, gambier adhesive is only used for particle board. However, this study used gambier as an adhesive with the addition of phenols and formaldehyde for plywood, resulting in a product called Gambir Phenol Formaldehyde (GPF). This study aims to analyze the characteristics and quality of GPF adhesives. The adhesive is made from gambier obtained from Dairi and Pakpak Bharat in North Sumatra with five formulations (G/P/F), namely 100/0/0, 100/0/27, 100/6/27, 100/15/27, and 100/21/27. Testing of adhesive characteristics refers to SNI 06-4567-1998 and its adhesive quality refers to SNI 01-5008.7-1999. The results show that the characteristics of GPF adhesive have met the standard, although the specific gravity characteristics have not been met. The adhesive successfully adheres plywood with a layer arrangement of 1.5-3.0-1.5 through hot felt process. The plywood produced doesn’t meet the requirements in SNI 01-5008.7-1999 exterior type II. The adhesive produced from gambier showed better potential compared to previous studies.