Midribs of Date Palm as a Raw Material for Wood-Cement Composite Industry in Saudi Arabia

This study was carried out in 2011 to investigate the suitability of date palm midribs (Phoenix dactelifera L.) as a lignocellulosic material for the production of wood-cement composite panels, in addition to enhancement their compatibility with cement using various pretreatments and chemical additives. Materials used for this study were midribs of fronds of different date palm varieties available in Saudi Arabia and Portland cement (Type I) manufactured by Yammama Cement Company. To achieve this aim, hydration tests of net cement and date palm-cement mixture were carried out using a 2-litter Dewar flask. The suitability of date palm for this industry was made according to inhibitory index (I) and compatibility factor (C ), which A were calculated from the hydration data. The results showed that under untreated condition, date palm particles are incompatible with cement and were classified as "unsuitable" for making wood-cement boards. Using of cold or hot water extraction for date palm materials resulted in an enhancement in their compatibility with cement. However, date palm can be reclassified as suitable under limited conditions for making wood-cement boards only by using hot water extraction. Addition of 3% CaCl to untreated date palm particles resulted in 2 reclassified it to suitable under limited conditions (T value was 54.23°C and C value was 75.73%). These max A results suggested that date palm midribs can be used to produce wood-cement panels either after extraction by hot water or addition of 3% CaCl as an accelerator to date palm-cement mixture. 2