ABSTRACT
A study was carried out to investigate the suitability of the maize cob (Zea mays) for particle board manufacture. The purpose was to examine general limits within which a satisfactory board can be made with this agricultural residue. The maize cob was found to consist of pith, wood-blast and cortical layer or chaff. Samples of particle board were produced from the maize cob collected from farms around Samaru Village. A liquid resin of Gum Arabic was used in six concentration levels: starting from 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 percent based on the oven-dry weight of maize cob particles. Some selected physical and mechanical properties of the boards were evaluated. The results were compared with the data available from the present standards. All samples satisfied the standard requirements except for water absorption and thickness swelling tests. This may be due to non-addition of wax during the manufacturing process. It was generally observed from the results that the maize cob is a good material for particle board manufacture and its properties were consistently dependent on the resin concentration levels and density