Wastes from industries producing wood materials are widely used in a variety of fields. In crushed form, they have found application in construction, industry and agriculture. At the same time, it is not always the materials obtained from the processing of other products that are used. Thus, wood flour is purposefully produced for subsequent use in specific needs. Another thing is that as a raw material for its manufacture, waste from factories and combines is often used. Today, natural raw materials are not the only and uncontested source for creating building materials. However, due to the low price and satisfactory performance, chopped wood is more profitable for such purposes than the currently popular fiberglass products and composites.
What is wood flour?
In essence, it is a powder that is produced by grinding sawdust. A traditional flour of this type has a fraction of the order of several microns, however, in some industries, a size is also used that allows sieving particles through cells with a diameter of 1.23 mm. The color of flour can be different depending on the type of wood from which it was made. As a rule, chestnut and light amber wood flour are produced. The photo below also shows an example of light flour obtained from coniferous wood.
As for the operational properties of this material, it easily absorbs moisture, can easily be packaged in any container, and also does not undergo chemical changes, which is why flour can be considered as a natural compound.
Raw materials for manufacturing
The basis for the production of wood flour can be a huge range of materials. One of the main requirements for it is naturalness. That is, if in the processing industry the products are processed with chemical compounds with protective functions, then the waste from it cannot be used for the manufacture of flour. Fractions and forms can be different - sawdust, shavings, lumpy waste from woodworking production and wood chips are suitable for use. The fresher the raw materials, the better will be the wood flour.
The use of the final product is also determined by the raw materials used. So, for electrode pulp, the performance of flour is not so important, which cannot be said about the requirements for components for mortars, mastics and putties.
Manufacturing technology
The process of wood flour production is included in the group of technological methods for processing plant materials. The whole procedure involves the implementation of several stages, the basis of which is the process of preparation, mechanical processing, screening and drying. First of all, a raw material base is created, which is sent to the processing workshop. Here, wood flour is also formed from shavings or other waste. Production technology, in particular, involves the grinding of raw materials through a hammer, knife, finger or rotary mechanism. The choice of a manufacturing method is determined by the initial characteristics of the base material and the requirements for the resulting product.
Equipment for the production of
Hammer crushers, which are referred to as impact machines , are most popular in the production of wood flour. The process of destruction of the material structure is realized in the space between the rotor and the sieve calibrator, from which wood flour with a certain fraction is produced. Most often, this principle of grinding is used in enterprises that set the goal of obtaining coarse grinding from mineral raw materials. However, to create a dispersed powder in this way is rather difficult.
To process the fibrous and elastic structure of wood in an appropriate manner, an aggregate operating on the principle of dynamic self-grinding allows. In this case, dense air currents literally squeeze the particles, resulting in wood flour. Production according to this technique is advantageous in that, after the completion of the workflow, there is no need to carry out additional measures for cleaning, washing and drying the powder material.
The use of wood flour
The material we are considering is used in a variety of fields. As an additive, wood flour has found application in drilling fluids and grouting materials for oil production. As a basis, it is used in the production of wood-polymer composites. In construction, dry mixes and grouting compounds are made from flour. A separate category is puttying agents in which this component is introduced as a filler.
It has already been noted that wood flour is also used in agriculture. Application in this area is associated with improved soil fertility. Also, flour is used as a means for warming plants - in fact, the same mulching base is obtained.
Conclusion
Today, there are no clear standards for the manufacture of flour from wood raw materials. It can be both powder and coarse mass, which is used for thermal insulation. At the same time, wood flour is quite suitable for independent manufacture. In addition to high-tech production units for grinding wood pulp, manufacturers offer small, compact machines. With the help of such a device, you can do-it-yourself to prepare the basis for mulching, preparing a putty mixture, as well as organize a drainage filter. After all, do not forget that wood absorbs moisture well. This quality can come in handy if it is planned to arrange a septic or sewer system on the site. However, for a single use of wood flour, it may not make sense to purchase a special chip grinding machine.