Drying time reduction of rubberwood

Abstract

Rubberwood drying process significantly affects both quality and production cost in term of time required. The study of drying process to decrease the drying time is the main objective of this research. The experiments were conducted in a case-study factory. Three sizes of preserved rubberwood lumber for making furniture and equipment were selected. The thicknesses of the lumber were 1 inch (1inch x 1 inch x 47.24 inches), 1.5 and 2 inches, respectively. Drying schedule was analyzed and modified to reduce the moisture content to 8% dry basis by adjusting temperature, relative humidity and air circulation inside the chamber. The results revealed that the maximum drying time of 1 inch thickness lumber was 23%; 52 hours reduction from the current 224 hours. For the 1.5 and 2 inches thickness lumbers, the drying time required was decreased 21.8% and 15.6%, respectively. The defective of the lumber after drying process was found to have 1.4% for a 2 inch thickness lumber which was less than 2% of a standard commonly used in industry.