Use of Prosopis juliflora in Fiberboards – A Review

Abstract

Prosopis juliflora commonly known as “Seemai Karuvelam” in Tamil Nadu is native to
Western Africa and was introduced in Tamil Nadu in 1960s as fuel wood in regions of
drought. This tree is now considered a “living threat” to the environment as it sucks up all
the water around it. The extensive invasion of the species has led to drought in many regions
of Tamil Nadu and the state is now encouraging complete eradication of this species from
Tamil Nadu. This paper reviews feasibility studies on the use of Prosopis juliflora in fiber
boards along with wood and cardboard waste so that the invasive species can be uprooted
completely and put into use in wood works. To solve the problem related to disposal of wood
waste, cardboard waste and Prosopis juliflora the research work identifies the manufacture
of medium density fiberboards using shredded Prosopis juliflora, wood waste and cardboard
waste.