This research proposed to investigate a possible destination for the cocoa waste as component in the core layer of Medium Density Particleboards (MDPs) and to evaluate the effect of the waste insertion on the physical-mechanical properties of the panel. The core layers of the MDPs were composed by different percentages of cocoa wastes (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) in combination with pine wood. The targeted density of the panels was pre-established in 0.7 g cm⁻³, bonded with urea-formaldehyde. The cocoa waste showed higher extractives content (34.8%) when compared with the pine wood (4.0%). The inclusion of the waste did not cause a significant difference in the moisture and bulk density of the panels; however, there was an increase in water absorption 24 h (71–105%) and thickness swelling 24 h (13–35%). Despite the values of the mechanical properties decreased in general, in low percentages, the cocoa waste does not prevent the use of the MDPs as furniture for internal environments. The results show that the cocoa waste has potential for being applied as raw material in the core layer of the MDP, in percentages up to 21%. The lignocellulosic wastes are promising alternatives for the achievement of the required current context of the sustainability and should be highlighted with research focused on their management for the development of added value materials.

这项研究建议调查可可废物作为中密度刨花板（MDPs）核心层组分的可能目的地，并评估废物插入对面板物理机械性能的影响。MDP的核心层由不同百分比的可可废物（0％，25％，50％，75％和100％）与松木结合而成。面板的目标密度预先设定为0.7 g cm ^-3，与脲醛键合。与松木（4.0％）相比，可可废物的提取物含量更高（34.8％）。包含废物并没有引起面板的水分和堆积密度的显着差异。但是，吸水24小时（71–105％）和厚度膨胀24小时（13–35％）有所增加。尽管机械性能的值通常会降低，但百分比较低，可可废料并不能阻止将MDP用作内部环境的家具。结果表明，可可废料有潜力被用作MDP核心层的原料，其百分比最高可达21％。