Currently, the majority of binders used in wood particleboard (PB) manufacturing are formaldehyde-based synthetic resins. Because of the toxicity of formaldehyde, there is a strong demand for eco-friendly alternatives with similar performances and economic viability. In this work, thick spent sulfite liquor (TSSL), an industrial byproduct from sulfite pulp mills, is proposed as a binder for fully bio-based PBs. The results showed that PBs bound with TSSL present appropriate mechanical performance, which was further improved when TSSL was combined with wheat flour at an 84:16 dry weight ratio and preheated to 94 °C prior to application. For 13.2% binder content per dry wood weight, the PB internal bond strength was 0.46 N mm−2, which is above the standard requirements for PB type P2 (0.35 N mm−2). Optical microscopy showed that TSSL hinders the gelatinization of starch granules during preheating, allowing the binder mixture to maintain a low viscosity suitable for combination with wood particles and PB production.
Combination of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins with technical lignins has been often reported in the literature. However, the actual implications of this approach have not been effectively addressed yet. In this work, unmodified thick spent sulfite liquor (TSSL) and hydroxymethylated TSSL (TSSLH) were incorporated in a standard UF resin in different amounts (10 and 20%) and at different stages. When 10% of TSSLH was incorporated after the synthesis, the produced particleboards performed equivalently to when 90% of UF resin was used. In all other cases tested, combining UF resin with TSSL/TSSLH actually led to lower internal bond strengths. The results evidence that addition of TSSL or TSSLH does not have a beneficial effect on UF bonding performance.
This paper presents a study on the curing conditions of several resin-impregnated papers and its impact on the performance of HPL (high-pressure decorative laminate). A new methodology for evaluating the bond strength development between the different layers of a HPL(overlay, decorative, and kraft papers) was developed using ABES (Automated Bonding Evaluation System) equipment. The proposed method can be applied to the study of the curing step of the different impregnated paper and the development of bonds between them(overlay paper on decorative paper, decorative paper on kraft paper, and kraft paper on kraft paper) trying to simulate the hot-pressing of an industrial HPL. This will permit to establish a more adapted temperature gradient in hot-press in order to achieve the same curing rate for all layers and provide a good final overall product quality.
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