Development of a bio-resin from organic waste and its application to make high strength composites

Abstract

Accumulation of waste is a global problem. The amount of waste deposited is increasing with every passing year. 8.3 billion metric tons of solid waste is produced every year. Considering this fact, it is of paramount importance to reduce waste by any means possible. One of them is to convert waste to substances with a value such as bio-resin. A bio-resin can be used to make wood composites. The importance of resin in the wood industry is that the lifespan of wood increases drastically when it is impregnated with resin. The resins commonly used in the wood composite industry are urea formaldehyde resin and phenol formaldehyde resin but such synthetic resins are harmful to the environment as they are derived petrochemically and the formaldehyde content in the resin makes such resins carcinogenic. If a bio-resin developed from organic waste is used in place of existing resins, carcinogenic content can be reduced, organic waste can be converted to value and an environmentally friendly product can be obtained. Organic waste was collected, dried and ground to powder in a ball mill. The powdered sample was sent for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The cellulose detected was converted directly to hydroxymethylfurfural resin. Hydroxymethylfurfural resin was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography. The shortcoming of the developed bio-resin is that it lacks the required adhesiveness and tack. So, it must be added to urea formaldehyde resin to get Urea-Hydroxymetthylfurfural-formaldehyde resin. formaldehyde resin, where a part of the formaldehyde will be replaced by hydroxymethylfurfural. The resin was cured with ammonium chloride. The application of the synthesized resin is to make wood composites where the resin will act as a wood adhesive. The bio-resin is impregnated in a particleboard of set dimension under particular temperature and pressure conditions and the bio-resin system is left for curing and the product wood composite is manufactured.