Abstract
The sustainability of production systems in wood processing, wood industry, and wooden waste disposal is an important issue for European industry and society. Proper development of products based on renewable wood resources gives an opportunity to provide materials with long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability. This study aims to establish a new way of forestry and agricultural waste materials utilization by synthesis of bio-based polyols and manufacturing of polyurethane wood composites (PU-WC). The first part of this paper describes the liquefaction of wood shavings at a temperature of 150 °C for 6 h in three different solvents—glycerol, poly (ethylene glycol) and their mixture in a 1:1 ratio. The second part deals with the synthesis of polyurethane (PU) resins containing 90% of biopolyol. Eight sets of materials with different NCO:OH ratios were obtained in a one-step method using a hydraulic press. These materials were characterized, and the material with the most promising properties was selected for polyurethane wood composites production. Composites with 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70% of wood shavings were obtained. The addition of filler caused an increase in flexural strength, Young`s modulus, hardness, and impact strength. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed good adhesion between the polymer and the filler. The optimum filler content is between 50 and 60% by weight of the composite. The presented study provides a significant step toward a greener alternative for materials produced mainly from non-renewable resources.
Highlights
The problem of wood waste generation and associated risks are increasingly noticeable challenges for modern science
Measurements with a moisture analyzer showed that wood chips have approximately 7% water content, which may affect the quality of the liquefaction, because water molecules have a substantial impact on the disintegration of long biomass chains (Yao et al 1995; Kosmela et al 2019)
This research has presented a novel approach to the production of polyurethane wood composites (PU-WC) using previously synthesized biobased polyols obtained through biomass liquefaction
Summary
The problem of wood waste generation and associated risks are increasingly noticeable challenges for modern science. According to the Waste Directive [2018/951/ EC], waste is defined as any substance or object that the holder discards, intends to discard, or is required to dispose of (European Union 2018). We divide wood waste into industrial waste, generated during industrial production and Previously mentioned directive indicates the waste management hierarchy, which says that preparation for reuse and recycling is more desirable than other recovery processes (e.g., energy recovery) and disposal. It should be emphasized that energy recovery and waste disposal are still widely used in Poland, scientists are looking for new methods of waste management (European Union 2018). One of the known methods of managing wood waste is to
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