Commercial Urea-formaldehyde Resin Research Articles

One-Pot Synthesis of N-Rich Porous Carbon for Efficient CO2 Adsorption Performance.

N-enriched porous carbons have played an important part in CO2 adsorption application thanks to their abundant porosity, high stability and tailorable surface properties while still suffering from a non-efficient and high-cost synthesis method. Herein, a series of N-doped porous carbons were prepared by a facile one-pot KOH activating strategy from commercial urea formaldehyde resin (UF). The textural properties and nitrogen content of the N-doped carbons were carefully controlled by the activating temperature and KOH/UF mass ratios. As-prepared N-doped carbons show 3D block-shaped morphology, the BET surface area of up to 980 m2/g together with a pore volume of 0.52 cm3/g and N content of 23.51 wt%. The optimal adsorbent (UFK-600-0.2) presents a high CO2 uptake capacity of 4.03 mmol/g at 0 °C and 1 bar. Moreover, as-prepared N-doped carbon adsorbents show moderate isosteric heat of adsorption (43–53 kJ/mol), acceptable ideal adsorption solution theory (IAST) selectivity of 35 and outstanding recycling performance. It has been pointed out that while the CO2 uptake was mostly dependent on the textural feature, the N content of carbon also plays a critical role to define the CO2 adsorption performance. The present study delivers favorable N-doped carbon for CO2 uptake and provides a promising strategy for the design and synthesis of the carbon adsorbents.

Efficient N-Doped Porous Carbonaceous CO2 Adsorbents Derived from Commercial Urea-Formaldehyde Resin

Efficient N-Doped Porous Carbonaceous CO₂ Adsorbents Derived from Commercial Urea-Formaldehyde Resin

Lightweight Insulation Boards Based on Lignocellulosic Particles Glued with Agents of Natural Origin.

In this study, the possibility of using adhesives of natural origin for the manufacture of wood fiber-based lightweight panels was investigated. The boards, of a density ranging from 150 to 250 kg/m3, were glued together using commercial urea–formaldehyde resin (control board), solutions of rye flour and potato starch and two types of starch: oxidized and gelatinized. The density and density profile, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, acoustic properties and thermal conductivity were determined in the produced boards. These studies show that when food components are used as binding agents in the manufacture of lightweight wood fiberboards, the properties obtained can be comparable with those of commercial boards manufactured using synthetic agents.

Improvement of storage stability of UF resins by adding caprolactam

During storage, the structure of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins suffers modifications due to reactions between monomers, oligomers, polymer and free formaldehyde, leading to increase in viscosity and decrease in pH. Eventually, viscosity reaches a value that renders the resin unusable, and it must be disposed off. This aging process is accelerated if storage temperature increases.The aim of this work is to obtain UF resins with long storage stability, even when exposed to relatively high temperatures, such as 40 °C. The main strategy adopted was the addition of a chain growth blocker, caprolactam. This monofunctional compound reacts with end groups, blocking them and therefore reducing the polymer's reactivity. In addition, a weak base was added to adjust the pH value, instead of the traditional strong base, sodium hydroxide, therefore hindering the Cannizzaro reaction.The storage stability of UF resins with formaldehyde to urea molar ratio of 1.6–2.0 was monitored by pH and viscosity measurements. Caprolactam was added in different amounts and at different reaction stages. It was found that 10% addition at the beginning of condensation led to the best results, giving a much higher storage stability at 40 °C (2 months when compared to 4 days for a commercial UF resin with low F/U molar ratio). As expected, the resin reactivity decreased with caprolactam addition, demanding for longer pressing times for wood-based panel manufacture. These verified the internal bond strength specification for EN 312 - P2 standard class. Formaldehyde content in the panels was above the E1 class limit when fresh or one month old modified resins were used, implying addition of formaldehyde scavengers. The resin stored for 2 months allowed producing panels within E1 limit. These preliminary results demonstrate the concept that addition of an end-group blocker during UF synthesis is an effective strategy for improving storage stability, encouraging future work on alternative compounds and synthesis conditions optimization.

Mechanical characterization of industrial particleboard panels glued with cornstarch–mimosa tannin–urea formaldehyde resins

The aim of this work was to validate the utility and performance of optimal laboratory cornstarch–mimosa tannin-based resins in the industrial particleboard production. In this way, the cornstarch and mimosa tannin was introduced in the classic adhesive formulation in order to supply a part of urea-formaldehyde (UF). Our results show that industrial particleboard panels (8.2 m × 1.85 m × 19 mm) bonded with optimal cornstarch–mimosa tannin–UF (10:4:86; mass ratio) resins exhibited comparable mechanical properties to those of boards bonded with commercial UF resins and largely satisfied the exigencies of European norms EN 312. The formaldehyde emission levels obtained from panels bonded with cornstarch–mimosa tannin–UF were lower to those obtained from panels bonded with control UF. Finally, the addition of cornstarch and mimosa tannin improves markedly the water resistance of UF resins.

Potential utilization of burned wood in manufacture of medium density fiberboard

The potential utilization of burned wood in the manufacture of medium density fiberboard (MDF) was investigated. For this aim, the MDF panels were made of various mixtures of burned pine wood (Pinus sylvestris L.), unburned beech (Fagus orientalis L.) and oak (Ouercus robur L.) woods under commercial conditions in an MDF company. The mixture ratio of the unburned beech and oak woods to the burned pine wood were 50/50 wt%. The mixing ratios of burned wood chips with unburned wood chips were 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0, %, respectively. A commercial urea–formaldehyde resin was used as a binder. The physical properties measured in the investigation included density and thickness swelling, while the mechanical properties examined were bending strength, modulus elasticity, internal bond, screw holding ability perpendicular to the plane of panel, and janka hardness perpendicular to the plane of the panel. Surface roughness and color of the panels were also measured. The results indicated that all the panels met the mechanical properties of general-purpose MDF requirements of EN 622-5. The surface roughness of the MDF panels containing burned wood decreased with increasing burned wood content but remained higher than the control panels. The dimensional stability of the MDF panels decreased with the incorporation of burned wood fibers as compared with the control MDF panels.

Cornstarch–mimosa tannin–urea formaldehyde resins as adhesives in the particleboard production

AbstractThe objective of this work was to demonstrate the utilisation of cornstarch–mimosa tannin‐based resins designed for application as an adhesive in particleboard production. Bond qualities of cornstarch–mimosa tannin–urea formaldehyde (UF) resins and commercial UF resin were assessed by using an automatic bonding evaluation system, prior to production of particleboards panels. In order to evaluate the quality of cornstarch–mimosa tannin–UF resins, particleboards were produced and physical and mechanical properties were investigated. These physical properties included rheological, thermogravimetric analysis and solid phase 13C NMR analysis of resins. Internal bond, surface soundness, thickness swelling, porosity, modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity mechanical properties of particleboards bonded with cornstarch–mimosa tannin–UF resins were also determined.The results showed that it is possible to add cornstarch and mimosa tannin, respectively, up to 10 and 4% to the UF resin without to alter the physical and mechanical properties of the boards. The performance of these panels is comparable to those of boards made using commercial UF resin. Petrochemical UF resins could be partially substituted in industrial applications by addition of cornstarch and mimosa tannin extracts.

PREPARATION AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF PARTICLEBOARD MADE FROM MARITIME PINE AND GLUED WITH BIO-ADHESIVES BASED ON CORNSTARCH AND TANNINS

In this presented work, we describe the development and characterization of a new, environmentally friendly adhesive derived from cornstarch and tannins. The production of wood composites mainly relies on the petrochemical-based and formaldehyde-based adhesives such as urea formaldehyde (UF), phenol formaldehyde (PF) and melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF), which can generate under certain conditions, problems for health and environment. The aim of our work is to replace totally these synthetic resins. In order to evaluate the quality of cornstarch-tannin adhesives, particleboards were produced and physical and mechanical properties were investigated. These physical properties included rheological, thermogravimetric analysis and solid phase 13C NMR analysis of resins. Internal bond, surface soundness, modules of rupture and modulus of elasticity mechanical properties of particleboards bonded with cornstarch-tannin adhesives were also determined. Particleboards bonded with formaldehyde-free cornstarch-tannin adhesive showed comparable mechanical properties to the panels made with the commercial UF resins and satisfied the exigencies of panels for interior fittings used in dry medium (P2) according to European norms EN 312 (2004). Beyond 4 hours, rheological characterization show excellent structural stability of cornstarch-tannin adhesive.

Characterization of Urea-Formaldehyde Resins by GPC/SEC and HPLC Techniques: Effect of Ageing

During the last 40 years, several analytical techniques have been developed/adapted to characterize urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins. However, a great part of the research about this kind of wood adhesives has been performed by industrial producers and, thus, the main part of the existing knowledge is retained within those companies. This work describes a methodology for determining the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of UF resins using Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC)/Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) with 2 detectors (differential refractive index (RI) and differential viscosity). This method permitted to characterize/distinguish commercial UF resins produced with different F/U molar ratios and to monitor the molecular weight and MWD with ageing. An HPLC method was additionally used to evaluate the fraction of unreacted urea, monomethylolurea and dimethylolurea present in commercial UF resins and measure the evolution of these three compounds with ageing.

Thermal behaviour of urea-formaldehyde resins during curing

Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins are the most widely used polycondensation resins today in manufacturing particleboards. The performance of UF resins in their processing is greatly influenced by curing characteristics. The cure process has been monitored by TG-DTA technique on a Setaram labsysTM instrument in dynamic heating conditions at different heating rates. Commercial UF resins from different suppliers used in Estonian particleboard factories were selected for TG-DTA measurements. Experiments were carried out without and with catalysts. Ammonium chloride and ammonium sulphate were used. Curing characteristics were evaluated both for fresh and aged resins.