Kraft Lignin Periodate Oxidation for Biobased Wood Panel Resins

The development of biobased resins with high-bonding performance has gained considerable attention in the wood industry. In this study, we developed biobased novolacs phenol-formaldehyde (BNPF) resins by partially replacing petroleum-based phenol and formaldehyde with lignin derived from kraft biorefinery and modified kraft biorefinery-derived lignin, respectively. We first performed a mild and efficient chemical modification of the lignin through the periodate oxidation process. Sodium periodate was used to oxidize the hydroxyl functional groups present in the interunit linkages (β-O-4 bond) in the lignin structure and convert lignin partly to quinones. This was assessed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, solid-state 1H–13C 2D HETCOR NMR, and aldehyde content analysis. We synthesized a series of BNPF resins by replacing phenol with lignin, then by replacing formaldehyde with oxidized lignin, and finally by replacing both phenol and formaldehyde with lignin and oxidized lignin. The structural characterization results of the NPF resins revealed the formation of methylene linkages in the phenolic rings. Before application as wood adhesives, we studied the curing behavior of the formulated adhesive via differential scanning calorimetry. The adhesion strength of the adhesive was determined using the tensile shear strength analysis. The bonding performance tests indicated that BNPF resin adhesives have high adhesion strengths (>0.7 MPa). The outcome of this research provides a promising perspective to utilize natural polymers such as lignin for the synthesis of biobased wood adhesives.