Use of organosolv lignin in phenol–formaldehyde resins for particleboard production

This paper describes the work considering the potential for partially replacing phenol with organosolv lignin in phenol–formaldehyde resin used as an adhesive in the production of particleboard. Lignin-based resins were synthesised with organosolv lignin using various percentages of lignin replacement for phenol. The lignin was introduced to the resin in two different ways. The first method was the replacement of a certain percentage of phenol (5–40%) with lignin (as supplied) directly into resins. In the second method, lignin was modified by phenolation prior to resin manufacture. Different degrees of phenol substitution (20–30%) were investigated for the production of lignin-based resins. The physical properties of the formulated resins were measured and compared to commercial PF resin.