Synthesis of polymers from liquefied biomass and their utilization in wood bonding

Authors: WAN, HUI - Mississippi State University; He, Zhongqi; MAO, AN - Shangdong Agricultural University; LIU, XIAOMEI - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/16/2016
Publication Date: 2/14/2017
Citation: Wan, H., He, Z., Mao, A., Liu, X. 2017. Synthesis of polymers from liquefied biomass and their utilization in wood bonding. In: He, Z., editor. Bio-based Wood Adhesives: Preparation, Characterization, and Testing. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. pp. 239-259.

Interpretive Summary: Agricultural and forestry lignocellulosic biomass materials are mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin which typically contain two or more hydroxyl groups per molecule. Biomass liquefaction is a unique thermochemical conversion process for biomass utilizations. Liquefied biomass products could be used for different adhesive applications such as phenol formaldehyde resins, moldings, epoxy resins, and polyurethane resins. This chapter reviewed and discussed the liquefaction of wood and other lignocellulosic biomass materials and the utilization of these liquefied biomass-based polymers in wood bonding. As the biomass is a versatile raw material including hundreds of thousands of forestry and agricultural species, future work should be on expanding the research into those species currently undervalued. It is also critical to improve the adhesive strength and water resistance of the liquefied biomass further to meet the requirement of high end users.

Technical Abstract: As the sustainable manufacturing concept becomes a mandatory requirement, more and more researchers have devoted to converting biomass as components for polymer or as a substitution for part of petroleum based polymers for different applications. Agricultural and forestry lignocellulosic biomass materials are mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin which typically contain two or more hydroxyl groups per molecule. Biomass liquefaction is a unique thermochemical conversion process for biomass utilizations. In this chapter, we first reviewed and discussed the biomass liquefaction and its major parameters (solvent, catalyst, and heating mode). Then, in the second part, we went through and discussed the utilization of these liquefied biomass-based polymers in wood bonding. Literature data indicated that the liquefied biomass products were tested as an adhesive, or blend with synthetic polymers and chemicals to form four types of adhesives or resin per the biomass sources and liquefaction solvents. These liquefied biomass-based adhesives have been applied in bonding plywood, or making fiber and particleboards or other composite materials to reduce the cost and formaldehyde emissions. Whereas liquefied biomass showed promising as a wood bonding component, the improvement of its adhesive strength and water resistance is needed to meet the requirement of high end users. In the future work, it will make sense to expand the liquefied biomass and adhesive application into more biomass species currently undervalued. More important, developing new products or new processes that are able to accommodate the characteristics of liquefied biomass-based resins will greatly promote the resin sustainable manufacturing.