Pinus densiflora wood flour was liquefied in the presence of phenol, using sulfuric acid as a catalyst. Liquefaction-modified phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resins were synthesized as particleboard binder. The physical characteristics of the laboratory-synthesized control PF resin and the LPF resins are described. | Research Article Turk J Agric For 34 (2010) 303-308 © TÜBİTAK doi: Properties of particleboard produced with liquefaction-modified phenol-formaldehyde adhesive Jung-Uk LEE, Yong-Sung OH* Department of Forest Resources, College of Natural Resources, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712-749, KOREA Received: Abstract: Pinus densiflora wood flour was liquefied in the presence of phenol, using sulfuric acid as a catalyst. Liquefaction-modified phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resins were synthesized as particleboard binder. The physical characteristics of the laboratory-synthesized control PF resin and the LPF resins are described. Laboratory particleboard (PB) was made using Korean hybrid poplar (Populus alba × glandulosa) particles with the control PF resin and LPF resins. The physical strength and dimensional stability of the PBs were tested according to ASTM D 1037-99 and KS F 3104 standard procedures. PB test results show that the physical and mechanical strength properties differed significantly according to resin type; however, all PBs made in this study exceeded the minimum strength requirement of the Korean Standard KS F 3104 for PB type . Key words: Particleboard, hybrid poplar, adhesive, resin Introduction Currently, there is renewed interest in the development of abundant, renewable, biomass resources for the production of polymeric materials. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, yearly growth of world forests is approximately 7-9 billion m3 of biomass (FAO 1966). Lignocellulosic biomass, such as wood and bark, can be liquefied easily in a variety of organic solvents using acid catalysts to produce homogeneous liquefaction materials (Alma et al. 2001; Lee and Liu 2003). These liquefied wood solutions consist of many carbohydrate- and lignin-derived components with useful applications. Liquefied wood solutions have been used successfully as wood adhesives (Lee and Liu .
