PF resins can be classified into resole-type and novolac-type PF resins. Resoles are formed under alkaline conditions and in excess of formaldehyde, while novolacs are formed under acidic conditions and in excess of phenol. While there are some publications on substituting phenol in novolacs with lignin
[27][28][29], to the authors’ knowledge, lignin-containing novolacs have not been applied in wood applications up to date.
3.2.1. Methylolated Lignin in Resoles
To improve the reactivity and thus the feasibility of lignin, various pretreatment methods are used
[13][23]. An important method for pretreatment of lignin is methylolation. The aim of methylolation is to add functional hydroxymethyl groups to the lignin so that the lignin can directly react with the polymeric network of the resin. Herein, usually the reaction of formaldehyde with lignin under alkaline conditions is applied
[23].
Kalami et al. (2017) managed to produce a resin made from methylolated lignin and formaldehyde, completely replacing the phenol. Timber joints produced with this adhesive exhibited shear lap strengths that were in accordance with the respective national requirements
[30]. In a follow-up study, lignins from different sources were compared, showing that lignin containing more H- and G-lignin units are more suitable to replace phenol. The obtained resins performed only slightly worse than the PF resin, even with full replacement of phenol, while decreasing the formaldehyde consumption by up to 50%
[4].
The formaldehyde emission of lignin-containing resins has to be examined with care in both PF and UF resins. Several publications reported higher formaldehyde emissions, due to the lower reactivity of the lignin compared to other monomers
[31][32][33], while others reported similar or even lower formaldehyde emissions
[34][35][36][37] upon replacing part of the phenol or urea monomers with lignin. This indicates that the formaldehyde emission is highly dependent on the ratio of monomers to formaldehyde, and on the reaction conditions.
Ghorbani et al. compared the influence of 20–40% of different types of technical lignins (organosolv, soda, Kraft and lignosulfonates) on PF resins. It was found that out of the given samples pine Kraft lignin and lignosulfonates were the most suitable lignins for replacing phenol. Beech veneer plywood produced with an LPF resin with 20–40% content of pine Kraft lignin even surpassed the tensile shear strength and wet tensile shear strength of PF resin. However, a higher curing temperature was applied to obtain these good properties
[3][38]. In a follow-up study, LPF with 40% pine Kraft lignin was applied as an adhesive for beech plywood. The shear strength of the plywood was significantly lower than that of the PF, however, the plywood was suitable for exterior applications according to EN 314-1
[39]. Similarly, another publication reported that at 50% replacement of phenol by Kraft lignin the shear strength and especially the wet shear strength of plywood produced with LPF were inferior to those with PF resin
[40]. These results were contradicted by another study, in which up to 50% Kraft lignin led to similar or even slightly improved performance compared to PF-bonded plywood
[41]. Even higher substitution levels were reported by Abdelwahab et al. (2011), where up to 90% of phenol was substituted with Kraft lignin. The adhesives were tested according to ASTM D 2339-94A, and the adhesive strength was significantly higher for lignin-containing resins than for control PF resin, even at higher lignin concentrations
[42].
In contrast to the results published by Ghorbani et al., Cheng et al. obtained very good results using organosolv lignin in a PF resin. Even at 75% replacement of phenol by organosolv lignin extracted from pine saw dust, the shear strength and the wet shear strength of plywood produced with the LPF resin were higher than those of a reference PF resin
[43]. The high potential of organosolv lignin was confirmed in another study, where up to 70% replacement of phenol by the organosolv lignin “Biolignin
TM” by the company CIMV led to increased shear strengths compared to reference PF resin in plywood
[44].
Eucalyptus plywood was produced with PF resin in which phenol was substituted with 5–25% enzymatic hydrolysis lignin from cornstalk residues from bio-ethanol production extracted with sodium hydroxide solution. The plywood almost met the requirements for first grade plywood according to the Chinese National Standard (GB/T 14732-2006). The best results were achieved with 10% phenol substitution
[45]. Another study using enzymatic hydrolysis lignin indicated that in adhesives the substitution of up to 50% of the phenol is possible without inferior mechanical performance. A shear strength of 1.05 MPa was reported for three-layered plywood at 10% substitution of phenol with lignin
[46]. A similar shear strength was reported for plywood made with a resin of 25% phenol, 25% urea and 50% unpurified bio-ethanol fermentation residues. Three-layer plywood bonded with this resin met the Chinese national standards according to GB/T 17657-1999
[47].
Another comparison between LPF made with different lignins indicated that alkaline-extracted lignin was most suitable out of alkaline-extracted, Kraft, organosolv and enzymatic hydrolysis lignin, at a substitution rate for 20% phenol. Particle boards produced with Kraft lignin containing LPF were suitable for P6 applications according to DIN EN 312:2010-12; the particle boards produced with enzymatic hydrolysis lignin, alkaline-extracted lignin and organosolv lignin containing LPFs performed well enough for P5 applications
[9]. In another study on particle boards with PF resins, it was reported that 20–30% of the phenol could be substituted with organosolv lignin without a significant effect on the properties of the particle board
[48].
In a comparison between lignin separated from different biomasses, including sugar mill bagasse, coconut coir, eucalyptus bark, and coffee beans using sodium hydroxide on small scale, each of the tested lignins improved the mechanical performance of wood samples bonded with PF resin up to 50% substitution tested according to IS 851:1978
[49].
3.2.2. Other Pretreatment Methods for Lignin in Resoles
Phenolation is the condensation of phenol and lignin, providing more reactive sites as well as cleavage of the ether bonds
[23][25]. Plywood panels made with LPF with phenol substituted with 33% phenolated lignin and formaldehyde performed worse than plywood made with PF resin or plywood made with LPF resin with methylolated lignin
[50].
The preparation of methylolated nanosized alkalilignin could be interesting for application in PF resins, since it can be done in mild conditions by acidic precipitation from ethylene glycol. Tests of the performance of plywood produced with nanolignin-PF resins indicated a higher bond strength and wet bond strength at similar or slightly lower formaldehyde emission compared to normal PF resins. The highest bond strengths and wet bond strengths were achieved at 30 and 40% substitution of phenol with nanolignin
[35]. In another study 5 or 10% of nanosized and microsized alkali lignin was added to a PF resin, with the best properties being achieved with 5% nanolignin. The shear strength of wood lap joints with the resin could be increased from 8.7 MPa (pure PF resin) to 10.9 MPa
[51].
The modification of the pine wood Kraft lignin by Fenton-oxidation and Fenton-oxidation with subsequent ammoxidation did not improve the performance of LPF resins as wood adhesives
[52].
Substituting 30% of phenol with demethylated soda lignin in an LPF resin considerably decreased the performance of plywood produced with the resin. Only lignin demethylated with Na
2SO
3 could be promising for future applications
[53].