A Formaldehyde-free Adhesive for Particleboards Based on Soy Flour, Magnesium Oxide, and a Plant-derived Enzymatic Hydrolysate

An adhesive for particleboards based on natural materials was prepared. Soy flour (38.9 wt%), magnesium oxide (MgO) (2.8 wt%), and a hydrolysate from an agricultural crop (13.9 wt%) were mixed with water and ground in a ball mill at 44% solids. The solubility and interaction of the soy flour proteins and the proteins contained in the plant hydrolysate were triggered by the strong basic environment created by MgO in the presence of water. The natural adhesive appeared to be thermally stable at temperatures from 130 degrees C to 240 degrees C, with unchanged mass and no major signals in the thermal analysis curves. These results, together with a viscosity of 510 Pa.s at 25 degrees C, suggested a good operability of the adhesive. Three-layered particleboards were manufactured with weight combinations of natural adhesive and polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) of 0%:100%, 33%:67%, 50%:50%, 67%:33%, and 100%:0%. The natural adhesive showed inferior internal bond strength and poor water resistance compared with urea-formaldehyde-bonded boards. Addition of the PAE significantly improved the internal bond and swelling, and for all the combinations these properties were comparable or, in most cases, better than in the urea-formaldehyde controls. All boards were formaldehyde-free, while the natural adhesive itself released no dangerous volatile substances.