Liquefaction of bamboo, preparation of liquefied bamboo adhesives, and properties of the adhesives

Abstract

This study investigated the liquefaction of bamboo in phenol, which involved the effects of weight ratios of phenol to bamboo, amount of catalyst, temperature, etc. The study showed that liquefaction could be accomplished with a phenol to bamboo weight ratio of 2 1: 1, a 5% catalyst of HCl or BF3, and a temperature of 115oC. Liquefied bamboo formaldehyde (BLF) resin adhesive for exterior use could be obtained with a phenol to formaldehyde molar ratio of 1:1.6 2.0. The curing behavior of BLF resin adhesive, studied by TG DSC and IR analyses, showed that BLF resin adhesives had a lower curing temperature than PF adhesives but had the same characteristic trough in IR spectra as PF adhesives.