Influence of wood leachate industrial waste as a novel catalyst for the synthesis of UF resins and MDF bonded with them

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) production processes produce a large amount of wood leachate as a hazardous waste. Wood leachate is a lignin-based waste material from the MDF production industry. It constitutes a potential environmental problem if discarded by penetrating into groundwater aquifers. Currently, there is no viable way for industrial MDF leachate waste to be transformed into environmentally friendly high value materials. The aim of this work was to present for the first time a novel approach which was successfully developed for the recovery of wood leachate industrial waste as a catalyst for the synthesis of UF adhesives for MDF panels. The leachates were examined by FTIR, 13C NMR, and DSC as well as by evaluating the properties of fiberboards bonded with liquid UF resins. In addition, the other aim of this work was to capture the free formaldehyde gas emitted by MDF panels. It was of interest determine whether an MDF bonded panel prepared with a UF resin catalyzed by the wood leachate would exhibit lower formaldehyde emissions and the lowest thickness swelling, while still presenting a relatively good performance. The direct reuse of the fiberboard industrial leachate in the experiments demonstrated that the preparation method of the UF bonded fiberboard was environmentally friendly and sustainable. Therefore, this work arrived at some interesting conclusions that may be used as a base for future work on the recycling and reuse of MDF waste.