Water Extraction of Tannins from Aleppo Pine Bark and Sumac Root for the Production of Green Wood Adhesives

The extraction of condensed tannins from Aleppo pine bark and sumac roots (Brown Rhus tripartitum) was examined in near industrial conditions, using a water medium in the presence of 2% NaHCO3 and 0.5% NaHSO3 at two different temperatures (70 degrees C and at 100 degrees C). The tannins extracts were recovered in high yields (similar to 25% of Aleppo pine and similar to 30% for sumac) with high phenolic contents (>75%). The tannins were characterized by C-13-NMR and MALDI TOF and showed characteristics of procyanidin/prodelphinidin units. The tannins extracted at 100 degrees C were composed of smaller flavonoid oligomers (DP < 8) compared to those extracted at a lower temperature (DP > 10). Adhesive resin formulations were prepared using Aleppo or sumac tannins and four different cross linkers (hexamine, glutaraldehyde, furfural, and glyoxal). The resins were studied by TMA in bending and tannins-based formaldehyde-free wood particleboards were produced. The panels displayed internal bond strengths > 0.35 MPa with the four hardeners and all of them passed relevant international standard specifications for interior grade panels. The best results were observed with the tannins extracted at 70 degrees C with furfural as hardener (IB = 0.81 MPa for Aleppo pine and IB = 0.76 MPa for sumac).