Bio-Based Alternatives to Phenol and Formaldehyde for the Production of Resins

• Published in: Polymers Vol. 12; no. 10; p. 2237
• Main Authors: Sarika, P R, Nancarrow, Paul, Khansaheb, Abdulrahman, Ibrahim, Taleb
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.09.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Aerospace industry; Alcohol; Aldehydes; Alternative fuels; Biomass; cardanol; Chemicals; Composite materials; Depletion; Dimensional stability; Fire resistance; Formaldehyde; Fossil fuels; Heat resistance; Hydroxymethylfurfural; Lignin; Lignocellulose; Manufacturing; Materials substitution; Mechanical properties; Natural resources; Paints; phenol-formaldehyde resin; Phenolic resins; Phenols; Raw materials; Resins; resol resin; Review; tannin; Thermal resistance; Thermal stability; resol resin; cardanol; glyoxal; hydroxymethylfurfural; furfural; lignin; sustainable resin; tannin; phenol-formaldehyde resin
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym12102237

Phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin continues to dominate the resin industry more than 100 years after its first synthesis. Its versatile properties such as thermal stability, chemical resistance, fire resistance, and dimensional stability make it a suitable material for a wide range of applications. PF resins have been used in the wood industry as adhesives, in paints and coatings, and in the aerospace, construction, and building industries as composites and foams. Currently, petroleum is the key source of raw materials used in manufacturing PF resin. However, increasing environmental pollution and fossil fuel depletion have driven industries to seek sustainable alternatives to petroleum based raw materials. Over the past decade, researchers have replaced phenol and formaldehyde with sustainable materials such as lignin, tannin, cardanol, hydroxymethylfurfural, and glyoxal to produce bio-based PF resin. Several synthesis modifications are currently under investigation towards improving the properties of bio-based phenolic resin. This review discusses recent developments in the synthesis of PF resins, particularly those created from sustainable raw material substitutes, and modifications applied to the synthetic route in order to improve the mechanical properties.