Use of low molecular weight lignin together with lignin for the production of a phenol-formaldehyde binder composition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10017636-B2
Application number	US-201615257439-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2016
Priority date	Mar 29, 2012
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing a binder composition, wherein the method comprises the following steps: (i) forming an aqueous composition comprising reactant components including lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units, lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units, polymerizable substance and crosslinking agent in the presence of a catalyst; and (ii) cooking the composition at a temperature of 60-95° C. for polymerizing the reactant components until a binder composition with a predetermined viscosity value is formed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A binder composition comprising a result of:
(i) forming an aqueous composition comprising reactant components including lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units, lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units, polymerizable substance, and crosslinking agent in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the weight ratio of the lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units to the lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units is 0.1-20; and
(ii) cooking the aqueous composition at a temperature of 45-95° C. for polymerizing the reactant components until a binder composition with a predetermined viscosity value is formed.

2. An adhesive composition comprising a binder composition formed as a result of:
(i) forming an aqueous composition comprising reactant components including lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units, lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units, polymerizable substance, and crosslinking agent in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the weight ratio of the lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units to the lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units is 0.1-20; and
(ii) cooking the aqueous composition at a temperature of 45-95° C. for polymerizing the reactant components until a binder composition with a predetermined viscosity value is formed.

3. A method of forming a strengthened plastic, a compressed casting, a laminate, or a lacquer comprising applying a binder composition by impregnation application or coating, the binder composition comprising a result of:
(i) forming an aqueous composition comprising reactant components including lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units, lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units, polymerizable substance, and crosslinking agent in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the weight ratio of the lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units to the lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units is 0.1-20; and
(ii) cooking the aqueous composition at a temperature of 45-95° C. for polymerizing the reactant components until a binder composition with a predetermined viscosity value is formed.

4. A method of gluing a wood product comprising applying an adhesive composition to a wood veneer, the adhesive composition comprising a binder composition resulting from:
(i) forming an aqueous composition comprising reactant components including lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units, lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units, polymerizable substance, and crosslinking agent in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the weight ratio of the lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units to the lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units is 0.1-20; and
(ii) cooking the aqueous composition at a temperature of 45-95° C. for polymerizing the reactant components until a binder composition with a predetermined viscosity value is formed.

5. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units to lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units is preferably 0.2-10, and more preferably 0.5-5.

6. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein step (i) of forming the aqueous composition comprises the following steps:
(ia) forming a dispersion comprising lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units; and
(ib) combining polymerizable substance and crosslinking agent with the dispersion for forming the aqueous composition.

7. The binder composition of claim 6 , wherein step (ib) comprises adding catalyst.

8. The binder composition of claim 6 , wherein step (i) of forming the aqueous composition comprises, after step (ib), the following steps:
(ic) cooking the formed composition until the composition has a viscosity, which corresponds to 15-70% of a predetermined viscosity value of the final binder composition; and
(id) adding lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units as a reactant component to the composition.

9. The binder composition of claim 6 , wherein step (ia) and/or step (ib) comprises adding lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units as a reactant component.

10. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein step (i) comprises keeping the composition at a temperature of at most 75° C.

11. The binder composition of claim 8 , wherein step (ic) comprises keeping the temperature of the composition between 45-95° C.

12. The binder composition of claim 8 , wherein the temperature of the composition is decreased below 85° C. before step (id).

13. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein step (ii) comprises cooking the composition preferably at a temperature of 50-85° C.

14. The binder composition of claim 8 , wherein the temperature of the composition is increased up to 45-95° C. before, during or after step (id).

15. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of lignin molecules of 11-60 lignin units and lignin molecules of 1-10 lignin units to the polymerizable substance is at least 0.2.

16. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinking agent is an aldehyde, and preferably formaldehyde.

17. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymerizable substance is selected from a group consisting of phenol, cresol, resorcinol and combinations thereof.

18. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is sodium hydroxide.

Assignees

• Upm Kymmene Corp

Inventors

• Valkonen Sanna
• Pietarinen Suvi
• Ringena Okko
• Oinonen Kati

Classifications

• C08L97/02

  Lignocellulosic material, e.g. wood, straw or bagasse {(manufacture of articles made from lignocellulosic material by dry processes B27N)} · CPC title

• C08H6/00 Primary

  Macromolecular compounds derived from lignin, e.g. tannins, humic acids · CPC title

• C07G1/00

  Low-molecular-weight derivatives of lignin (high-molecular-weight derivatives of lignin {C08H6/00}) · CPC title

• C08G8/24

  with mixtures of two or more phenols which are not covered by only one of the groups C08G8/10 - C08G8/20 · CPC title

• C09J2497/00

  Presence of lignin · CPC title