Substitution of formaldehyde based adhesives with soy based adhesives in production of low formaldehyde emission wood based panels. Part 1 – Plywood

This paper describes a study on the use of a soy adhesive system as a substitute for melamine urea formaldehyde adhesive in plywood production. Results are presented on bonding quality and formaldehyde emission of laboratory scale panels bonded with different mixes of formaldehyde based resins substituted with a soy adhesive system. This study demonstrates that the addition of soy adhesive system significantly reduces formaldehyde release from plywood. Based on the results, the optimum amount of the soy addition depends on the requirements of use of the final product and formaldehyde emission. The highest substitution level recommended is 25% for the production of panels with very low formaldehyde emission for use in class 2 or 3 conditions, whereas up to 75% substitution would seem possible for class 1 panels.