Loading...
Publication
Chemical Modification of Pachira aquatica Oil for Bio-Based Polyurethane Wood Adhesives
| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.59 MB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The development of biomass-based adhesives has attracted interest as an alternative to
petroleum-derived synthetic and potentially toxic adhesives. Pachira aquatica oil is a renewable raw material that can be incorporated into an MDI-based polyurethane system. In this
study, the chemical composition and reactivity of P. aquatica oil were characterized using
GC–MS, FTIR, and hydroxyl index measurements. The oil showed a predominance of saturated fatty acids, particularly methyl hexadecanoate (64.80%), derived from palmitic acid,
and exhibited a low initial hydroxyl value. To enhance reactivity, the oil was transesterified
with glycerol under different conditions, producing polyols with substantially increased
hydroxyl values (412–769 mg KOH g−1 ), as confirmed by the intensified O–H and C–O
bands in the FTIR spectra. The polyurethane adhesives were formulated from the selected
polyols (P3 and P4) and evaluated at different NCO/OH ratios and pressing temperatures,
using ABES shear tests. The highest ABES shear strength recorded was approximately
3.6 MPa, obtained for isocyanate indices between 0.8 and 1.0 and temperatures around
115 ◦C. Although this value represents the best performance among the tested conditions,
it remains below the industrial benchmarks typically associated with the EN 205 standard
(≈10 MPa). It is important to note that the ABES and EN 205 methods are not directly
comparable due to differences in testing protocols. Nevertheless, the results indicate that,
under the evaluated conditions, the adhesives exhibit limited mechanical performance and
require further optimization.
Description
Keywords
bio-based adhesive vegetable oil polyols neotropical species transesterification wood adhesion
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Silva, E.; Esteves, B.; Domingos, I.; Almeida, M.; Araújo, B.; Chaves, I.; Fassarella, M.; Lelis, R.; Paes, J.; Carvalho, L.; et al. Chemical Modification of Pachira aquatica Oil for Bio-Based Polyurethane Wood Adhesives. Forests 2025, 16, 1843. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16121843