Reinforced lignin-phenol-glyoxal (LPG) wood adhesives from coconut husk

Lignin was extracted from coconut husk via alkaline pulping, either Kraft or soda. The isolated lignin samples were classified as hydroxy-benzaldehyde, vanillin, and syringaldehyde type according to Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy, ¹H and ¹³C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra. Soda lignin (SL) showed higher thermal stability and glass transition temperature (T_g) than Kraft lignin (KL) as proven by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The soda-lignin-phenol-glyoxal (SLPG) resins with the optimum percentage of lignin substitution at 30% showed improved solid content and gel time in comparison to 30% of Kraft-lignin-phenol-glyoxal (KLPG) and phenol-glyoxal (PG) resin. The good mechanical properties in SLPG is due to the higher amount of molecular weight as well as higher phenolic and G-type unit in lignin that improve the properties of 30% SLPG adhesive. Moreover, the addition of layered double hydroxides (LDH) as reinforced filler up to 15%-30% SLPG adhesive blend shows a great performance (especially mechanical properties) as compared to 30% SLPG adhesive alone.