Investigation of volatile organic compound press emissions during particleboard production. Part 1. UF-bonded southern pine

A method has been developed to collect and analyze volatile organic compound (VOC) press emissions during particleboard pressing, and to monitor the temperature and vapor pressure at different locations within the mat. The water solution of emissions trapped with two water scrubbers was analyzed for formaldehyde using the modified colorimetric method (5). Other VOC press emissions were extracted with methylene chloride and characterized and quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The amount of total VOCs (TVOCs) were quantified by combining the 70 largest GC/MS peaks, which comprise more than 97 percent of the total detected peak area of emissions. The TVOC emissions and the most prevalent chemical components (formaldehyde, pinenes, and hexanal) were investigated as a function of pressing variables. The pressing variables investigated were press temperature and time, mat moisture content (MC) and resin content, and board density. The results showed that the TVOCs emitted from the pressed boards accounted for about 20 percent of the volatile compounds contained in the wood extractives. Differences in the TVOCs emitted from boards with or without urea-formaldehyde resin were insignificant. Formaldehyde emission increased with press temperature and time, mat resin content and MC, and board density. However, the TVOC emissions as a function of pressing variables did not follow easily discernible trends. TVOCs increased with press temperature and board density, while the maximum TVOC emissions occurred at a mat MC between 10 and 14 percent.

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