formulations to meet or exceed all global emission

Formaldehyde-Based Resins for Sustainable Composite Wood Products“Informed by LCI data and achieved through proven low-emitting technology”

Wood Adhesives 2013Toronto, CanadaOctober 9, 2013

Jeff SwartzentruberNorth American Technical Service Leader, Momentive Specialty Chemicals

Sustainable Composite Wood Products

• What is Sustainability?– 1987 United Nations Bruntland Commission

defined Sustainability • “Development that meets the needs of the

present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

– There are a myriad of other definitions and descriptions of sustainability

– Most have three basic dimensions• Environmental• Social• Economic

– The differences in most definitions is on how these three dimensions are measured and weighted

Wood Adhesives 2013 –Toronto June 2013 © 2013 Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. All rights reserved.

Sustainable Composite Wood Products

• Composite Wood Products are positive in all three areas– Environmental

• Wood is a preferred material environmentally• Composite wood products increase the utilization rate of wood resources

– Economic• Composite wood products provide jobs and directly impact local economies

– Social• Composite wood products improve the quality of life through the wide variety of products

made from them to improve utility, functionality, performance and aesthetics of everyday life


Wood Is A Preferred Material


Source: Tackle Climate Change—Use Wood

Source: Utilization of Harvested Wood by the North American Forest Products Industry, Dovetail Partners, Inc., 2012

35-39% processed into lumber

20% for energy 41-45% as waste 1940

Composite Wood Products Increase Wood Utilization


52% processed into lumber 12% for energy

36% as raw materials 2005

41% processed into lumber

23% for energy

11% as waste


37-38% processed into lumber

16% for energy

23-24% as waste


Composite Wood Products Increase Wood Utilization


Milestones on the Pathway to Zero-Wood-Waste

1930s: Wood waste at 50-60%1955: Particleboard commercially produced in the United States1968: Patent issued for laminated veneer lumber (LVL).

1970: Wood waste at 38%.1971: Patent issued for wood structural I-beams.1978: Oriented strandboad (OSB) manufactured commercially.

1981: Wood waste at 17%Early-1990s: Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL) developed in Canada.Mid to late 1990s: Finger-jointed lumber accepted for structural uses by all major building codes in the U.S. and Canada

2005: Wood utilization reaches 90%, and productivity has grown 29% since 1965 and 14% since 1985 .

2012: Wood waste at 0.14% - 1.5%.

Source: Utilization of Harvested Wood by the North American Forest Products Industry, Dovetail Partners, Inc., 2012

Formaldehyde-based resins were essential in the development of the composite wood products that have increased utilization rates. It wasn’t until the late 1970’s and early 1980’s that focus was given to formaldehyde emissions from those products.

LCI Data Supports Composite Wood Products Carbon Storage

• Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Data has been collected for Composite Wood Products– Examples include Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials

(CORRIM)• Softwood Plywood (2005)• I-Joists (2005)• Laminated Veneer Lumber (2005)• Oriented Strand Board (2005)• Particleboard (2008)• Medium Density Fiberboard (2008)• Formaldehyde based resins (2008)

– Data shows that carbon stored in composite wood products exceeds that generated in the extraction and production of the composite wood products

• Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) reports have also been completed for many of these products or in the process of being completed.


LCA / LCI Energy for Common Resins Systems

GHG- Green house gases

Song, Y.S, et. al. Composites: Part A 40(2009) 1257-1265Wilson James B. Wood and Fiber Science 42(X) 2010, pp. 1-19http//www3/abe.lastate.edubiobased/LCAreview.pdf

•Good LCA values for Formaldehyde based resins.


One Example Tying It All Together

ECC Certification is available to individual manufacturing plants and requires an on-site qualification audit and subsequent annual audits. Unfinished composite panel products must first comply with the stringent California Air Resources Board (CARB) formaldehyde emissions regulation before being considered for other ECC criteria.

Qualified plants must then meet at least three of the following requirements:

• Carbon Footprint• Local and Renewable Resource• Recycled/Recovered• Sustainability• Wood Sourcing


Source: ECC Sustainability Standard & Certification Program Brochure Composite Panel Association

How can the world’s largest formaldehyde producer embrace sustainability?


Sustainability at Momentive is an Integrated Business Approach

At Momentive, ‘sustainability’ creates long-term stakeholder value through responsible stewardship of our assets, the environment, our products and our social responsibility.


Sustainability the Momentive Way

Our sustainability initiatives grouped into 3 broad categories:

• Operational excellence programs

• Product innovation efforts

• Our focus on being good corporate citizens


http://www.momentive.com/sustainability/

Housing/Construction Industries & Formaldehyde Based Resins


Formaldehyde Based Resins Offer Performance Attributes


• PF resins for OSB– Lower cost solution for surface resins

• Does not adhere to metal• Does not require a release agent

– Durable and creep resistant– Easy to manage for safe handling at the panel manufacturer



• Amino Resins for HWPW– Higher solids

• Less water means reduced issues with wood regarding checking and blows or blisters

– Thermosetting• better heat resistance • rigid glue lines

– In making curved plywood this is critical to hold the “curve” and not have any springback.

– Provides impact resistance for paper laminating– Will not soften under the heat of embossing

• Heat cured amino resins are faster setting than thermoplastic systems

– Light color cure• No bleed through with thin veneers

– Tack for layup time



• Amino Resins for PB/MDF– Cure speed “customizable” to enhance productivity

• Buffers• Catalysts

– Ability to develop “tack” for process flexibility• Dry tack• Wet tack

– Water based for ease of cleanup/line flushing– Excellent machinability and paintability– Light color cure

Low-Emitting Composite Wood Products Is The Goal


• Primary Focus On Resins Used for Interior Products– Indoor Air Quality the driving force – Focus on formaldehyde as an indoor air pollutant result of several factors– HUD standard for PB and HWPW implemented in 1984– ANSI Standards for PB and MDF lowered the levels further– California Air Resources Board Composite Wood Rule pushed the levels down closer

to the levels of natural wood• Outside of North America, similar push for lower emissions in EU, AU/NZ and Japan

Formaldehyde Bioassay Results (Rats) Nasal tumor data that initiated investigations

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Tum

or Response

(%)

0 700 2,000 6,000 10,000 15,000

Exposure Concentration (ppb – parts per billion)

Kerns et al., 1983

Monticello et al., 1991

Levels of formaldehyde given to rats that had an effect


Formaldehyde Emissions in Particleboard – UF Resin (NA)P

PB

Year


Interior Panel Emission Standards


ULEF RT and Exempt are 90% of QC and all quarterly certification limits, 10% of QC tests are allowed up to a higher limit.

ULEF RT max is 80 ppb and 90 ppb for PB and MDF – not applicable for HWPW

ULEF Exempt max is 50 ppb for HWPW and 60 ppb for PB/MDF

F*** and F**** are 6 month average results, maximum individual tests at 120 ppb and 70 ppb respectively

Typical Formaldehyde Indoor Air Levels are Already Very Low (ppb levels)

318 13

37

14

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Ave

rage

Con

cent

ratio

n (p

pb)

Outdoors Classroom Office Building ManufacturedHomes

ConventionalHousing

EPA InformalLevel of Concern

WHO Guideline

Source: CARBWood Adhesives 2013 –Toronto June 2013

© 2013 Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. All rights reserved.

How Did We Get There?

• It is not resin technology alone– Panel producers play an important role

• Increased emphasis on process control– Furnish moisture control– Weight control

• Pressing strategies• Catalyst strategies• Scavenger strategies

– Important no matter which resin technology is utilized


http://evergreengroup.com.my/pop.php?view=MDF_Particleboard_Process&mid=1931

How Did We Get There?

But particleboard resin molar ratios (formaldehyde:urea*) have changed dramatically

• Prior to HUD– 1.20 – 1.40

• After HUD pre CARB– 1.10 – 1.20 surface layer – 1.15 – 1.40 core layer

• CARB phase 1 – 1.00 – 1.10 surface layer – 1.10 – 1.25 core layer

• CARB phase 2– 0.75-0.90 surface layer– 1.00-1.20 core layer

• ULEF – 0.65-0.80 surface layer– 0.80-1.00 core layer


Consistent with what has been found for E0/F*** and SE0/F**** in Europe and AU/NZ

*Mole Ratios are expressed as an approximate F/U equivalent to account for melamine

Resin Technology Modifications

• Multiple methods of achieving target molar ratios• Specific to an individual plant’s need for flexibility and required molar ratio range• Incorporation of melamine at the lowest molar ratios (1-4% typical) has become more

common• Cook strategies• Internal buffers/catalysts


“One Size Does Not Fit All”

• The same molar ratio, or even the exact same resin formulation does not result in the same formaldehyde emissions when used at different manufacturing locations

– Some differences have been observed on different production lines within the same site when making the same products!

• Old relationships still apply– Thicker panels vs. thinner panels– PB vs. MDF– High density vs. low density


Customization of formulation to manufacturing process is needed!

Panel Emissions Decay Over Time


Source: Particleboard Formaldehyde Emissions and Decay under Elevated Temperature and Humidity Conditions. 2012 Reidlinger et al

Beyond the Raw Panel


Source: VOC Emission Barrier EffectsTechnical Bulletin, Composite Panel Association

Continuing into the Future

• All adhesive systems have positives and negatives• Development efforts focused on improving formaldehyde based resin performance

– Reduced resin usage– Improved property performance– Improved productivity– Improved moisture resistance– Incorporation of renewable raw materials

• As technologies develop and become economical formaldehyde and urea from bio based syn gas becomes possible

• Enhances the sustainability message– All with low emission products as a prerequisite


Momentive Advocacy

• Momentive continues to advocate for bringing value to the wood/forest industry• We continue to advocate vigilantly for:

– The sustainability of the forest products industry– The sustainability of wood as a building/construction product– The sustainability of advanced formaldehyde technologies and its responsible use


formulations to meet or exceed all global emission

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