Adsorption of phenol on formaldehyde-pretreated Pinus pinaster bark: equilibrium and kinetics

This work studies phenol adsorption on Pinus pinaster bark that has been previously treated with formaldehyde in acid medium. The influence of several variables such as solid/liquid ratio, pH and initial concentration of phenol in the solution on the adsorption capacity of the bark has been analysed. A kinetic model based on phenol diffusion within the pores of the adsorbent was in agreement with the results obtained for high initial concentrations of phenol, allowing the determination of diffusion coefficients. Adsorption equilibrium data were fitted by the Freundlich and BET isotherms. From their parameters phenol adsorption capacity and intensity, as well as the specific surface (BET) of the adsorbent, were determined.

Effect of veneer side wettability on bonding quality of Eucalyptus globulus plywoods prepared using a tannin-phenol-formaldehyde adhesive

The influence of rotary peeling on the different behaviour of tight and loose sides of Eucalyptus globulus veneers has been studied. The presence of lathe checks on the loose sides favours wettability, the contact angle decreasing more rapidly on these sides than on tight sides. Additionally, pine bark tannins improved wettability due to their surfactant character. Bonding quality tests carried out on plywoods prepared using a tannin-phenol-formaldehyde adhesive showed that fracture almost invariably occurred in a glue line with at least one loose side, where wood failure appeared. This behaviour, confirmed by analysing the glue lines by means of fluorescence microscopy, was due to the large surface alterations of the loose sides which reduced mechanical strength but allowed greater penetration of the adhesive giving rise to high wood failure.

Removal of cadmium and mercury ions from aqueous solution by sorption on treated Pinus pinaster bark: kinetics and isotherms

Formaldehyde pretreated Pinus pinaster bark was used to sorb Cd2+ and Hg2+ from aqueous solutions. The sorption kinetics showed hyperbolic dependence of the proportion of cation adsorbed on time, and the sorption isotherms were satisfactorily fitted by Freundlich equations, with k and n values showing Hg2+ to be more efficiently sorbed than Cd2+. Except for low cation concentrations, for which sorption was practically total at all initial pH > or = 6, sorption increased in this range, in keeping with a mechanism based on ion exchange with the hydroxyl protons of ring B of the procyanidin units of the tannins in the bark.

Preliminary studies on TCF bleaching of Pinus pinaster acetosolv pulps

Oxygen pre-treatment of Pinus pinaster acetosolv pulps has been studied as a first step towards TCF bleaching. Using a 2(3) factorial design, the influence of temperature (80-120 degrees C), time (1-2 h) and NaOH concentration (1.5-3%) on pulp yield in the oxygen stage, chemical composition and physical properties of the pulps obtained was studied. Pulps pre-bleached with oxygen in the conditions selected as optimal (80 degrees C, 1 h with 2.25% NaOH) have been bleached with TCF sequences which included stages with hydrogen peroxide or hydrogen peroxide-oxygen under pressure. Even if high degrees of delignification were reached, with a reduction in Kappa number up to 95% and without important loss of viscosity, the carbohydrates degradation, especially hemicelluloses in the acetic acid delignification, reduces the strength potential of the pulps.