Improved Water Resistance of Soybean Meal-based Adhesive with SDS and PAM

Abstract

In a previous study, a soybean meal-based adhesive was developed by mixing soybean meal flour with a self-made cross-linking agent. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of retention agents on the properties of the adhesive. Soybean meal flour (together with a cross-linking agent) and two kinds of additives (SDS and cationic PAM) were used to develop the soybean meal-based adhesive. The water resistance of the adhesive was measured by testing the wet shear strength of the resulting three-ply plywood samples and the residual rate of the different adhesives themselves. The apparent viscosities of the adhesives were also measured. Cross sections of the cured adhesives were imaged with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results showed that adding 0.5% SDS to the adhesive formulation improved its wet shear strength by 38.6%, from 0.83 to 1.15 MPa, and increased the residual rate by 1.3%, from 76.5 to 77.5%. Adding 0.01% PAM improved the water resistance of the adhesive by 38.6%, from 0.83 to 1.15 MPa, and increased the residual rate by 2.2%, from 76.5 to 78.2%. Adding 0.2% SDS and 0.01% PAM together improved the water resistance of the adhesive by 55.4%, from 0.83 to 1.29 MPa. The plywood bonded with the soybean meal/SDS/PAM adhesive met interior plywood requirements. SEM results showed fewer holes and cracks on the cross section of the cured adhesive with the addition of SDS and PAM.