Softwood Bark Pyrolysis Oil-PF Resols. Part 2. Thermal Analysis by DSC and TG

Abstract

Summary Cure behavior of resins formulated with petroleum phenol replaced by 25 and 50 wt% of softwood bark-derived pyrolysis oils, using various formaldehyde to phenolics molar ratios and alkalinity content, was characterized by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Kinetic parameters were obtained by the Borchart-Daniels method and the model-free (Vyazovkin) method. Resins containing up to 50% by wt of pyrolysis oils had slower cure kinetics and lower extent of condensation reaction compared to a neat laboratory made phenol-formaldehyde resin. However, very similar kinetic curing behavior to the standard resins was found for resols having 25% by wt of the petroleum phenol replaced by the pyrolysis oils. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) of cured pyrolysis oil-PF resins has been done under nitrogen and air environments at a constant heating rate. Thermal behavior of resins containing pyrolysis oils differed depending on the nature of the purge gas used in TG. Increasing the amount of pyrolysis oils decreased the thermal resistance of the experimental resins.