Lignosulphonates as an Alternative to Non-Renewable Binders in Wood-Based Materials

Lignin is a widely abundant renewable source of phenolic compounds. Despite the growing interest on using it as a substitute for its petroleum-based counterparts, only 1 to 2% of the global lignin production is used for obtaining value-added products. Lignosulphonates (LS), derived from the sulphite pulping process, account for 90% of the total market of commercial lignin. The most successful industrial attempts to use lignin for wood adhesives are based on using this polymer as a partial substitute in phenol-formaldehyde or urea-formaldehyde resins. Alternatively, formaldehyde-free adhesives with lignin and lignosulphonates have also been developed with promising results. However, the low number of reactive sites available in lignin’s aromatic ring and high polydispersity have hindered its application in resin synthesis. Currently, finding suitable crosslinkers for LS and decreasing the long pressing time associated with lignin adhesives remains a challenge. Thus, several methods have been proposed to improve the reactivity of lignin molecules. In this paper, techniques to extract, characterize, as well as improve the reactivity of LS are addressed. The most recent advances in the application of LS in wood adhesives, with and without combination with formaldehyde, are also reviewed.