Leachate evaluation in industrial resin production

Managing municipal waste has been an increasingly complex and crucial global issue. The solid waste in landfills gives rise to the generation of landfill leachate (LL), a highly polluting liquid described by its complex composition, which includes a high concentration of organics. This study explored the potential of utilizing landfill leachate (LL) as a partial replacement for water in the synthesis of phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin. The impact of LL incorporation on resin properties, thermal stability, and bonding performance was investigated. Results showed that the presence of LL influenced several key resin properties, including increased viscosity, decreased pH, increased solids content and free formaldehyde levels. Furthermore, the thermal stability of the PF resins was observed to decline with increasing LL content, likely due to the presence of organic compounds in the leachate. Bonding performance evaluations revealed a decrease in tensile strength for wood samples bonded with LL-modified PF resins compared to the reference resin, both under dry and wet conditions. Based on these findings, it is recommended to limit the substitution of water with LL in PF resin synthesis to a maximum of 20% to mitigate potential negative impacts on resin properties and bonding performance.