ABSTRACT
As sustainable manufacturing becomes a mandatory requirement, more and more researchers are devoted to converting biomass as components for polymers, or as a substitution for a part of petroleum based polymers for different applications. Agricultural and forestry lignocellulosic biomass materials are mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin which typically contain two or more hydroxyl groups per molecule. Biomass liquefaction is a unique thermochemical conversion process for biomass utilizations. In this chapter, we first review and discuss the biomass liquefaction and its major parameters (solvent, catalyst, and heating mode). Then, in the second part, we discuss the utilization of these liquefied biomass-based polymers in wood bonding. Literature data indicate that the liquefied biomass products have been tested as an adhesive, or blended with synthetic polymers and chemicals to form four types of adhesives or resins from biomass and liquidation materials. These liquefied biomass- based adhesives have been applied in bonding plywood, or making fiber and particleboards or other composite materials to reduce the cost and 240formaldehyde emissions. Whereas liquefied biomass show promise as a wood bonding component, improvement of its adhesive strength and water resistance is needed to meet the requirements of high end users. In future works, it will make sense to expand the liquefied biomass and adhesive applications into more biomass species which are currently undervalued. More important, developing new products or new processes that are able to accommodate the characteristics of liquefied biomass-based resins will greatly promote resin sustainable manufacturing.
