Wood products bark reactions

Tannins are considered polyphenols due to the large number of phenolic rings in their structures (Mosiewicki et al., 2007 Moubarik et al., 2009). These natural products can be found in certain plant tissues, such as bark, fruit and wood, and can be removed from these sourees by extraction with water. Tannins are classified in two groups hydrolyzable tannins and condensed tannins (Mueller-Harvey, 2001). The condensed tannins are flavonoids with complex structures (Fig. 2.5). The phenolic groups present in tannin enable this macromolecule to participate in the same reactions as phenol (Tondi and Pizzi, 2009). Condensed tannins are more suitable than the hydrolyzable type for use in the manufacture of a phenolic-type polymeric matrix due to the presence of phenolic rings with a greater number of free positions where the electrophilic attack can occur (Barbosa et al., 2010). The high reactivity of... 

A similar climate exists for development of adhesives from Pinus radiata bark in Australia and New Zealand. A 22 ton/day bark extraction plant was built by New Zealand Forest Products Ltd. at Kinleith, New Zealand. These extracts have proved to be more difficult to use than wattle tannin due to their comparatively high molecular weight, the high viscosity of most extract preparations, their rapid rate of reaction with formaldehyde, and the often higher proportion of carbohydrate impurities. Current information (L. J. Porter, 1987) is that production of tannin by New Zealand Forest Products Ltd. has now ceased. In an attempt to make more uniform extracts with lower proportions of carbohydrates, ultrafiltration (257, 258) fractionation on Amberlite XAD-B gel (239), and fermentation (220) purifications have been investigated. Various reactions such as sulfonation and either acid- or base-catalyzed cleavage have been employed to reduce the viscosity of these extracts. A number of adhesive formulations based on P radiata bark extracts have been developed. However, technical difficulties continue to inhibit the commercial use of Pinus radiata bark extracts in wood adhesives. 

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