Furniture wood waste depollution through hydrolysis under pressurized water steam: Experimental work and kinetic modelization

Abstract

As the Recycling of wood waste becomes more important each year, wood products that contain urea-formaldehyde resins gained more attention due to the release of formaldehyde and other chemicals which have a critical impact on humans health and the environment. In this study, the hydrolysis of wood wastes from a French furniture industry was studied under different controlled conditions (temperature/pressure, steam ratio). An original on-line method to measure the emission of formaldehyde and ammonia using a FTIR spectrometer and a dilution system was applied successfully in this study. The effect of operatory conditions on formaldehyde and ammonia released is discussed. A mathematical model was also introduced to model the behavior of the ammonia and formaldehyde emission in the hydrolysis of wood waste.

Keywords: FTIR on-line measurement; Hydrolysis; Kinetic modelisation; Urea-formaldehyde resin; Wood waste remediation.