modification of urea- formaldehyde resin with furfural in particleboard for reduction of formaldehyde emission

partial replacement of formaldehyde with furfural in the urea-formaldehyde resin on the formaldehydeemission, physical and mechanical properties of particleboard was investigated. the modulus ofrupture (mor), modulus of elasticity (moe), internal bond (ib), water absorption (wa), thicknessswelling (ts) and formaldehyde emission (fe) of poplar particleboards made with the modifiedresins were measured and were compared with the conventional uf resin. also, chemical structures ofthe synthesized resins were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir). theresults indicated that modulus of rupture (mor), modulus of elasticity (moe) and formaldehydeemission (fe) from boards was decreased by partial replacement of formaldehyde. boards preparedwith modified resin with 50% furfural showed the highest internal bond (ib). two and 24 hours wateruptake test of the boards prepared with modified resin unlike thickness swelling was decreasedcompared to the conventional resin. boards prepared with industrial urea-formaldehyde resinpresented the least thickness swelling. best treatment and condition of preparing boards in terms ofmor, moe and stableness of dimensions, it can be introduced using urea-formaldehyde resin (exceptformaldehyde emission), also in terms of ib and water absorption, using resin modified with 50%furfural. boards cured with conventional uf resin presented the least formaldehyde emission.