Performance Evaluation of Borax/Citric Acid-Modified OPEFB Lignin Bio-Composite Wood Adhesive: Water Resistance, Shear Strength, and Spectroscopic Characteristics

Febriyati Puspasari; Dedy Irawan; Mila Ardita

doi:10.32734/jcnar.v8i1.27181

Authors

Febriyati Puspasari Jurusan Teknik Kimia, Politeknik Negeri Samarinda, Samarinda 75123, Indonesia
Dedy Irawan Jurusan Teknik Kimia, Politeknik Negeri Samarinda, Samarinda 75123, Indonesia
Mila Ardita Jurusan Teknik Kimia, Politeknik Negeri Samarinda, Samarinda 75123, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32734/jcnar.v8i1.27181

Keywords:

Bioresin, OPEFB Lignin, Shear Strength, Water Resistance, Wood Adhesive

Abstract

The development of an environmentally friendly wood adhesive from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) waste is essential to replace toxic synthetic phenol-formaldehyde (PF) adhesives. This study evaluated the bonding performance of a wood composite adhesive derived from OPEFB lignin-PVA bioresin synthesized through a dual crosslinking network (30% citric acid and 0–2.5% borax variation). Physical characterization of the bioresin showed a stable neutral pH (7.0) and an optimum thick-gel texture at sample B2 (1% borax). Adhesive performance evaluation, referring to SNI 0460-1989, showed a dry shear strength of 1.85 MPa and a wet shear strength (after 24-hour water immersion) of 1.42 MPa for formulation B2. These values exceed the minimum SNI shear-strength threshold (>1.0 MPa) under the 24-hour cold-water immersion condition tested, and the effect of borax concentration on shear strength was statistically significant (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.001). FTIR spectra showed an ester carbonyl band at 1760.99 cm⁻¹, consistent with citric acid esterification. Borax addition above 1.5% caused a sharp decline in bonding strength due to poor substrate wettability. Formulation B2 is a promising formaldehyde-free plywood adhesive, although longer-term water durability and benchmarking against commercial adhesives remain to be evaluated.

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