Release Profile of Nitrogen During Thermal Treatment of Waste Wood Packaging Materials

Wood packaging waste with a high recycling value is one of the main components of packaging waste. However, most researches have been focused on natural wood, and less been known about the recycling of wood-based panel waste commonly used in packaging. This paper examined the pyrolysis of common urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin particleboard, including the decomposition characteristics of its nitrogen-containing adhesives, the product types, and how they were generated. The samples and pyrolysis products were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that the UF resin was the main contributor to the release of ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN). At low temperatures, more NH3 was released than the HCN, and at high temperatures, the reverse was true. A high heating rate promoted the release of the NH3 and HCN. The UF resin and wood in the particleboard interacted and caused the release of the NH3 and HCN. These results provide a reference for further study of the thermochemical regeneration of wood-based packaging waste.