In this study, corn stalk lignin was used to react with non-volatile and non-toxic glyoxal under the catalysis of a sodium hydroxide solution, and a wood adhesive based on glyoxalated corn stalk lignin was prepared. The effect of the hydroxylation reaction on the structure and properties of lignin were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet spectrophotometry (UV), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), titration tests, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Compared with unmodified lignin, the glyoxalated corn stalk lignin had a significant improvement in hydroxyl content, activation, and thermal stability. At the same time, results from the GPC showed that the molecular weight increased compared with original corn stalk, possibly due to the secondary polycondensation reaction between lignin and glyoxal. Lignin-based environmental wood adhesives were prepared by mixing modified lignin and epichlorohydrin (ECH), and the dry strength of plywood reached 1.58 MPa. The mechanical strength and water resistance of plywood was improved significantly by mixing some aqueous emulsion into lignin-based adhesives, e.g., polyacrylic ester (AE) emulsion and aqueous polyurethane (PU) emulsion.
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