Detection of UF resin on wood particles and in particleboards: potential of selected methods for practice-oriented offline detection

In the wood-based panel industry, controlling the manufacturing process is crucial for ensuring product quality, using resources efficiently and cutting production costs. One major aspect for the final quality of particleboards is the distribution of resin on particles within a board. This study deals with the comparison of techniques that can be used for a practice-oriented detection of urea formaldehyde resin within an industrial environment. Resin detection was carried out by staining the resin with visible and fluorescent dyes as well as by near infrared spectroscopic (NIR) in combination with CHN elemental analysis. Using the fluorescent dye Brilliant Sulphaflavine, resin as well as single resin droplets could be detected best. NIR measurements did not lead to coherent results and should be further improved, especially because of its potential for online detection.