Modification with carboxymethylation-activated alkali lignin/glutaraldehyde hybrid modifier to improve physical and mechanical properties of fast-growing wood

A novel, environmentally friendly, biomass-based modification technique utilizing carboxymethylation-activated alkali lignin (CAAL) and glutaraldehyde (GA) is proposed to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of poplar and fir wood. Water-soluble CAAL was prepared by modifying alkali lignin (AL) with sodium chloroacetate following low-temperature activation under a NaOH/urea system. AL is a biomass-based material from industrial by-products. As such, it does not rely on fossil resources nor emit volatile compounds that might limit its range of application. The successful preparation of CAAL was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and ¹³C NMR, and the changes in structure were analyzed by 2D-heteronuclear singular quantum correlation (2D-HSQC), ³¹P NMR, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The following characteristics of the modified wood samples were investigated in detail: weight percent gain (WPG), bulking, anti-swelling efficiency (ASE), water absorption rate (WAR), leachability of the modifier, microstructure, and mechanical properties. Water immersion results demonstrated that the CAAL/GA hybrid modifier enhanced ASE to 41.3% and 31.5% for fir and poplar, respectively, at a concentration of 15 wt.%. Furthermore, the WAR of fir was reduced by nearly three times to 30.7%, compared to that of a control sample treated solely with GA. GA-treated samples showed high brittleness, whereas both poplar and fir showed enhanced modulus of rupture and elasticity following treatment with the CAAL/GA hybrid modifier.