Preparation of novolacs using phenolic rich components as partial substitute of phenol from biomass pyrolysis oils

The possibility of using phenolic rich components (water insoluble fraction) from biomass pyrolysis oil as partial substitute of phenol in synthesis of high-ortho phenolic novolac under the catalyst of HCl/Zn(AC)2 has been proved using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Synthesis of novolac resins with different concentration (10, 20, 30 and 40 wt %) of phenolic rich components were investigated. Curing reaction of synthesized resins and DSC analysis showed that cure time of novolac was increased with the increasing amount of phenolic rich components and FT-IR analysis showed that the resins were high-ortho structure. It was determined that in order to obtain fast curing property, the concentration of phenolic rich components used in reaction should be below 10% (according to total amount of phenol). KEY WORDS: Biomass, Pyrolysis, Phenol, Formaldehyde, Novolac, Preparation Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2010, 24(2), 251-257.