Module formaldehyde/UFC manufacturers to the quality of and drying, extensive steam

85 plants with high degree produced raw materials and electricity consumption,
of prefabrication located compels wood working users low producing capacity.
directly at woodwork plants to withstand pressure from Moreover, in winter all
are capable of satisfying environmental authorities and formalin storage facilities
needs of the plant in raw struggle to keep their resin need steam to keep the
materials for production of facilities running. temperature above the
adhesives in situ. Typical UF resin facility that polymerization point. Formalin
The wood working industry produces resins for wood is partly evaporated, partly
mostly based on board and plywood turns to paraformaldehyde
comparatively cheap manufacturing uses 37% that forms sediments in
adhesives containing formaldehyde solution in storage tanks. 300 kg of
formaldehyde. They are water stabilized by methanol contaminated water is
much cheaper than and urea. This resin is cooked generated in process of
alternatives (emulsion, in reactors equipped with cooking standard UF resin
PVA, epoxy resins) being agitators and heating cooling (KFMT-15 brand) per one ton
acceptable by bonding devices (coils or jackets). The of resin.
parameters. polycondensation process
goes at strictly preset
conditions of acidity
Two main sources of and temperature.
adhesives used by wood Excessive water
board plants are known to the containing methanol
world of today: and formalin is
centralized supply removed by vacuum
from major distillation (drying)
manufacturers of followed by final
chemicals condensation of
cooking the resin in non-reacted
situ at the wood formaldehyde with
working plant. urea.
Both ways are widespread in Vices of such
Russia and CIS countries. process are long
The traditional resin known. Among
manufacturing process is those are effluents
used since 1960th and long in considerable
ago ceased to match growing quantities, losses of
environmental protection formaldehyde and
requirements. Besides, lack of methanol, long
due attention from large process of cooking
 the raw material
manufacturer, etc.
Comparative study of traditional and Safe Technologies proprietary processes Unfortunately, all those
solutions were not widely
implemented being rather
inefficient and
Production parameters Traditional process Safe Technologies process
impractical.
St. Petersburg company
1 2 3 Safe Technologies, which
A. Formaldehyde production
is known for its scientific
potential as well as for its
1. Source material type Methanol-water mix Methanol production capabilities
Metal-oxide developed zero-waste
2.Type / life period of the
catalyst
Silver / 6 months (ferromolybdenum) / 3 semi continuous process
years+ of UF resin production
3. Reaction temperature 650 C 340 C with gas-liquid process of
4. Formaldehyde
1,84 2,35
formaldehyde synthesis
production per 1 t of by oxidizing methanol on
5. Maximum formaldehyde metal-oxide catalyst in
concentration in the 37,0 0,5 % (by GOST 1625) up to 57% module structured
product prefabricated plants. The
6. Methanol content in the 4...8% plant is assembled as
< 0,3 %
product (by GOST 1625) single module with
7. Gas emission
Natural gas flare Catalytic conversion proprietary layout and
decontamination structure.
B. Resin production This process is a
combination of
1. Type of the process Liquid phase, batch Semi continuous continuous formaldehyde
synthesis and its periodic
1. Formalin 37 % 1 .Methanol, flammable,
polycondensation with
(Flammable, Hazard class by Hazard class by
2. Main raw materials
GOST12.1.005-76:2) GOST12.1.005-76:3)
urea in heated reactors
2. Urea 2. Urea conducted according to
advanced, zero-waste
3. Necessity of heating of and energy sparing
liquid raw materials Yes No technology.
storage in winter
The UF concentrate
4.Storage tank material for
Stainless steel Typical carbon steel production process goes
flammable source storage
as follows: methanol is
5. Synthesis time 6 ... 8 hours 4...5 hours
evaporated and mixed
6. Reactor volume - with air, being heated up
0,80 0,95
efficiency ratio
by exiting reaction gas.
7. Production per day from Entering main catalytic
one volume unit of the 1,6...2,2 t 4,2... 5,2 t
reactor it is oxidized by
reactor
ferromolybdenum
8. effluents per 1 ton of
0,25...0,30 t Absent catalyst to formaldehyde.
product
The flow then is directed
9. Consumption per 1 ton to absorption tower where
of resin 12... 15 kW/h 3... 5 kW/h
- electric power 500kg 100kg it is absorbed by urea
- steam solution forming urea-
Typical wood board plant with environment is deemed formaldehyde
the capacity of 100 cubic unacceptable. concentrate. Air with traces of
meters of board consumes methanol, formaldehyde and
This problem drew some side product is
about 12000 MTPY of resin. considerable attention
Therefore, more than 3000 discharged to the atmosphere
recently from scientific and via catalytic converter, where
MTPY of contaminated water industrial researchers.
containing about 40 ton of it is fully decontaminated. The
Various solutions were being process is fully automatic and
formaldehyde and more than proposed, such as drying,
300 ton of methanol find its controlled by one operator.
burning, and bonding of free Only urea -formaldehyde
way into water treatment formaldehyde by ammonia or
facility. Such burden on the concentrate and urea are fed
urea, returning the water to to the agitated heated and
cooled reactor where the resin
is being produced in
controlled acidity/alkalinity conditions. Produced resin is directed to the storage.
According to Central Research institute of Plywood, which is a head organization in the field of resin
technology development, such module plant is an embodiment of energy saving environmentally safe and
efficient process of formaldehyde resin production.
The advantages of such technology compared with the traditional one are numerous:
total absence of effluents or solid waste in the process
negligible emission
two times the production capacity of the equipment
lower steam and electric power consumption
shipment and storage costs reduction
This innovative process enables wood working plant to enter new level of production, reaching new grade
of wood board safety E1 and E0.5.
Additional information by the contacts below: +7 (812) 245-86-33, +7 (812) 246-34-55 or at the website
www.formalin.ru.

Semyon STOMPEL
PhD in Chemistry, CEO of Safe Technologies Inc.

Mikhail SIBIREV
Candidate of Technical Sciences, Technical Director of Safe Technologies Inc.
UF concentrate and methanol-free formalin technology

Purified exhaust gases

Urea solution
UF concentrate 1 - Heat Exchanger
Air
2 - Reactor
3 - Absorption column
Methanol
4 - Afterburner
Water
5 - Recovery boiler
Vapor