Sustainable Reduction of Formaldehyde in MDF Using NaHCO ₃ ‐Activated Carbon From Sanding Dust

ABSTRACT

Medium‐density fiberboard (MDF) production generates sanding dust waste while releasing formaldehyde from urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins. In this study, MDF sanding dust was converted into activated carbon (AC) by pyrolysis at 850°C using sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO ₃ ) as a potentially more environmentally favorable activating agent. The resulting carbons were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and FTIR, then incorporated at 1, 3, and 5 wt% into UF resin. NaHCO ₃ activation increased BET surface area 5.4‐fold and total pore volume 2.2‐fold compared to crude carbon. Bicarbonate‐modified AC at 5 wt% achieved the highest formaldehyde reduction of 65.62%, surpassing commercial AC (55.18%), possibly due to differences in surface functional groups. Internal bond strength increased at 1 wt%, while concentrations above 3 wt% adversely affected mechanical performance. These findings show that MDF sanding dust can be transformed into a functional carbon additive for reducing formaldehyde.