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Ammonium lignosulfonate, also known as wood ammonium or lignosulfonic acid ammonium salt, is a water-soluble, anionic surfactant primarily derived from lignin, a natural polymer found in the cell walls of plants. It is produced through the sulfite pulping process, and it is commonly used in industries ranging from agriculture to mining and construction.
| Items | Specification |
| Appearance | Brown fine powder |
| Grain size | 80 mesh (98% passing) |
| Moisture | < 5% |
| pH | 5.0 - 7.0 |
| Water insoluble | < 2.0% |
| Viscosity | 115 Pa·s (50% aqueous solution) |
| Ash content | < 12% |
| Bulk density | 0.328 g/cm3 |
| Water solubility | > 36 g/100 ml |
| Lignosulfonate content | 50-60% |
| Organic content | > 80% |
Ammonium lignosulfonate is a versatile compound with numerous applications across several industries:
Alfa Chemistry's ammonium lignosulfonate offers a powerful, multi-functional solution across a broad range of industries, from agriculture to heavy industry. For more information, please feel free to contact us.
Hu, Jian-peng, et al. Industrial Crops and Products 78 (2015): 48-57.
Ammonium lignosulfonate (AL), a water‑soluble lignin derivative, serves as an effective interfacial compatibilizer and reinforcing agent in wood fiber (WF) and polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites. It significantly improves mechanical properties by enhancing fiber‑matrix adhesion.
Fabrication Process: WF (70 wt%), PLA fibers (30 wt%), and AL (0–20 wt% based on total solids) were dry‑blended, formed into a mat, and hot‑pressed at 170 °C for 420 s to produce panels (target density 0.85 g/cm3). Mechanical properties (MOR, MOE, IB), dimensional stability (24 h water absorption and thickness swelling), contact angle, crystallinity (XRD), and morphology (SEM) were evaluated.
Performance Evaluation: Adding 15 wt% AL increased MOR by 75.1% (to 36.96 MPa), MOE by 39.8% (to 4158 MPa), and IB by 201.2% (to 1.71 MPa) compared to WF/PLA (70/30) without AL. However, AL's high hydrophilicity raised water absorption from 47.1% to 78.9% and thickness swelling from 18.7% to 43.5% at 20 wt% AL. Contact angle dropped sharply with AL content. XRD showed AL increased crystallinity up to 7 wt% AL (65.4%) but decreased at 20 wt%. SEM revealed tighter interface and ductile fracture in AL‑containing composites.
Conclusion: Ammonium lignosulfonate effectively reinforces WF/PLA biocomposites, though optimal AL content (≤7 wt%) balances mechanical gains with acceptable dimensional stability.
Antov, Petar, et al. Polymers 13.16 (2021): 2775.
Ammonium lignosulfonate (ALS) serves as an eco‑friendly additive to urea‑formaldehyde (UF) resin. It improves mechanical properties, reduces free formaldehyde emission, and enables low‑resin‑content high‑density fiberboard (HDF) production under industrial conditions.
Fabrication Process: Industrial hardwood fibers were bonded with 4 wt% UF resin (dry fiber basis) and ALS at 4%, 6%, or 8% addition. The mat was hot‑pressed at 220 °C with a press factor of 15 s/mm (four‑stage pressure profile). Control panels used 4% or 6% UF resin without ALS.
Performance Evaluation: ALS addition up to 6% progressively improved mechanical properties. The panel with 4% UF + 6% ALS achieved MOR 36.8 N/mm2 (27% above EN load‑bearing requirement), MOE 3860 N/mm2, and IB 0.72 N/mm2, comparable to control with 6% UF resin. Water absorption and thickness swelling (24 h) decreased with 4–6% ALS, but increased at 8% ALS. Formaldehyde emission dropped sharply: from 6.4 mg/100 g (REF 4) to 2.0 mg/100 g (4% ALS) and 1.4 mg/100 g (8% ALS), meeting super E0 class (≤1.5 mg/100 g). DSC/TGA confirmed ALS acted as a formaldehyde scavenger via phenolic hydroxyl groups.
Conclusion: Ammonium lignosulfonate enables production of low‑formaldehyde HDF panels with excellent mechanical properties, offering a sustainable route for wood‑based panel manufacturing.
Hemmilä, Venla, et al. Polymers 11.10 (2019): 1633.
Ammonium lignosulfonate (ALS), a biorefinery lignin, requires crosslinking to become an effective wood adhesive. Polymeric MDI (pMDI) and bio‑based furfuryl alcohol (FOH) enable ALS to achieve shear strengths comparable to melamine‑urea‑formaldehyde (UmF) in veneers, but panel performance depends strongly on crosslinker choice.
Fabrication Process: ALS was mixed with FOH (pH 2, 45 min pre‑reaction) or pMDI (25% on ALS). Two‑layer beech veneers (100 g/m2 solids, 150 °C, 90 s) and three‑layer particleboards (8 wt% adhesive, 190 °C, 270 s) were prepared. DSC, tensile shear, IB, MOR, MOE, thickness swelling, and formaldehyde emission (DMC) were measured.
Performance Evaluation: ALS alone gave poor shear strength (0.56 N/mm2). Crosslinking with FOH or pMDI raised shear strength to 1.47–1.72 N/mm2, matching UmF (1.30 N/mm2). In particleboards, ALS‑pMDI achieved IB 0.62 N/mm2 (vs. UmF 0.47), meeting EN 312 P2 (≥0.40), while ALS‑FOH panels failed (IB ~0.17). Thickness swelling (24 h) was 23% for ALS‑pMDI (UmF 52%) but FOH samples disintegrated. Formaldehyde emissions: ALS‑pMDI (0.027 ppm) < UmF (0.073 ppm); ALS‑FOH emitted 0.059 ppm due to FOH polycondensation releasing formaldehyde.
Conclusion: Ammonium lignosulfonate crosslinked with pMDI produces strong, low‑emission particleboards, but FOH is unsuitable under the tested conditions.
