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2

Formaldehyde: A Brief History and Its
Contributions to Society and the U.S. Economy

Table of Contents

Introduction..3

An Historical Perspective...3

Resins..3

Adhesives4

Formaldehyde Today.,...5


Formaldehyde Uses and Economic Values..5

Formaldehyde
Production7

U.S. Formaldehyde Manufacturers and their Plant Locations.8

Canadian Formaldehyde Manufacturers and their Plant Locations9

Formaldehyde Plants Contributing to State/Local Economies..10

Formaldehyde Industry Employment.11

Where to Get More Information..11


3

Formaldehyde: A Brief History and Its
Contributions to the U.S. Economy and Society

Introduction


Formaldehyde a simple chemical made of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon is a natural
part of our world. We make it in our bodies and it occurs naturally in the air we breathe. Plants
and animals also produce formaldehyde. Some vegetables, including Brussels sprouts and
cabbage, emit it when they are cooked.


Manmade formaldehyde is the same as naturally occurring formaldehyde. It has been
commercially manufactured and marketed for more than a century. Formaldehyde is a colorless
gas at room temperature and is sold and used as a 36-50-percent solution in water; the solution
is known as formalin.

An Historical Perspective
1


Resins


Since pre-historic times, humans have used the properties of natural polymers such as
horn, waxes and bitumens in everyday life. Over the years, we learned that the properties of
such materials could be improved by techniques including purification or modification with other
substances. By the early 20
th
Century, with the explosion of knowledge in chemistry and
physics, coupled with demands for materials with properties that could not be found in nature,
the scene was set for the development of a range of new materials among them the early
plastics.

When many people think of formaldehyde, the first (and perhaps only) thing that comes
to mind is embalming. Formaldehyde (formalin) already was being used for this purpose when
the 20
th
Century began. But formaldehydes public health benefit through biological
preservation and sanitation represented only the beginning of this useful chemicals value to the
U.S. economy and society. Next came the material known as casein formaldehyde.

Resin was added to fat-free milk to form curds which, when dried, processed and
colored, could be made into rods and sheets. The material then was hardened in a bath of
formaldehyde, after which it was machined into end-use products. The brilliant colors and
patterns made casein formaldehyde a leading material for making buttons, buckles, fountain
pen barrels and knitting needles.


Not long after casein formaldehyde came into widespread use, formaldehyde became
fundamental to making the first completely synthetic plastics -- phenolic materials, which are
popularly known as Bakelite. Belgian-born inventor Leo H. Baekeland coined the name
Bakelite to describe the amber-colored, non-flammable synthetic resin made by the
condensation of phenol and formaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst. He founded the
Bakelite Corporation around 1910.



1
Much of this historical information is drawn from the British Plastics Federation website. www.bpf.co.uk; from deco-
echoes.com, and from A Short History of Adhesives and Sealants, www.specialchem4adhesives.com.


4

For the first 10 years or so after its introduction, Bakelite was used primarily to make
electrical and automobile insulators and heavy industrial products. But this material of a
thousand uses, as Bakelite was called, came into its own in the 1920s through 40s, making an
enormous splash with consumers. It could be produced in colors, and omitting the pigment
could produce a transparent or translucent effect.

As the 20
th
Century unfolded, phenolic resins applications became innumerable, ranging
from domestic items such as toasters, clocks, radios ashtrays and lavatory seats to car
components and electrical fittings. Many still remember the plastic-cased radios made from
Bakelite; now retro versions are being fabricated from more modern plastics. And early 20
th

century costume jewelry made from Bakelite can fetch a pretty penny today.

The darkish color of phenolic resins, particularly when subjected to heat, meant that only
darker-toned moldings could be produced. The search for a colorless resin with similar
properties led to the development in the 1920s and 30s of urea formaldehyde resins. When
colored, the resins made possible the production of articles such as trays, cups, picnic-ware and
lampshades in white and brilliant colors. Urea formaldehyde resins also found important
industrial applications in varnishes, laminates and adhesives.

With the development of melamine formaldehyde resins in the mid-1930s, the family of
thermosetting formaldehyde-condensation resins was complete. The melamines closely
resembled urea formaldehyde plastics, but were more resistant to heat, water and detergents.
Their porcelain-type appearance made an attractive material for cups, saucers, plates and
similar domestic items.

Adhesives


Adhesives were used first many thousands of years ago. Early hunters may have seen
improvement in their aim by joining feathers to arrows with beeswax. Carvings from ancient
Egypt show a glue pot and brush to bond veneer to a plank of sycamore. Most early adhesives
evolved from vegetable, animal or mineral substances.

The modern adhesive age began about 1910 with the development of phenol
formaldehyde adhesives for the plywood industry, where they are still widely used. The
development of these new adhesives based on formaldehyde paralleled closely the
development of new resins. These new adhesives displaced many of the naturally occurring
products owing to their stronger adhesion, greater formulation possibilities and superior
resistance to various environments. At that time and still today, casein (see Resins section)
adhesive (a dairy byproduct) was used for bonding porous materials like wood, paper and
cardboard; other non-polymeric adhesives remain in widespread use.


Adhesives and sealants found important markets in the construction industry, which was
providing much of the rapidly expanding infrastructure in the United States in the early decades
of the century. Significant growth occurred again in the 1940s and 50s with the development of
structural adhesives and sealants for the military aircraft industry. Over the years since then,
urea-formaldehyde, melamine-formaldehyde, resorcinol-formaldehyde and phenol-resorcinol-
formaldehyde resins have played increasingly important roles in making products that are part
of everyday items and, therefore, the infrastructure of society.

5

Formaldehyde Today
2



Formaldehyde Uses and Economic Values


While embalming may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about
formaldehyde, this use accounts for only a very small percentage of the formaldehyde in
commerce today. In fact, this application -- while important -- does not even register as a
percentage on assessments of formaldehydes contribution to the economy.


On the other hand, formaldehydes chemistry makes it an extremely versatile contributor
to the production of hundreds of items that improve everyday life. Studies have shown that in
the United States, production of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-containing goods accounts for
more than five percent
3
of the yearly U.S. Gross National Product (GNP) or about $500 billion
out of a GNP exceeding $10 trillion. Formaldehydes wide-ranging use makes it essential to
operations of nearly 50,000 U.S. facilities in 17 major industries, and it serves as a basic raw
material in another 70 industries. Annual U.S. formaldehyde production exceeds five million
metric tons.


While little or no formaldehyde is present in many final products, the chemical is an
essential component in making consumer items including medicines, vaccines, furniture,
cabinets, insulation and other building products, photographic film, paper products, shampoos,
deodorant, toothpaste, lipstick, nail polish, and as an anti-bacterial agent in cosmetics.


Formaldehyde is the most commercially important aldehyde (class of highly reactive
organic chemical compounds obtained by oxidation of primary alcohol), according to the most
recent CEH Marketing Research Report on Formaldehyde from SRI International. More than
half of all formaldehyde is used primarily to make urea-, phenol-, melamine-formaldehyde (UF,
PF and MF) resins and polyacetal resins altogether a business valued at nearly $10 billion.


Lets look closer at these resins primary uses:
Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins largest use is in binders or adhesives for word products
composites including mainly particleboard, medium-density fiberboard (MDF), hardwood
plywood and glass fiber roofing mats. UF resins account for more than 95 percent of
wood adhesives used in particleboard. Most particleboard is used to make cabinets,
case goods, doors, countertops, furniture and fixtures; some is use for flooring under-
layment and decking in new homes. Formica is the well-known trademark for one type
of UF resin. MDF is used primarily to