Method of spray drying phenol-formaldehyde resin

A method for producing a phenol-formaldehyde resole resin powder, comprising:

• synthesizing a liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin;
• combining a surfactant with the liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin in an amount sufficient to produce a mixture containing about 0.02 wt % to about 2.5 wt % of the surfactant, based on a combined weight of the liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin and the surfactant, wherein the surfactant is nonionic, and wherein the surfactant comprises an alkyl phenol ethoxylate, (1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenyl-polyethylene glycol, or any mixture thereof;
• agitating the mixture to produce an aerated mixture;
• and
• spray-drying the aerated mixture to produce a spray-dried phenol-formaldehyde resole resin powder.

A method for producing a phenol-formaldehyde resole resin powder, comprising:

• spray-drying an aerated aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin containing from about 0.02 wt % to about 2 wt % of a surfactant, based on a combined weight of the aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin and the surfactant to produce a spray-dried phenol-formaldehyde resole resin powder, wherein:
• the liquid phenol-formaldehyde resole resin has a formaldehyde to phenol molar ratio ranging from about 2:1 to about 2.65:1 and a weight average molecular weight of about 1,000 daltons to about 8,000 daltons,
• the surfactant is nonionic,
• wherein the surfactant comprises an alkyl phenol ethoxylate, (1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenyl-polyethylene glycol, or any mixture thereof,
• the aerated aqueous phenol-formaldehyde resole resin has a gas volume fraction of about 1% to about 20%,
• the spray-dried resin has a packed bulk density ranging from about 0.15 g/cm3 to about 0.85 g/cm3, and
• the presence of the surfactant reduces the packed bulk density of the spray-dried resin by at least 2%, as compared to an identical liquid phenol-formaldehyde resin spray-dried without the surfactant.