<p>Maleation is a common means of modification for many commodity polymers and is used to several ends. In this study, various waxes were functionalized with maleic anhydride through several maleation processes, with the end goal of obtaining a cost effective processes to make emulsifiers to be used in emulsions that impart water-resistance to building products, such as gypsum wallboards. Research was done in collaboration with an industrial partner, in order to replace commercially available emulsifiers currently being used in their processes with a less costly product that could easily be made on-site based on their consumption requirements, through a solvent-free approach. Reactions involving both the free-radical initiated maleation of paraffin waxes and thermal addition of maleic anhydride to alpha-olefins were examined extensively. It was found that emulsions with properties matching or exceeding those of control emulsion formulations were obtainable using experimental emulsifiers made through both maleation methods. When used in gypsum wallboards, emulsifiers made through thermal maleation showed levels of water-repellency that matched or exceeded those of control formulations at lower loading levels, while emulsifiers made through free-radical maleation were subject to performance issues.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

<p>In this study new value-added products were developed from four commercially available refined waxes for use as commercial emulsifiers via the technique of maleation. This research was performed in collaboration with an industrial partner with the hope of developing a wax emulsifier product that could replace commercially used wax emulsifiers in engineered wood product emulsions at a cost reduction by beginning with the design of a cost effective process that could be incorporated into an existing factory production line. Through the investigation and subsequent optimization of this process, a highly maleated product was achieved using 6 different quick and simple approaches. A standardized experimental design was applied to the parameters of the experiment: reaction time, peroxide, starting wax, maleic anhydride concentration, and temperature to observe and understand the individual effects of each on the resultant final product. Three organic peroxide initiators were evaluated; di-<em>tert</em>-butyl peroxide, di-<em>tert</em>-butyl peroxybenzoate and benzoyl peroxide, as well as a thermally initiated approach. The resultant waxes were then identified by their acid number and drop melt point; and from this, the overall efficiency of the combined parameter levels was calculated as a function the initial maleic anhydride amount versus that of the final. The maleated wax emulsifiers were incorporated into emulsions and applied to engineered wood products. Emulsifiers made via the thermally initiated approach showed statistically significant improvements in the desired properties, water absorbance and thickness swell, of the engineered wood products as compared to a commercial control formulation.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)