<b>Dataset: </b><b>Intrinsically </b><b>Mold-Resistant</b><b> </b><b>and </b><b>Formaldehyde-Free</b><b> </b><b>Oxidized</b><b> </b><b>Camellia Meal-Based Adhesive</b><b>for </b><b>Wood-Based Panels</b><b>with Excellent Water Resist</b><b>ance</b>

In this work, a formaldehyde-free adhesive was developed by crosslinking oxidized camellia meal (OCM), a non-edible agricultural residue, with hyperbranched polyurea (HBPU). Spectroscopic and structural analyses supported the formation of a crosslinked network involving imine and amide linkages and hydrogen-bonding interactions, which improved the hydrolytic and thermal stability of the cured adhesive.

At an HBPU loading of 20 wt%, the OCM–HBPU adhesive achieved shear strengths of 1.22 MPa under dry conditions, 1.15 MPa after immersion in water at 63 °C, and 1.14 MPa after boiling-water treatment. Particleboards bonded with the optimized adhesive exhibited an internal bond strength of 1.70 MPa, a modulus of rupture of 22.22 MPa, and a modulus of elasticity of 3232.60 MPa. No visible mold growth was observed on the adhesive samples over 60 days at 30 °C and 95% relative humidity without added synthetic biocides.