Bioadhesives Research Team

 

About

 

The Bioadhesives Research Team was formed in 1995 to investigate the area of bio-based adhesives as a potential opportunity to add value to the high-protein meals that are produced as co-products from soybean and corn processing.

The mission of the Bioadhesives Research Team is to develop bio-based adhesives for wood and/or fiber based composite manufacturing. The team is focusing on research that will allow the bio-based adhesives to have equal or better performance than the current synthetic adhesives. The team believes that the bio-based adhesives can be cost competitive, less hazardous, and more environmentally friendly than the current synthetic adhesives.

This research effort has led to technology that has significantly improved the performance of wood and fiber-based composite adhesives formulated with soy protein.  The technology is based on the reaction of soy protein with synthetic petroleum-based chemical resins including phenol formaldehyde, phenol resorcinol formaldehyde and melamine urea formaldehyde and has resulted in two U.S. Patents (Nos. 6,306,997 and 6,518,387). 

The technology developed can replace up to 70% of the petroleum-based components of current adhesives and reduce the exposure of workers that manufacture wood and wood fiber-based composite products to volatile organic chemicals including phenol and formaldehyde.  The adhesives can be used in a variety of different wood and wood fiber-based products including plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), particleboard, medium density fiberboard and molded wood products. 

Furthermore, the adhesive has also been shown to be very effective as a binder for medium-density fiberboard composed of fiber from agricultural sources including cornstalks, wheat straw, switch grass, recycled wood, and even livestock manure (animal processed) fiber. Research also indicates that the technology may also have the potential to function as a coupling agent in fiber-plastics composites as well.

The Bioadhesives Team believes that the soybean based adhesive will be a marketable alternative to the current synthetic resins. The group is seeking to form partnerships with interested organizations to facilitate transfer of the technology from the laboratory to the manufacturing environment. For more information regarding the research and soy protein adhesive technology, please contact us.