Adhesive Application

Odourless organic adhesive for chipboard

Wooden drift boards are a constant presence in our lives, being used in both furniture making and construction. The big problem facing producers and users alike is emission of formaldehyde, a product harmful to the human body. The main source of emissions of free formaldehyde are the ureo-formaldehyde adhesives used in the manufacture of tiles. The discomfort created by the unpleasant odor as well as increasingly stringent emission requirements for formaldehyde have prompted investors, researchers and manufacturers to focus on finding solutions to eliminate it altogether. And the results are starting to show. Oregon BEST's announcement that it is developing a bio-based adhesive that contains no formaldehyde at all shows that we are already on the road to total replacement of ureo-formaldehyde adhesives.

organic glue
photo sourceȘ edilbricobazar.com
Oregon Best and Eco PRO Polymers

Oregon Best is an organization founded in Oregon, USA, that funds and supports companies and institutions working to develop clean technologies - environmentally friendly bio-based technologies and products. The organization is in close contact with universities with which it has developed a line of labs, Oregon BEST Labs. It also funds the development of the ideas born in these labs through to implementation in production.

EcoPRO Polymers is one such firm supported by Oregon BEST. This is where the bio-based adhesive that contains no formaldehyde was developed. Fred Kamke, professor of wood science and engineering at Oregon State University and director of the Green Buildings Materials Lab, said ureo-formaldehyde resins have been used for more than 60 years to make particleboard and MDF, and although emissions have been greatly reduced over the years, formaldehyde is still a problem for which more and more markets are demanding solutions. This is why the development of such an adhesive was needed.

organic glue

A new, totally non-toxic adhesive

Some manufacturers, in order to avoid further formaldehyde emissions, use isocyanic adhesives (methyl diphenyl diisocyanate MDI) in their production, which are quite dangerous for workers. In addition to the fact that they do not have the qualities of ureo-formaldehyde adhesives and cannot be used in continuous-flow installations, they also create health problems over time.

Humayun Mandal, who holds a PhD in polymer chemistry, left his career in the adhesives industry to set up ecoPRO Polymers in 2014. Supported by Oregon BEST he developed an adhesive with an entirely new formulation that, in addition to no formaldehyde emissions at all, solves production problems that arose when using isocyanic adhesives. The adhesive performed very well in the lab, attracting the attention of SpekPly LLC, an organic agricultural by-product tile company that was looking for a non-toxic, organic adhesive for its tiles.

The new bio-based adhesive has been given to SpekPly LLC for testing and found to be ideal for their line of decorative wood boards used in construction. Next, the product will undergo more testing to ensure that the manufacturers are making sure that by eliminating formaldehyde, no other toxicity issues are introduced. Also, given that ureo-formaldehyde adhesives are inexpensive adhesives, care must be taken to ensure that the new adhesive does not increase the cost of new tiles.

organic glue
agricultural waste board

Fortunately, interest in a cleaner and healthier world is growing. Encouragingly, important people are allocating large amounts of their own income to making the world healthier. And there is evidence that a healthier world can only be achieved with products and technologies curate.

About the author

Mihaela Radu

Mihaela Radu is a chemical engineer but has a great passion for wood. She has been working in the field for more than 20 years, wood finishing being what defined her during this period. She gained experience working in a research institute, in her own company, as well as in a multinational. She wants to continuously share her experience with those who have the same passion - and more.

Add comment

Add a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

Subscribe to newsletter

Newsletter Friday morning
Information and advice from the experts

en_USEnglish