http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/246908/isu-researchers-develop-bio-adhesives-from-glycerin
ISU researchers develop bio-adhesives from glycerin
By Iowa State University | November 25, 2014
Researchers at Iowa State University are working to prove that adhesives
made from a byproduct of biodiesel production can offer consumers a
cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternative to the acrylic
adhesives currently on the market.
Their goal is to produce commercially viable bioplastic adhesives that
will have uses from construction sites to elementary school projects,
and it all starts with some of Iowa’s biggest commodities.
“The basic feedstock is glycerin, a byproduct of the biodiesel
industry,” said David Grewell, a professor of agricultural and
biosystems engineering. “We’re turning waste into a coproduct stream.”
Eric Cochran, an associate professor of chemical and biological
engineering who also works on the project, said glycerin sells for
around 17 cents a pound, much cheaper than the components of traditional
acrylic adhesives.
“It’s almost free by comparison,” Cochran said. “And it comes from Iowa
crops.”
The project recently received a grant of about $1 million from the USDA
to show that the technology can be competitive in the marketplace. The
third and final year of the grant will see the researchers begin
production at a pilot plant currently under construction at the ISU
BioCentury Research Farm. The pilot plant will be able to produce up to
a ton of adhesives per day, Grewell said.
“It’ll allow us to better understand the materials and the economics,”
he said.
Cochran said the adhesives under development will contain no volatile
organic compounds, or VOCs. That means the adhesives won’t give off
odors or have adverse environmental or human health effects.
The ISU research team is focusing on developing products for three
primary markets: construction, where the adhesives could be used to
create fiber board or particle board; pressure-sensitive adhesives, such
as those used on the back of sticky notes; and water-based rubber
cement, which could be used to fasten the soles to shoes among other uses.
The project has drawn from disciplines across the ISU campus, and
Grewell said the interdisciplinary approach to the work strengthens the
final product. In addition to agricultural and biosystems engineering
and chemical engineering, personnel from the chemistry, civil
engineering, chemical engineering and materials science departments have
contributed to the project.
But it all starts with proving that the products can be economically
competitive with what’s already on the market, Cochran said.
“In the end, we want our adhesives to have real economic advantages,” he
said. “We want them to come from renewable resources, and we want them
to perform well.”
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