(June 01, 2012) Until now
most adhesives have been manufactured from petroleum-based materials. However,
they can also be obtained from renewable raw materials – for example from
proteins, natural rubber, starch, or cellulose. Fraunhofer researchers are
working on new formulas for industrial applications.
Shoes,
cars, airplanes, rotor blades for wind turbines, self-adhesive notes, plasters
– this is just a sample of the many products featuring adhesives. More than
820,000 tons of adhesive were produced in Germany in 2010, according to the
German Adhesives Association – Industrieverband Klebstoffe. To this day the
majority of adhesives are manufactured from petroleum-based materials. Only
gradually is the industry also offering adhesives made from renewable raw
materials such as starch, cellulose, dextrins, and proteins. Pioneering
products featuring these new adhesives include wallpaper pastes and glue
sticks.
In two projects,
researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy
Technology UMSICHT are working on further new adhesive formulas based on
renewable raw materials. In cooperation with the Recklinghausen site of the
Westfälische Hochschule, University of Applied Sciences, and the companies
Jowat, Logo tape, and Novamelt, and with support from Germany’s Federal
Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, researchers at UMSICHT
in Oberhausen are developing a pressure-sensitive adhesive for industrial
applications. Products using pressure-sensitive adhesives include adhesive
bandages, self-adhesive labels, and adhesive tapes. They are subject to
particularly demanding requirements: They have to remain permanently adhesive
at room temperature. Gentle pressure should suffice for them to adhere to
almost all substrates, and yet it must be possible to remove them without
leaving behind any residue. To achieve this, the adhesive force must precisely
match the respective use.
Adhesive based on polylactic acid