In industries rooted in tradition, such as furniture production, adhesives are essential for bonding materials firmly and permanently. Furniture, windows, doors, and other wooden structures must meet specific requirements depending on their application.

However, the demand for innovative bio-based adhesives is on the rise, driven by the need for sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional adhesives. These bio-based adhesives, derived from renewable raw materials, aim to meet the performance requirements of current adhesive systems while promoting sustainability in wood product manufacturing.

Corrugated cardboard, a common material used in packaging, is traditionally bonded using starch-based adhesives derived from corn, potatoes, wheat, or peas. These adhesives typically consist of about 25% starch and 75% water, leading to high energy consumption during the drying process.

While synthetic cold glues offer an energy-saving alternative by reducing energy use by around 70%, they are not widely adopted due to their petrochemical composition.

Market demands

By contrast, protein-based adhesives offer a potential solution. By increasing the solid content of the adhesive formulation and reducing processing temperatures compared to starch, protein-based adhesives can significantly lower energy usage while maintaining the renewable nature of the materials.

The ProWellHo research project, led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV), is dedicated to developing sustainable, bio-based adhesives for various applications, including wood processing, furniture production, and corrugated cardboard manufacturing.

The focus of the project is to test a range of bio-based raw materials to create high-performance, sustainable adhesives that meet market demands.

The project’s goal is to reduce energy consumption in corrugated cardboard production while using renewable raw materials, ensuring the adhesives’ performance and recyclability.

To meet the project’s objectives, a wide array of vegetable proteins will be tested as the primary bio-based raw materials for adhesive development. The team is building on the findings from the TeFuProt 2 project, which demonstrated the challenge of improving water resistance when using proteins in adhesives.

By specifically extracting and modifying proteins, and, if necessary, combining them with starch, the project aims to produce adhesives with strong bonding capabilities and high water-resistance, ideal for use in both wood and cardboard products.

Sustainable solutions

The use of bio-based adhesives in the furniture industry presents an opportunity for sustainable production. As demand grows for alternative raw materials, protein-based adhesives could replace traditional petrochemical-based glues in furniture manufacturing, allowing for nearly entirely bio-based products.

The project is focusing on developing protein adhesives with excellent adhesive strength and water resistance, ensuring that they perform on par with synthetic adhesives. The combination of wood, a renewable resource, with protein-based adhesives could provide an environmentally friendly alternative for producing durable furniture.

Corrugated cardboard, a widely used packaging material, also stands to benefit from the advancements in protein-based adhesives. The ProWellHo research project aims to develop adhesives that reduce the energy required for the drying process during cardboard production while maintaining the sustainable and recyclable nature of the material.

If successful, protein-based adhesives will offer a much-needed solution to the packaging industry, helping to lower energy consumption and reduce reliance on synthetic, petrochemical-based adhesives.

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