FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE FOR MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED MATERIALS IFAM

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1 Linseed. (© iStockphoto) 2 Castor-oil-plant. (© iStockphoto) 3 Wood and as a raw material. GREEN POLYMERS FROM (© iStockphoto) RENEWABLE RAW MATERIALS Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM – Adhesive Bonding Technology Status quo Trend and Surfaces – Wiener Strasse 12 The use of petrochemical or environ- The development of polymers made from up 28359 Bremen | Germany mentally harmful raw materials for to 100% renewable raw materials, or raw manufacturing chemicals and intermediate materials recovered in a sustainable way, Institute Director products is not simply a cost factor but is already underway, with these materials Prof. Dr. Bernd Mayer also has a negative impact on the life cycle being used for diverse applications including assessment. The efficient use of resources adhesives, sealants, coatings, and composites. Contact and the environmental compatibility of pro- Ongoing development work is endeavoring to

ducts, as indicated for example by the CO2 replace petrochemical-based raw materials in Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Yvonne Kowalik footprint, are becoming ever more impor- a whole range of products, ranging from resin Phone +49 421 2246-613 tant for industry. Furthermore, consumers matrices to catalysts. Besides the growing [email protected] are all too aware of the finiteness of fossil demand for biobased raw materials, the resources and there is growing appreciation recycling of renewable raw materials is also Dr. Katharina Richter for products made from renewable raw increasing in importance. Phone +49 421 2246-643 materials. [email protected]

Dr. Matthias Popp Phone +49 421 2246-650 [email protected]

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Development work based on Some of these systems already contain con- | Chitosan as a coating additive renewable raw materials siderable amounts of biobased materials, The chitosan is manufac- for example in the form of hydroxylated tured from the of . Due | -based adhesives oils. Increasing the use of biobased mate- to its chemical stucture it has antimicrobial Starch is a renewable raw material and rials further and developing systems which and hemostatic properties and forms hy- has long been used for manufacturing do not contain toxicologically harmful drogels. Fraunhofer IFAM is endeavoring adhesives. Starch-based adhesives are isocyanates, are the topics of ongoing R&D to utilize these attributes of chitosan for nowadays mainly used for bonding paper work at Fraunhofer IFAM. technical applications. One particular area and for manufacturing paper bags. To being investigated is its use in antifouling make starch-based adhesives, natural starch | Treatment of lignin for use as a raw coatings. is first solubilized and modified in industrial material processes. Fraunhofer IFAM is currently Lignin is an aromatic polymer which gives | Composites and fiber reinforced exploring using starch-based adhesives plants their strength. It has a complex materials for other areas of application such as for chemical structure and must first be Fraunhofer IFAM is exploring the use of bonding wood. Another application is for modified before it can be used for technical polymer blends, and natural fibers as fillers, borax-free corrugated board production. applications. This involves a combination for the manufacture of biocomposites Under the REACH regulation borax is clas- of chemoenzymatic and chemomicrobial made from environmentally friendly and sified as a CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, processes. By transforming standard lignin totally degradable raw materials. The or reprotoxic) substance and is hence “a raw materials in this way the lignin can products have potential application, for substance of very high concern”. By iden- be used in a wide variety of products. The example, in the packaging industry and in tifying and testing alternative crosslinking controlled depolymerization at Fraunhofer agriculture. systems it has been possible to implement IFAM enables, for example, the lignin to be the industrial manufacture of innovative used as a primer in adhesives and coatings. borax-free Stein Hall adhesives. Range of services offered by | Formaldehyde-free stoving enamels Fraunhofer IFAM | Lactid acid, hydroxyalkanoate, and based on epoxidized oil as raw materials for The use of amino resins as crosslinking | Development of new raw materials and adhesives and casting compounds components and as the sole binder in sto- formulations Lactid acid, hydroxyalkanoate, and epoxi- ving enamels guarantees high resistance to | Optimization of existing formulations to dized oil are classical raw materials which yellowing and excellent chemical, thermal, meet your specifications are suitable for use as an adhesive resin. and mechanical stability. Currently amino | Market research for raw material Fraunhofer IFAM has investigated the resins are, however, based on formaldehyde availability and potential customers/ relationship between the structures of which is classified as carcinogenic and markets these molecules, the morphology of the mutagenic under the CLP (Classification, | Determination of typical physiochemical polymer, and the mechanical properties of Labeling and Packaging) regulation. properties of the polymers the adhesive, so laying the basis for deve- Glycolaldehyde is being investigated as a loping new products for other applications. replacement for amino resins: Glycolalde- Currently the casting compounds used for hyde is a naturally occurring substance in 4 Starch adhesives for the corrugated paper electrical and electronic components are many metabolic processes and possesses board production. (© iStockphoto) mostly -based materials. no toxic properties. 5 Ligninbased binder for .