Green chemicals, resins and adhesives for applications in wood composites, biocomposites or paper laminates etc. for up to 100% bio-based products

Short summary An Austrian R&D company develops bio-based chemicals (antioxidants, stabilisers etc.), resins and adhesives from various feedstock and side-streams. These are suited as full or partial substitutes to fossil-based ones to reduce CO2-footprint of products. The entire chain from development of materials to prototypes and technical support of upscaling is offered. Companies/R&D organizations (user, developer and/or producer) are sought for tailored developments (technical/research cooperations).

Full description In order to reduce the use of fossil raw materials, products are increasingly being manufactured on the basis of renewable raw materials. Wood composites, biocomposites or paper laminates are gaining in importance for applications in the fields of construction, furniture, automotive, packaging etc. For the production of such materials, synthetic resins, additives or other chemicals are necessary in addition to the natural main materials (wood, natural fibers, paper, etc.). In order to achieve 100% bio-based products, these components have to be produced from renewable raw materials as well. The major challenges here lie above all in the expertise regarding the raw materials, the process development, the application in products and the upscaling in order to be able to deliver consistently high quality. Therefore, there are no large-scale products on the market yet. The Austrian R&D company is steadily active in the development of bio-based materials for the application in up to 100 % bio-based products. This requires on the one hand comprehensive in-house equipment to realize developments faster and on the other hand cooperation with scientific and in particular with industrial partners of any size. In the field of the development of green chemicals, resins and adhesives the R&D company gained extensive expertise and experience concerning natural raw materials, process development, development of suitable catalysts (if necessary), material characterization and application in various products on a pilot scale. A unique selling point is that they can offer the entire development chain from material development to the development/adaptation of a production process on pilot scale for products applying such green materials and even support for upscaling in the case of resins and adhesives. Besides the technical development, they can offer accompanying sustainability assessment from the outset. The natural feedstock and side-streams applied are very diverse; to mention some: * precursors and base chemicals (e.g. methanol, ethanol) from biorefinery processes * wood biomass (lignin, carbohydrates etc.) * hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) * vegetable oils * various biomass The main groups that are developed are: * bio-based aromatic building blocks * bio-based additives for polymer processing (e.g. antioxidants) * bio-based paper impregnation resins (e.g. for paper coatings, packaging) * lignin-phenol blends (for resins in the wood industry) * bio-based fire retardants * intermediates like bio-based phenols and furans Uncertainties on the effects of adhesive behaviour in timber products after long application duration in safety-relevant constructions require the development of rapid tests to predict long time effects. The R&D company can also offer support in such a case. Stage of Development: Green chemicals, resins and adhesives are steadily in development with various resources together with several companies for mentioned applications. Product samples for furniture applications (see picture) and applications for rotor blades (wind turbines) have already been successfully developed. The Austrian R&D company is looking for companies and/or R&D organizations interested in developing and/or applying green chemicals, resins and adhesives for tailored developments (technical or research cooperations).

Advantages and innovations Green chemicals, resins and adhesives lead to significant improvements of ecological footprint of industrial products by replacing existing additives with lower CO2-footprint alternatives, particularly in the field of antioxidants and stabilisers. The use of these green materials in combination with other bio-based components like wood or natural fibers enables the production of products with very high bio-based content up to 100 %. Especially the development of reactive green resins will enable a range of new bio-based products. In addition, the use of various side-streams (depending on the availability and quality) creates higher value for the material provider and supports the journey from linear to circular economy considerably. There is a significant potential not only to create a circular material use, but to combine different circles of materials, too. In specific cases application of these green materials will also cause less harm to the environment when it comes to end of life of such products by e.g. incineration or composting.
Contact / source: NEXT EEN Widgets (europa.eu)