Bio-based hot-melt adhesives meeting performance expectations for adhesion, viscosity, and thermal properties
The adhesive industry is increasingly focused on bio-based formulations to reduce dependency on fossil-based materials for hot-melt adhesives. Hot-melt adhesives, widely used in packaging, woodworking, and construction, present a significant opportunity due to their 100% solid content and solvent-free nature. However, the development of a fully bio-based hot-melt while maintaining adhesion, thermal stability, and mechanical performance remains a challenge.
Our approach:
By carefully managing the compatibility of raw materials, we have optimized several formulations with varying levels of bio-based content, achieving a balance between adhesion, viscosity, and thermal properties. This development work demonstrates that it is possible to ensure strong substrate bonding and processing stability using bio-based raw materials, particularly in packaging applications.
Key materials:
A typical hot-melt formulation consists of polymers, resins, waxes or oils. The bio-based alternatives we assessed for their performance include:
- Bio-Based Polymers: such as polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polylactic acid (PLA), which provide the structural backbone hot-melt adhesives, ensuring cohesion, flexibility, and mechanical strength.
- Bio-Based Tackifier Resins: such as rosin esters, polyterpenes, and terpene phenolics, which enhance adhesion by improving the bonding properties of the bio-based adhesive to various substrates.
- Bio-Based Waxes: Modify viscosity and flow, control open time, and influence the setting speed to optimise application performance.
- Other Bio-Based Additives (e.g. Plasticisers): Improve flexibility, reduce brittleness, and adjust the adhesive's softness and flow properties.
Formulation support:
Developed in our laboratories, our solutions use the best-performing raw material combinations to meet market and customer requirements, ensuring optimal performance for different applications and conditions.
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