Eco-friendly reusable bio-resin gives wood panel industry a green touch
In manufacturing industries such as wood panelling, companies often rely on formaldehyde-based polymer resins to bind materials and ensure structural integrity in their products. While these resins are crucial for stability and longevity, they come at substantial social and environmental costs. They are toxic and carcinogenic, and are non-recyclable which contributes to a significant carbon footprint. As awareness of these issues has grown and regulations have tightened, these industries are seeking greener options. “In general, bio-based resins require different operation conditions and react somewhat slower. This means that changes must be made in the production process and that the production volumes are lower,” explains Wridzer Bakker, CEO of Plantics and SWOP project coordinator. “Radical innovations, changes in a complex production process, and optimising towards a new resin take a lot of time and money,” he adds. The EU-funded SWOP project has developed an innovative and cost-effective plant-based resin to foster a sustainable future for the wood panel industry. “Thanks to the SWOP project we could tackle the biggest technical difficulties and made our resin ready for market introduction in the wood-based panel industry,” remarks Bakker.
A happy accident and a new bio-resin
The SWOP project was launched on the basis of an accidental invention at the University of Amsterdam. While searching for a method to make bio-kerosene from plant-based ingredients, the researchers developed a sticky material. This sticky material has been further developed into a new family of resins by Plantics. The resin is made from abundantly available plant-based residue streams such as molasses and side products of biorefineries. The resin is strong, is 100 % bio-based, has a very low CO2 footprint, and is formaldehyde-free, non-toxic, odourless and water-resistant. Plantics resins can be used to create all types of wood panels that meet all the functional requirements for inside and outside use. “One of the most interesting properties of our bio-resin is that it can be reactivated and reused as a binder,” explains Bakker. “This is the ‘holy grail’ for the wood industry, as it is the enabler for full circularity of this industry.”
Collaborative development with industry partners
During the SWOP project, the team developed the resin from a promising idea in the lab to a resin that can be used in commercial production of wood panels such as plywood and particle board. This was done in close cooperation with Koskisen and other project partners, whose knowledge of all aspects of wood panels was key to success. “We learned a lot about the market, trends and most important players, and this enabled us to start the preparation of a market launch,” adds Bakker.
Further testing and market launch
Due to the success of the SWOP project, the Plantics resin is now set to be launched onto the market in the near future following further testing. The EU funding helped the project to develop the biomaterials and ensure that several companies were focused and committed towards the same target. “By doing this, the whole value chain was connected through a joint purpose, which helped a lot to speed up the development of sustainable, bio-based and 100% circular wood panels,” says Bakker.
Keywords
SWOP, bio-resin, wood panel, glue, manufacturing, plant-based
