Increase bio-based content in adhesive

Challenges

A prototype containing a high proportion of bio-derived raw materials did not achieve the same performance as the conventional product...

In order to realize a sustainable society, many companies are accelerating their efforts to consider recycled materials, use plant-based materials, and select environmentally friendly materials.

As there are examples of product development that achieve carbon neutrality, V Company has also seen a rapid increase in inquiries about "adhesive tapes made from plant-derived materials" and "Biomass Mark certified products."

In response to requests from customers, Company V also launched a project with the aim of quickly developing "adhesive tape made from bio-based raw materials."

Mr. N, the project leader, looks back on the situation at that time as follows:
"The number of competing environmentally friendly products is increasing, so I felt the need to take on the challenge of developing one myself. As the project leader, I immediately accepted the development request."

"First, we discussed the policy with the project members. Our company has considered using bio-derived raw materials on several occasions in the past, but the challenge was always how to balance the ratio of bio-derived raw materials (biomass level) with performance."

Mr. N continues speaking.
"This time, we decided to take on the challenge of developing a product with a high ratio of bio-derived raw materials in order to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Therefore, we concluded that the key was to select bio-derived raw materials."

"Furthermore, we had been hoping to respond to a request from the manufacturing department for some time now to ensure safety on-site, saying, 'When adopting new raw materials, please choose those that have minimal impact on contact.'"

So Mr. N and his team narrowed their focus to acrylic polymers used in adhesives, and began searching for acrylate monomers, which are the raw material for these. After contacting monomer manufacturers and trading companies, they were able to obtain several monomers made from bio-derived raw materials.

"We immediately replaced part of the monomer composition of the acrylic polymer with the bio-derived monomer we had obtained, polymerized the polymer, and evaluated it. With only a partial replacement, we were able to maintain the same adhesive properties as before, but as we increased the amount of the monomer, the balance of performance such as tack and adhesive strength was lost." (Mr. N)

We tried changing the types of monomers we had been using and combining them with the bio-derived monomers we had obtained, but we continued to have problems finding a balance with performance when the proportion of bio-derived monomers was high, and even the usually calm team leader, Mr. N, began to get impatient.