In the past, commonly used hot-press adhesives carried substances hazardous to humans and the environment. Fortunately, environmentally friendly, formaldehyde-free adhesive options are now available. This guide will cover all the basics you need about water-based, low volatile organic compound (VOC) adhesives, including the novel BreezeBondTM hot-press adhesive.

Low VOC Adhesives

Low VOC adhesives are an excellent option for companies who wish to limit not only their exposure to the liabilities resulting from hazardous substances contained in their existing formaldehyde-based adhesives, but also the high costs involved with sourcing from scarce and ever dwindling fossil fuel resources. These new sustainably sourced adhesives ideally contain a minimal amount of petroleum-based products, if any, and are safe for both people and the environment. Also, they are frequently water-based and odorless, making them essential for individuals sensitive to fragrances.

Water-based adhesives, (natural binders fall under this category), are produced from water soluble plant or animal extracts or materials that mimic ingredients found in nature. They are thus less likely to include hazardous compounds in their composition. As a result, they are a popular option for a wide variety of industries, including paper, plywood, paint, and disposable packaging.

Here are the common types of no-added formaldehyde (NAF) adhesives, described in further detail:

Plant-Based Adhesives

Natural plant-based components, such as cornstarch, wheat flour, or soy flour, produce adhesives that are often water-based and biodegradable, making them a viable option for individuals interested in reducing their influence on the environment, both during use and after it is disposed of and sent to a landfill. One example is Specialty Organics’ BreezeBondTM, an innovative soybean-based sustainable hot-press adhesive. Once bonded, these products have virtually no lingering odor.

Animal-Based Adhesives

Casein and gelatin are two natural components used to produce animal adhesives. These adhesives are frequently utilized in woodworking. Although they are biodegradable, they are not considered as sustainable as plant-based adhesives, because animals require large swaths of land and have significantly higher water and energy requirements than plants, not to mention the ethics involved with the treatment and living conditions of animals raised in high-throughput settings.

Low VOC Adhesives

Many existing adhesives contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but some adhesives are made with little or none of these harmful chemicals. As a result, these adhesives emit far fewer toxic chemicals into the air, improving indoor air quality and promoting a healthier working or living environment.

There are several types of low VOC adhesives available in the market. Here are some of the most popular ones:

  • Epoxy
    Epoxy adhesives are popular for many applications, including construction and woodworking. They are known for their high strength and excellent resistance to water and chemicals. Once cured, they do not emit significant VOCs. They do, however, require a hardener to cure, which may use toxic chemicals. The manufacturing process to make epoxy also uses hazardous precursors. They are also somewhat expensive.
  • Acrylic
    Acrylic adhesives are also known to have low to ultra-low VOCs and are often used in the automotive industry. They are also a popular choice for bonding plastics. Modern water-based acrylic paints have also replaced older high VOC oil-based paints. Acrylics are, however, made of polymers that are currently derived from fossil fuels, and may contain a number of additives that may not be biodegradable.
  • Polyurethane
    Polyurethane adhesives are another low VOC adhesive commonly used in the construction and automotive industries. They offer excellent resistance to impact and weathering. Polyurethanes are, however, made by reacting diisocyanates with polyols. Diisocyanates are generally expensive to produce, using toxic ingredients such as phosgene during their manufacture.
  • Silicone
    Silicone adhesives are known for their excellent heat and weather resistance, making them suitable for high-temperature applications. They are also commonly used in electronics and medical devices to prevent short circuits due to their insulative properties. Although they are known for being flexible which can be desirable in some applications, they are not known for imparting a durable, rigid bond.

    It is important to note that while some silicones are biodegradable, most silicones have prolonged residence times in the environment. Many are pervasive and bioaccumulative with known negative health effects.
  • Cyanoacrylate
    Cyanoacrylate adhesives, or "super glue," are fast-drying adhesives commonly used in electronics and woodworking. Once cured, they do not emit significant VOCs and offer superior bonding strength, although the bonds can be thin and brittle due to their low viscosity. They are also known for being relatively expensive per unit volume, and manufacturing them uses precursors like cyanide and petroleum-based solvents.

Common Existing Hot Press Adhesives

Hot-press and hot-melt adhesives are thermoplastic adhesives applied in a molten or suspended state and then solidified upon heating, pressing and/or cooling. They offer a fast and efficient bonding method commonly used in panel manufacturing and woodworking applications.

Here are some of the most common types of hot-press adhesives:

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)

PVA thermoset adhesives are frequently utilized in the packaging and paper industries. This is because they adhere well to a range of materials, have a desirable consistency/tack, and can have a quick application time. However, its precursor is currently sourced partly from fossil fuels and PVA can be slow to biodegrade. In addition, the price of PVA has been trending upward, and unless its source of feedstocks change, they will remain a net contributor to unwanted carbon emissions.

Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAc)

Polyvinyl acetate adhesives, commonly known as Elmer’s Glue, wood glue, school glue, or carpenter’s glue is a mild, widely available adhesive commonly used to bond together cellulosic materials like wood, paper, or cloth. It is also commonly used in copolymerization or emulsions with other adhesive resins such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) described in the polyolefin section below to prepare a blend that optimizes properties or bonding characteristics for various different applications. However, like many other synthetic resins, its price has been trending up, and PVAc’s precursor, vinyl acetate, is derived predominantly from fossil fuels. Specifically, most major industrial routes to form vinyl acetate involve the reaction of ethylene and acetic acid in the presence of oxygen over a catalyst.

Polyolefin

Polyolefin hot-melt adhesives, such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), are commonly used in the automotive and construction industries. They offer excellent bonding strength and resistance to heat, moisture, and chemicals. These are currently derived from crude oil.

Polyamide (UF Resin) and Bakelite (PF Resin)

Polyamide hot melt adhesives are known for their excellent heat resistance and are used in applications ranging from textile and forest products to automobile tires. In addition, they offer a strong and durable bond to various substrates. These are currently the largest class of thermosetting resins, with urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins comprising up to 80% produced worldwide. Another type of polyamide, melamine-formaldehyde resins, are often used in laminates such as flooring. Phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins are used predominantly in applications that may have significant exposure to moisture, such as exterior rated OSB (types 3 and 4). Although formaldehyde is more tightly bound in melamine-formaldehyde and phenol-formaldehyde resins than in urea-formaldehyde, efforts are underway to find alternatives to all formaldehyde-containing resins due to ever-tightening regulations.

Polyester

Polyester hot-melt adhesives are widely utilized in the woodworking and furniture industries. They have high strength and may bind with various materials, including wood, metal, and polymers. While they are non-volatile and bio-based polyesters have been demonstrated so they may realistically have a sustainable future, most are currently derived from crude oil and natural gas.

Factors to Consider When Selecting an Adhesive for Your Application

Choosing the right adhesive for your application ensures a strong and reliable bond. Here are some key considerations when selecting an adhesive:

  1. 1. Substrate: Different adhesives work better with certain substrates than others, so choosing a compatible adhesive and/or sealant is important.
  2. 2. Environmental conditions: Will they be exposed to heat, moisture, shifting winds, or chemicals? Some adhesives offer better resistance to these factors than others, so it is important to consider the operating conditions when selecting an adhesive.
  3. 3. Application method: The application method can affect the efficiency of the bonding process. For instance, some adhesives are applied in a liquid form, while others are applied in more of a paste form or even a solid in some cases. In addition, some adhesives require heat and pressure to form cross linking bonds (hot-press adhesives) while others only require heat (hot-melt adhesives).
  4. 4. Strength: Different adhesives offer different levels of bonding strength, so do your research to determine the right adhesive that can retain the necessary strength for your application.
  5. 5. Mechanical properties: Oftentimes strength of a bond isn’t enough without some degree of flexibility, because hard, brittle bonds often crack over time due to temperature cycling or shifting load forces (e.g. wind shear against a house). The more flexible a substrate is or the larger a bond area is, the more important it is to select an adhesive with a comparable degree of flexibility.
  6. 6. Safety and sustainability: Look for glues that are water-based with low VOC content and choose sustainable, plant-based options when possible. Not only are they generally safer to use, but are likely to have a lower carbon footprint as well. Modern plant-based adhesives may also be higher performance than ones in years past.

The importance of choosing safe and sustainable adhesives

When manufacturing products that come into contact with people or the environment, it’s crucial to prioritize safety and sustainability. The following are the benefits of choosing safe and sustainable adhesives:

Protecting Consumers

Adhesives are used in a multitude of products, including furniture, toys, and food packaging. If these adhesives contain harmful chemicals, they can pose health risks to consumers. The most common consumer exposure to adhesives is inhalation of VOCs emitted from urea-formaldehyde resins.

Reducing Environmental Impact

Manufacturers can reduce their environmental impact by choosing sustainable adhesives that contribute to a healthier planet. Many adhesives are made from non-renewable resources and have a significant environmental impact. Specifically, as alluded to above, adhesives that emit VOCs contribute to air pollution and can adversely affect human health. Additionally, using renewable resources, such as plant-based materials, can help reduce the reliance on scarce resources like crude oil.

Ensuring Biodegradability, Compostability, and Recyclability

Using biodegradable or compostable adhesives can help reduce waste and limit the impact of landfills and the water table. Products using these adhesives can be easily separated from other materials and treated as “green waste” at the end of their useful life. By considering the complete life cycle of your products, you can not only help minimize the impact of waste, but potentially add value to it (through topsoil improvement efforts) while conserving resources.

Meeting Regulatory Requirements

Many countries have regulations requiring manufacturers to use low VOC adhesives in their products. By choosing these types of adhesives, manufacturers can ensure that their products meet regulatory requirements and avoid any potential legal issues, while protecting their customers and the environment. Project leads can also help ensure a higher Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating on construction projects, which can help companies save time and money through tax credits, zoning allowances, reduced fees, and expedited permitting. By using products that are made of sustainable materials, designers and architects can also help their project meet Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals.

Enhancing Performance

Choosing safe and sustainable adhesives doesn’t mean sacrificing performance. On the contrary, you may find that modern sustainable adhesives offer comparable or superior performance to traditional adhesives in selected applications.

BreezeBondTM by Specialty Organics, Inc.

After investing years into extensive research and development, experts successfully fine-tuned a proprietary wood composite panel hot-press adhesive with no added formaldehyde. BreezeBondTM, a product by Specialty Organics, Inc., is a pioneering family of adhesive products that harnesses the potential of protein modification and cross-linking in industries such as plywood, engineered flooring, particleboard, or disposable carton manufacturing.

Designed specifically for hot-press applications, this adhesive attaches phosphorus to the amino acid groups in proteins found in soy flour to better approximate the moisture resistant properties of marine adhesive proteins. Then, optionally, oxidizing agents or other additives can be added to fortify bonds, further enhancing the adhesive’s overall performance.

This novel product provides a safer, more sustainable, and possibly more economical alternative to formaldehyde-based adhesives, which often contain a large proportion of compounds that can impact human and environmental health.

The benefits of BreezeBondTM include the following:

  • Single-component, water-based adhesive
  • Cost-effective option with minimal investment requirements
  • Plant-based adhesive containing little or no petroleum products
  • No added formaldehyde, ultra-low VOC emissions
  • Months of shelf life and a spreadable consistency
  • Eco-friendly adhesive from sustainable and renewable materials
  • Virtually odorless once cured, with a pleasant, mild scent prior to cure
  • Abundant raw materials, stable markets/pricing
  • Helps offset demand imbalance between soy flour/meal and higher value soybean oil
  • Can be used as an extender by blending in with other water soluble hot-press adhesives
  • Sequesters carbon, helping manufacturers achieve their net zero carbon goals
  • Biodegradable and possibly compostable in some formulations/applications

Secure your projects with safe and sustainable adhesives from Specialty Organics, Inc.


Specialty Organics, Inc. manufactures adhesives for a range of hot-press applications while adhering to its mission of making products that are less harmful to the environment. Aside from BreezeBond™, we also offer toll manufacturing services, custom synthesis, proof of concept, and product scale-up in our pilot plant.

We are eager to provide a formulation that meets your product's specifications! Contact us now to get the high-quality supplies you require for durable bonding to position your company for success in tomorrow’s safe and sustainable market.

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