SUSBIND

Development and pilot production of SUStainable bio BINDer systems for wood-based panels from renewable resources

Today, formaldehyde is employed in fossil-based adhesives for Particle Board (PB) and Medium-Density Fibreboard (MDF), both of which are widely used in the furniture industry. As global consumption continues to rise, the carbon footprint of these materials needs to be addressed. New kinds of adhesives need to be developed, to reduce  greenhouse gas emissions as well as our dependence on fossil resources.

CE Delft is a partner in the SUSBIND project, a European consortium of research institutes and companies researching new bio-based adhesives for PB/MDF. The aim is to develop a bio-based adhesive and test in prototype PB/MDF products (TRL 5). During the development process CE Delft will aim for a product with a lower carbon footprint than today’s adhesives, that poses no health risks and meets all market requirements and regulations.

CE Delft’s contribution

The SUSBIND project is being coordinated by RTDS and implemented by partners from research and industry:

• Research: Fraunhofer IGB, Wood K+, CSIC Irnas, CSIC CIB
• Industry: Cargill, Egger, Valbopan, Inter IKEA Group, JenaBios

CE Delft is supporting the development process as follows:

• Life Cycle Assessment: LCAs on today’s adhesives, the proposed bio-based raw materials, the proposed binder production process and the proposed adhesives in combination with PB/MDF production. In each of these steps the LCAs will highlight any aspects requiring attention in terms of carbon emissions and health risks.
• A guideline for carbon footprint reduction when scaling-up the production of the new adhesive.
• A market analysis of the new adhesive: with industrial-scale production, how can technological and economic performance be maintained while still satisfying legislative and policy constraints?

SUSBIND has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 792063. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Bio Based Industries Consortium.

Summary of all SUSBIND analyses

The SUSBIND project was completed in August 2022. Over the past years, the SUSBIND consortium partners have developed the ‘SUSBIND adhesive’. This adhesive is partly bio-based (80% biogenic carbon). It consists of biobased fructose and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and fossil bis(hexamethylene)triamine (BHT). The SUSBIND adhesive has shown promising technical performance in boards produced at small scale and in a prototype final product (at Technology Readiness Level, TRL 5).

The results, conclusions and recommendations of CE Delft’s analyses are available here:

• SUSBIND – Consolidated LCA, techno-economic analysis and market uptake analysis

Other publications

• SUSBIND – LCA of current state-of-the-art-resins
• SUSBIND – LCA of proposed feedstock
• SUSBIND – LCA of proposed resins
• SUSBIND – LCA of adhesive systems
• SUSBIND – Guideline for carbon footprint reduction at TRL9
• SUSBIND – Market uptake analysis