SUSBOARD

The manufacture of wood-based materials is an important industry in the EU: every year, around 40 million m³ of particle board (PB) and 20 million m³ of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) are produced in Europe using around 5 million tonnes of fossil-based adhesives. In order to reduce the climate impact of these products, it is necessary to replace fossil-based chemicals in these adhesives. In addition, most of the adhesives currently in use contain formaldehyde, a carcinogenic substance.

In SUSBOARD, partners along the entire value chain, from renewable raw material suppliers to furniture manufacturers, are working together to bring a 100% bio-based, formaldehyde-free, technically and economically viable adhesive to market. The adhesive development is based on carbohydrate syrups, a raw material that is widely available in Europe, inexpensive and sustainable. In the predecessor project SusBind, an adhesive was already developed that consisted of over 80% renewable raw materials and was tested in high-quality wood-based panels. However, this system still contained a fossil-based amine component, which contributed significantly to its carbon footprint. As part of Susboard, this fossil component is being replaced by bio-based polylysine and a 100% bio-based and formaldehyde-free adhesive is being developed. This new adhesive system showed promising results in preliminary tests and outperformed the SusBind adhesive in terms of strength development. Adhesive production is being scaled up to several tonnes. The system is being tested on both a laboratory and industrial scale in two applications: the manufacture of PB and MDF. The SUSBOARD consortium will validate the technical and quality performance of the adhesive in industrial board production, as well as the board quality for further processing and furniture production. The entire project will be accompanied by an SSbD analysis to ensure sustainability and demonstrate the lower impact of the new adhesive on the environment (up to 30% lower carbon footprint) and human health. The project benefits from the results and experience gained from SusBind and combines these with the expertise of BASF, wood-based material producers (Sonae, KEAS), scientific partners (Wood K plus, IHD) and other organisations along the entire value chain.

Wood K plus is responsible for the scientific coordination of the SUSBOARD project and actively participates in all work packages (WP). Wood K plus leads WP1 on the development of adhesive formulations and WP2 on the definition of optimised laboratory parameters for the production of PB, MDF and other suitable applications. Wood K plus also supports the SSbD analysis and will be responsible for carrying out the ecological and socio-economic assessment of the SUSBOARD components.