Open Access

ARTICLE

Bond Strength of Biodegradable Gelatin-Based Wood Adhesives

by

Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, ECOT 441 UCB 428, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0428 USA

* Corresponding Author:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2015, 3(3), 195-204. https://doi.org/10.7569/JRM.2015.634108

Received 14 January 2015; Accepted 09 June 2015;

Abstract

A study of the potential for gelatin-based derivatives to serve as biorenewable, biodegradable adhesives for wood and engineered wood products is presented in this article. The effect of gelatin-to-water weight percent on the mechanical, specifically ultimate breaking (bond) strength, and thermal properties was investigated using tensile testing and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. The breaking strengths of the gelatin-based adhesives were characterized and compared to four commercially available wood adhesives. The effect of 1–5% tannin addition on the mechanical, thermal, and moisture absorption behavior of the gelatin-based adhesives was also investigated. Results show that the gelatin-based materials demonstrate 1) appropriate thermal behavior for wood adhesive applications, namely no phase transitions occur from 15–80°C after three days of curing, and 2) comparable mechanical properties to the commercial adhesives. Specifically, the data suggest that the melting peaks of a) gelatin and b) gelatin-tannin adhesives disappear after three and two days of ambient curing, respectively. Furthermore, the tannin modifications did not cause reductions in the initial strength of the gelatin adhesives. Results of moisture conditioning and mechanical tests indicate that the tannin modifications did improve the short-term moisture resistance of the gelatin-based adhesives.

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