Plant protein-based adhesives are being intensively studied for wood bonding applications. Soy protein adhesives are of interest due to the large availability of soy flour. While soy flour adhesives are already commercially successful in some markets, increasing their wet strength could lead to wider adoption. In general, protein denaturation is known to increase the adhesive’s wet strength, and protein aggregation is also believed to play a role in this property. Unfortunately, there is almost no data available to determine what protein characteristics lead to good bond strengths. Here, we report on correlations between soy protein physical properties and wet bond strength after different denaturation treatments. We investigated soy adhesives made from soy protein isolates with wet strengths ranging from 0 to 3 MPa. Physical properties investigated include protein aggregate size, solubility, surface hydrophobicity, and more. Understanding the mechanisms by which proteins develop bond strength will speed the pace of product development.

Correlations between soy protein physical properties and wet strength of wood adhesives

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.