Award for new ‘green’ glue for wood products
3 November 2016Scion’s environmentally friendly bioadhesives technology has been awarded Biotechnology of the Year at NZBIO’s annual conference. (Scion is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute specialising in forestry and wood products, and NZBIO represents the New Zealand biotechnology sector.)
Dr Will Barker, chief executive of NZBIO, said the technology was a game changer for wood panel manufacturers.
The Scion bioadhesives team, led by Warren Grigsby, developed a world first 100% biobased adhesive and resins for engineered wood products.
Made from natural sources, such as forestry and agricultural waste, these adhesives and resins are petrochemical-free, have very low formaldehyde emissions and can be made and used in existing manufacturing operations.
“We are thrilled to receive this award. It’s a great acknowledgement. We’ve spent years mixing and matching assorted ingredients to come up with right recipe. This is the icing on the cake,” Mr Grigsby said.
The technology, which has been over seven years in the making, has been trademarked and patented as ‘Ligate’.
“Adhesives and resins made from natural sources have a lower environmental footprint and are considered more socially acceptable than their traditional formaldehyde-based counterparts,” added Mr Grigsby.
The technology has already attracted international interest.
