FCH BUT contributes to the development of more environmentally friendly binders for wood-based materials

A research team from the Faculty of Chemistry at Brno University of Technology has joined the DextrinBond project, which focuses on the development of innovative binders for wood-based materials. The aim is to reduce dependence on traditional urea-formaldehyde resins, which are commonly used today in the production of particleboards but also pose environmental and health risks.

Dextrin-based binders are used in various industrial applications, for example in the production of paper tubes and wood-based materials. From left: Jan Hajzler, Tomáš Solný, Michal Marko | Author: Archive of the Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology

The project is based on the use of natural polymers, primarily dextrins, and combines renewable raw materials with modern technological approaches. The researchers will focus on developing new types of binders that can preserve the key properties of current materials, such as mechanical strength, production efficiency, and economic affordability.

“We are behind one of the most ambitious materials projects of the present day. Together with my colleagues Michal Marek and Jan Hajzler, we are focusing on the development of an innovative solution with the potential to fundamentally transform the wood-based materials industry,” says the project’s principal investigator Tomáš Solný.

The ambition of the project is not only the partial replacement of existing resins, but also the development of a full-fledged alternative. An important part of the research will also be the quantification of the limits of the new materials and their properties in practice. The expected outcomes include products with lower formaldehyde content that will make it possible to move towards stricter emission classes.

The project thus responds to growing demands for the sustainability and safety of materials and may make a significant contribution to the transformation of the entire wood-based materials sector.

The DextrinBond project, “Eco-friendly binders reducing the environmental impacts of particleboard material production,” is co-financed by the European Union under the Operational Programme Technologies and Applications for Competitiveness (OP TAC), registration no. CZ.01.01.01/01/24_063/0006811.

Published
Link https://www.fch.vut.cz/en//f81551/d324035