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SUMMARY:Green to Gold - From academic curiosity to a Multi $Bn Business Op
 portunity! - Professor Xiaobin Zhao\, Cambond
DTSTART:20151119T113000Z
DTEND:20151119T123000Z
UID:TALK60916@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Catherine Pearson
DESCRIPTION:Prof.  Zhao has worked for over 20 years on biomaterials and b
 ioapsorptive polymerxs. Recently he was in China to develop a protein base
 d biomatrix as a ‘coating’ treatment for seeds to deliver controlled r
 elease of agents to preserve and protect them from environmental damage. A
 s rice seeds were tested and they are immersed in water for a long time\, 
 the water resistance of the coating materials was very important. In 2012\
 , Dr Zhao discovered that other plant based protein sources could also be 
 used for seed coating. Following a chance meeting\, he discovered these se
 ed coating materials could also be used as bio-adhesives for sticking wood
  together to make plywood. However\, the wet strength would not meet the r
 equirements of current industrial standards. \nCambond have pioneered a ne
 w process based on the discovery that biomass such as algae and Distiller
 ’s Dry Grains and Solubles (DDGS) \, can be crosslinked by isocyanate-co
 ntaining crosslinking agents\, to form a water resistant polymeric network
 . The isocyanate functional groups are blocked by natural phenol groups in
  algae or hydroxyl groups from the biomass protecting the isocyanate activ
 ities. Blocked isocyanate groups keep the adhesives stable in aqueous adhe
 sives and are less toxic and more stable than virgin isocyanates. De-block
 ing of the isocyanate-phenol/alcohol conjugates takes place during the hea
 ting phase of wood composite manufacture creating strong wood-wood bonds (
 adhesion). \nThe ‘greenglue’ process is sustainable and efficient (usi
 ng by-products of existing biotechnology processes\, low energetics\, no c
 atalysis) and is environmentally friendly. \nGreenglue can be used as a di
 rect replacement for urea/formaldehyde resins in the woodpanel indusry (a 
 global $500Bn a year market).The low energetics and fact that the biomass 
 can replace fossil fuel feedstocks demonstrates that ‘green glue’ adhe
 sives have enourmous potential to secure a significant space in the global
  market for commodity adhesives.\n
LOCATION:Open Plan Area\, BP Institute\, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ
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