Advancing Adhesives: Agricultural Waste and Adhesives
Glue produced from spent fowl is proving to be an alternative to soy-based adhesives.
Almost two-thirds of adhesives produced each year in the U.S. are from non-renewable petroleum resources.1 However, each year brings added pressure to search for alternatives to petroleum-based adhesives, as oil prices rise and concerns over pollution released during the manufacture of these products grow.2
Natural-based adhesives are currently worth $500 million annually and occupy 5% of the adhesive market. Adhesives produced from cow blood, sorghum and wheat gluten have all been studied. At present, one of the most well-researched, natural-based adhesives is produced from soy. Yet the soybean market is unstable, and soy prices are high after the 2012 drought. Glue produced from spent fowl, a byproduct of the poultry industry, is proving to be an alternative to soy-based adhesives.