Caremelt® is a completely bio-based, biodegradable hot melt adhesive that is by no means only suitable for short-lived or disposable products, but can also be used in furniture, textiles, shoes or books, for example. Thanks to its good industrial processability, its application profile is comparable to that of many conventional adhesives.
Hot glue can be found in many products today and has long since conquered the home improvement market. Up to a fifth of all adhesives today fall into this category! However, until now no fully bio-based and biodegradable hot-melt adhesive has been available on the market. This is all the more remarkable as adhesives can only very rarely be removed from products again for technical and economic reasons. Adhesives often end up in the environment as microplastics, for example due to product use and wear and tear, improper disposal or other circumstances. The researchers and developers at TITK have therefore turned to a problem whose solution is as overdue as it is technically challenging! The courage of the TITK team led by project manager Andreas Krypczyk to take on this challenge and the result impressed the jury in equal measure: once Caremelt® gets into the environment, microorganisms and natural degradation processes completely make it part of natural cycles again. In addition, as a completely bio-based adhesive, it is CO2-neutral. The properties of the adhesive and its application profile can be compared with those of established hot-melt adhesives, taking into account the somewhat lower thermal resistance. The patent-pending composition of polylactic acid (PLA), polysuccinic acid (PBS), terpene and colophony resins, natural waxes and citric acid derivatives is not only suitable for short-lived products such as shopping bags, diapers or cardboard boxes. Thanks to the new development from Thuringia, adhesive bonds in shoes, textiles, wood, metal or furniture parts and books can also be biodegradable in the future.
