The growth in demand for hot melt adhesives has been stimulated for increased packaging needs across the globe. The increased demand has also lead to the development of biodegradable hot melt adhesive systems as a means of keeping up with the needs of the clients as well as reducing the environmental impact of using adhesives in packaging.
New technologies allow for biodegradable hot melt adhesives which have the usual properties of hot melts and are compostable. These adhesives use materials derived from renewable resources and they can be broken down by bacteria and other microorganisms.
As the technology improves as the need for biodegradable hot melt adhesives is becoming ever-greater, new innovations are continuously developed. Therefore, even though it might seem there is no compostable hot melt for your application, it is always worth discovering the options. Do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to know more about the biodegradable possibilities for your process and products.
Traditional Hot Melt Adhesives
Traditional hot melt adhesives are petroleum based so they are not biodegradable. The two most popular types of hot melt adhesives are ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyolefin and they are commonly found in food packaging and paper applications all over the world. Let's take a closer look at these two different types:
- Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) - this form of hot melt adhesive works well with paper and cellulosic materials and has a wide range of formulation. These adhesives set quickly and offer strong resistance properties and operate in a moderate range of temperatures. They are used in the packaging, converting, paper, automotive, and assembly industries and are a generally more affordable kind of hot melt adhesive.
- Polyolefin - these hot melt adhesives are made with catalyzed metallocene base, and have excellent adhesive qualities and an even faster set speed. It is also extremely resistant and services a vast range of temperatures. These adhesives are also used in the packaging converting, and assembly industries, but are limited in their range of available formulations; they are also generally more expensive, but definitely more economical to a per-use basis.
Industrial adhesives service a wide range of industries, from paper and packaging, to woodworking and the automotive industry. Hot melt adhesives, in particular, are commonly used for case and carton sealing and assembly, container labeling, and paper converting.
What is the difference between compostable and biodegradable?
Simply put, something is "biodegradable" if it can be disintegrated by bacteria, fungi, or some other biological process. If you look at the world itself, the meaning is right there. "Bio" meaning "life," "degrade" meaning to break down, and "able" of course meaning that it can happen. Biodegradation is basically just the process of nature taking its course and breaking down materials to their components parts. Plastic will break down into carbon dioxide, water, and a few other things - pretty simple, right?
Many things are biodegradable, if given enough time. Plastics in particular are known to take decades or even centuries to break down naturally, but they will break down. So, technically speaking, they are biodegradable. Even diapers, notorious for lasting a long time in land fills, will break down eventually.
When a packaging company says that their product is biodegradable, all they really mean is that it will break down when placed in a land fill. Obviously we don't want products that last forever sitting in our land fills. The key, however, is to take note of how long it takes for the product to biodegrade. Some products degrade in months, while others take years. When shopping for green products, the less time for biodegradation the better.
We've all heard of a compost heap, right? When you take organic materials and allow it to decompose which then creates fertilizer for your soil. Composting it is the process or recycling organic waste so that it can eventually be reused.
In the packaging world, compostable means something a bit different. Typically, what a packaging company means when they call their product "compostable" is that it can be turned into compost... if entered into an industrial composting facility. This is an important distinction. Compostable products do not always biodegrade naturally in a landfill. They have to be placed in the right kind of conditions, conditions that are often only found in industrial compost facilities. Compostable products will take much longer to break down if in a landfill, especially an "air locked" landfill where there will be no oxygen.
Compostable products are great for environment, but it is important to make sure that your business has the proper waste management processes in place. Make sure that your compostable waste is going to a compost facility.
The primary difference between compostable and biodegradable is that compostable products require a specific setting in order to break down, whereas biodegradable products break down naturally. Typically composting is a faster process, but only under the right conditions. Both of these kinds of products are better for the environment than plastic products that can take hundreds of years to disintegrate.
What biodegradable hot melt exists today?
Biodegradable hot melt adhesives are used bookbinding, packaging and laminating applications. The use of these adhesives allows for 100% compostable packaging and paper products. The adhesives can be realized through several technologies which are under continuous development. Some of the current available technologies include the following:
- Lactic acid based biodegradable hot melt adhesive: lactic acid based hot melt adhesives are 100% biodegradable and can be modified to perfection with help of additives.
- Water soluble compostable hot melt adhesive: these adhesives are practically not hot melts as they are dissolved in water prior to application. The application does not require heat, which reduces the manufacturer's electricity bill.
- Biodegradable hot melt beads: biodegradable adhesive beads can be applied with hot melt glue machinery and equipment, yet they do not require heat to adhere to substrates.
Infinity Bond EnviroMelt
- 100% biodegradable and sustainable product
- Passes repulpability test method #2 for "unconditional repulpability"
- Eliminates need to inventory volatile solvents and caustic cleaners
- Non-flammable
- Cleans easily with warm water
- Features strong bonds at -20F for frozen foods
- Sustains elevated temperatures up to 300F
- Withstands adverse conditions such as presence of oils and vapors which would ordinarily attack plastic hot melts
- Reduced energy requirements, melting at 140F-150F instead of 250F-350F
- High tack resulting in potentially higher line speeds than cold glues
- Cooler end use application temperature resulting in:
- Eliminating inadvertent employee burns
- Lost time on accidents are reduced or eliminated
- Greatly reduce wear and tear on equipment parts - less cost, less down time
- Cost saving replacement for hot melts
- Conforms to C.F.R. 175.105 (Food Packaging Adhesive)