It was a normal day at work for the then intern Naima Orra at the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), in Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo. But, suddenly, she had a lot of difficulty removing a formula that stubbornly stuck to the propellers of the equipment used.
That's how she discovered, no less, than the new formula for a super glue! The product was originated from sugarcane bagasse and materials discarded by pulp companies. The event reached Rubia Figueiredo Gouveia, a researcher at the National Nanotechnology Laboratory.
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After a month, the two managed to arrive at the final formula based on research and improvements, mixing latex, nanocellulose and lignin. Brazilian sustainable glue has the same efficiency as conventionally marketed glue, in addition to being cheaper. The low cost is made possible by the use of discarded products.
As Rubia stated in an interview with BBC Brasil, “these last two elements [nanocellulose and lignin], are often discarded on a large scale by paper industries and oil refineries. sugar cane. Reusing (…) is sustainable and should also make production cheaper”. Latex is still the only one extracted from trees, such as rubber trees.
Nanocellulose can be obtained from eucalyptus and produced on a large scale in the country. However, the new glue, as mentioned, extracts the substance from sugarcane bagasse. Lignin, in turn, is originated by the paper industries from “black liquor”. To get to the substance, it is necessary to cook it together with soda at high temperature and pressure.
The research manager of the Lignina Project at Suzano Papel e Celulose, Fabiano Rosso, points out that the fraction of 3% (about 20,000 tons) of the lignin produced at the plant is sold to MDF and wood factories after a treatment. The remainder is used for burning to produce energy and sell the surplus.
However, if the viability of superglue is proven, a good part of the industry's production could be used for this purpose. In an interview reproduced by Portal G1, Rosso also states that part of the material intended for the energy could be reversed in the manufacture of materials, a viable path for the production of large scale.
In addition to the economy, sustainable glue does not use chemical solvents derived from petroleum, such as formaldehyde, classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1984. The substance is present, for example, in the glues of shoemakers and glaziers. It is the one that has a very characteristic smell and causes symptoms such as headaches and nausea.
The potency of the Brazilian sustainable glue has already been proven in laboratory tensile tests. In them, the product was capable of gluing paper, wood, in addition to demonstrating adhesion power in materials such as aluminum. A priori, industries such as automobile, furniture, civil construction and toys would immediately benefit from superglue.
However, the researchers intend to adapt its use to different situations, such as furniture, fabrics, schools and offices. For this, the formula can be modified and tested at high and low temperatures. It is also expected that it can bond glass and other materials, in order to benefit other areas.
The Brazilian sustainable glue is patented and should be registered abroad next year, under the authorship of Rúbia and Naima.