SGER/GOALI: Industry Presence on Campus: Cross-linking of Collagen Binders for Foundry Cores to Reduce VOC Emissions

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The objective of this award is to develop a collagen-based binder that can be used in foundry core sands. Cores create the hollow cavities within cast iron products; and the cores are comprised of silica sand plus a core binder. The aim is to replace petroleum-based binders that use phenolic urethane or furan / toluene. The collagen offers a means of creating a sustainable binder from a US food processing source that is otherwise mostly discarded. The collagen binder will release about 20-30% as much volatile organic compounds into the air, when compared to the conventional petroleum-based binders. The work herein will focus on discerning a favorable cross-linker that will cause one collagen strand to chemically bind to neighboring strands. This will increase the strength of the binder, and render it less susceptible to softening when immersed in water, as when applying a core wash. Preliminary results show that a cross-linker will yield a binder that hosts a tensile strength of 300-400 pounds per square inch, when 1% collagen-based binder is used. This transformative research aims to provide a means for foundries to diminish pollution while delivering high-quality iron castings. This will help the foundries be good neighbors in the local communities, while maintaining important manufacturing jobs in America. The research will open the way for collagen to be used in a broad range of new applications that include medicine, environmental sorbents, and electronics. This research and development will engage a Ph.D. candidate who has worked in the foundry industry. In this role, this student devised a means to cut foundry sand waste, via other NSF-funded projects. As a deliverable, the results will be widely disseminated via refereed journal papers and conference presentations. Also, with foundry partners, the subsequent aim is to test these collagen-based binders at the demonstration-scale or full-scale.This project is jointly funded by the Materials Processing & Manufacturing Program, of the Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation Division and by the Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry Program of the Industrial Innovation and Partnerships Division.