SBIR Phase I: The Development of Biodegradable Hot Melt Pressure Sensitive Adhesives for Use in Hygiene Products

SBIR一期项目的广泛影响是开发完全可生物降解的一次性个人护理产品，特别是月经垫。一般来说，经期护垫在使用后不能回收或由市政设施堆肥，因为生物可降解的热熔胶在构建和定位它们时存在问题。生物降解可能是减少与之相关的环境影响的最佳途径，特别是在城市固体废物设施不发达的地区。最终，无毒、安全、有效的一次性月经护垫可以改善月经期女性的生活质量和环境，并为美国和全球的生产商提供新的商业机会。拟议的项目解决了合成可生物降解热塑性塑料和生物添加剂的组合的技术挑战，这将创造一种压敏粘合剂（PSA）。该PSA必须在商业热熔胶应用机械以及预期产品中表现良好，在使用六个月内完全安全降解，并且在规模上具有商业可行性。这些参数尚未被生物基粘合剂所满足。研究方法如下：首先，利用生物基聚合物和生物基可生物降解添加剂，包括增塑剂、增粘剂和相容剂，开发和合成psa，以提高psa的性能。其次，根据既定的使用和制造要求对psa进行表征，并优化成分以确保满足要求。第三，测试PSA的降解成分，包括在垃圾填埋场、土壤和水条件下（包括海洋环境）完全生物降解所需的时间。查明由于生物降解过程而形成的中间化学分子和结构，确定它们对环境和生物有机体健康的潜在危害。该项目将开发一种可生物降解的PSA，该PSA将满足月经垫的制造和性能标准，并表明在非专业环境条件下，PSA可以在不到六个月的时间内完全生物降解，而不需要机械化学或光降解过程。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this SBIR Phase I project is in development of fully-biodegradable disposable personal care products, particularly menstrual pads. In general, menstrual pads cannot be recycled or be composted by municipal facilities after use because of issues with the biodegradable hot-melt adhesives to construct and position them. Biodegradation may be the best way to reduce the environmental impact associated with them, particularly in geographies where municipal solid waste facilities are underdeveloped. Ultimately, non-toxic, safe and effective disposable menstrual pads could improve quality of life for menstruating women and the environment, and provide a new commercial opportunity for producers in the US and around the globe.The proposed project addresses the technical challenge of synthesizing a combination of biodegradable thermoplastics and biological additives that will create a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). This PSA must performs well in commercial hot glue application machinery as well as in the intended products, completely and safely degrade within six months of use, and is commercially viable at scale. These parameters have yet to be met by biological-based adhesives. The research approach is as follows: First, develop and synthesize PSAs using a biological base polymer and biological-based biodegradable additives, including plasticizers, tackifiers, and compatibilizers to enhance the performance of the PSAs. Second, characterize PSAs based on established use and manufacturing requirements and optimize the composition to ensure the requirements are met. Third, test PSA compositions for degradation, including length of time required for complete biodegradation under landfill, soil, and water conditions, including marine environments. Identify intermediate chemical molecules and structures that form as a result of the biodegradation process, determine their potential hazards on both the environment and the health of biological organisms. This project will develop a biodegradable PSA that will meet manufacturing and performance standards in menstrual pads and show that the PSA can be fully biodegradable in less than six months under non-specialized environmental conditions, without the need of mechanochemical or photo degradation processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.