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

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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.