Water-based adhesives into research and development focus

In order to completely eradicate the residual hazards of solvent in composite flexible packaging, water-based adhesives have become a key issue for domestic adhesive research and development. According to statistics, China's food composite flexible packaging bags require about 50,000 tons of adhesive per year, of which solvent-based polyurethane adhesives account for more than 90%, and solvent-free and water-based composite adhesives less than 10%. Experts say that flexible packaging made of solvent-free composite adhesives cannot meet the requirements for boiling and high-temperature cooking, and its application is narrow and requires specialized composite equipment. Water-based composite adhesives can be applied directly to dry composite equipment and can achieve all the properties of solvent-based adhesives.

At present, foreign water-based adhesives develop very rapidly. In the U.S. market, about 60% of water-based glue is used, Japan accounts for 50%, and Europe accounts for more than 40%. The domestic high-end market is dominated by foreign waterborne adhesives, of which the largest share is Rohm and Haas. Other foreign adhesive companies are also actively entering the Chinese market.

At present, domestic adhesive products are mainly used in the low-end product market of paper-plastic composites. For the high-end plastic/plastic composite water-based adhesives, most of them are still in the experimental stage, and they cannot really achieve scale production. There are also many problems that are difficult to solve in practical applications.

Source: China Packaging News