Formaldehyde-free, aqueous NIPU impregnating resins for decor papers

The drawback of these systems is the high formaldehyde content, which makes them increasingly difficult to use. Due to these challenges, the first alternative products based on polyurethane dispersions were presented on the market. Despite many advantages, the market share is only weak in comparative terms to MF systems, which is due to the significantly higher price. One drawback of PUD systems is the presence of isocyanates and the associated high toxicity before curing as well as the high reactivity with water. For aqueous impregnating resins, complete paper impregnation is not possible with such systems, as the polymer particles present in dispersion have too high an average size to penetrate the paper (filter effect). Isocyanate- and formaldehyde-free poly(hydroxy)urethanes are not disturbed by water during curing and are to be investigated and developed in this project as a genuine alternative to MF and PUD impregnating resins.

The objectives of the new BioHarz research project launched at the IHD are:

• The development of aqueous, bio-based, isocyanate- and formaldehyde-free poly(hydroxy)urethane impregnating resins,
• the validation of PHU impregnating resins under application conditions and a proportion of renewable raw materials ≥ 75 % as well as the
• elaborating the requirements for upscaling to technical scale.

The project with the funding code 49MF220212 is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection as part of the INNO-KOM module "Market-oriented research and development" guideline.

Contact person for the project at the IHD is:

Dr. Andreas Fischer
andreas.fischer@ihd-dresden.de