Protein-containing adhesives, and manufacture and use thereof

Abstract

The invention provides protein adhesives and methods of making and using such adhesives. One type of protein adhesive described herein contains lignin and ground plant meal or an isolated polypeptide composition obtained from plant biomass. Other types of protein adhesives described herein contain a plant protein composition and either a hydroxyaromatic/aldehyde, urea/aldehyde, or amine/aldehyde component.

1 . An adhesive composition comprising:
 (a) lignin; and   (b) a plant protein composition.   
     
     
         2 - 34 . (canceled) 
     
     
         35 . A hydroxyaromatic-aldehyde adhesive composition comprising:
 (a) a hydroxyaromatic compound;   (b) an aldehyde source; and   (c) a plant protein composition selected from the group consisting of ground plant meal and isolated polypeptide composition.   
     
     
         36 . The composition of  claim 35 , wherein the hydroxyaromatic compound is phenol. 
     
     
         37 . A urea compound-aldehyde adhesive composition comprising:
 (a) a urea compound;   (b) an aldehyde source; and   (c) a plant protein composition selected from the group consisting of ground plant meal and isolated polypeptide composition.   
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . An amine compound-aldehyde adhesive composition comprising:
 (a) an amine compound selected from the group consisting of a primary amine compound and a secondary amine compound;   (b) an aldehyde source; and   (c) a plant protein composition selected from the group consisting of ground plant meal and isolated polypeptide composition.   
     
     
         40 - 44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . The composition of  claim 36 , wherein the aldehyde source is formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glyoxal, methyl glyoxal, glycoaldehyde, propanedial, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, pentanal, hexanal, dodecanal, octadecanal, cinnamaldehyde, furfuraldehyde, benzaldehyde, or glutaraldehyde. 
     
     
         46 . The composition of  claim 36 , wherein the aldehyde source is HC(O)H. 
     
     
         47 . The composition of  claim 36 , wherein the plant protein composition is derived from corn, wheat, sunflower, cotton, rapeseed, canola, castor, soy, camelina, flax, jatropha, mallow, peanuts, algae, sugarcane begasse, tobacco, whey, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         48 . The composition of  claim 47 , wherein the plant protein composition is ground plant meal. 
     
     
         49 . The composition of  claim 48 , wherein the ground plant meal has a particle size in the range of from about 1 μm to about 200 μm. 
     
     
         50 . The composition of  claim 47 , wherein the plant protein composition is isolated polypeptide composition. 
     
     
         51 . The composition of  claim 50 , wherein the isolated polypeptide composition is water-insoluble/water dispersible protein fraction. 
     
     
         52 . The composition of  claim 50 , wherein the isolated polypeptide composition comprises one or more of the following features:
 (a) an amide-I absorption band between about 1620 cm −1  and 1632 cm −1  and an amide-II band between approximately 1514 cm −1  and 1521 cm −1 , as determined by solid state Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR),   (b) a prominent 2° amide N—H stretch absorption band centered at about 3272 cm −1 , as determined by solid state FTIR,   (c) an average molecular weight of between about 600 and about 2,500 Daltons,   (d) two protonated nitrogen clusters defined by  15 N chemical shift boundaries at about 86.2 ppm and about 87.3 ppm, and  1 H chemical shift boundaries at about 7.14 ppm and 7.29 ppm for the first cluster, and  1 H chemical shift boundaries at about 6.66 ppm and 6.81 ppm for the second cluster, as determined by solution state, two-dimensional proton-nitrogen coupled NMR, and   (e) is capable of dispersing an oil-in-water or water-in-oil to produce a homogeneous emulsion that is stable for least 5 minutes.   
     
     
         53 - 58 . (canceled) 
     
     
         59 . The composition of  claim 36 , further comprising a reactive prepolymer. 
     
     
         60 . The composition of  claim 59 , wherein the reactive prepolymer is an organic polyisocyanate. 
     
     
         61 . The composition of  claim 59 , wherein the reactive prepolymer is polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate. 
     
     
         62 - 63 . (canceled) 
     
     
         64 . A solid binder composition formed by curing a composition of  claim 35 . 
     
     
         65 . A method of bonding a first article to a second article comprising:
 (a) depositing on a surface of the first article the adhesive composition of  claim 35  thereby to create a binding area; and   (b) contacting the binding surface with a surface of the second article thereby to bond the first article to the second article.   
     
     
         66 . (canceled) 
     
     
         67 . A method of producing a composite material comprising:
 (a) combining a first article and a second article with the adhesive composition of  claim 35  to produce a mixture; and   (b) curing the mixture produced by step (a) to produce the composite material.   
     
     
         68 - 71 . (canceled) 
     
     
         72 . An article comprising two or more components bonded together using the adhesive composition of  claim 35 . 
     
     
         73 - 74 . (canceled) 
     
     
         75 . An article produced using the adhesive composition of  claim 35 . 
     
     
         76 . The article of  claim 75 , wherein the article is a composite. 
     
     
         77 - 82 . (canceled) 
     
     
         83 . A phenol-formaldehyde-plant protein adhesive composition comprising:
 (a) phenol;   (b) formaldehyde;   (c) a plant protein composition selected from the group consisting of ground plant meal and isolated polypeptide composition; and   (d) a reactive prepolymer;   wherein the ratio of (i) weight percent of reactive prepolymer in the adhesive composition to (ii) the sum of the weight percent of phenol and formaldehyde in the adhesive composition is greater than 1:1.   
     
     
         84 . (canceled) 
     
     
         85 . The composition of  claim 83 , wherein the ratio of (i) weight percent of reactive prepolymer in the adhesive composition to (ii) weight percent plant protein composition in the adhesive composition is in the range of about 4:1 to about 1:4. 
     
     
         86 . The composition of  claim 83 , further comprising water. 
     
     
         87 . The composition of  claim 86 , wherein the water is present in an amount ranging from about 45% w/w to about 75 w/w of the adhesive composition. 
     
     
         88 . The composition of  claim 86 , further comprising urea. 
     
     
         89 . The composition of  claim 88 , wherein the urea is present in an amount ranging from about 0.5% w/w to about 5% w/w of the adhesive composition. 
     
     
         90 . The composition of  claim 83 , wherein the reactive prepolymer is a polyisocyanate-based prepolymer, an epoxy-based prepolymer, a latex-based prepolymer, a latex prepolymer, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         91 . The composition of  claim 83 , wherein the reactive prepolymer is a polyisocyanate-based prepolymer. 
     
     
         92 . (canceled) 
     
     
         93 . The composition of  claim 83 , wherein the reactive prepolymer is polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate. 
     
     
         94 . The composition of  claim 83 , wherein the plant protein composition is ground plant meal. 
     
     
         95 . A phenol-formaldehyde-plant protein adhesive composition comprising:
 (a) phenol and formaldehyde that together constitute from about 0.5% w/w to about 10% w/w of the adhesive composition;   (b) ground plant meal in an amount ranging from about 10% w/w to about 30% w/w of the adhesive composition;   (c) polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate in an amount ranging from about 10% w/w to about 30% w/w of the adhesive composition; and   (d) water in an amount ranging from about 45% w/w to about 75% w/w of the adhesive composition.   
     
     
         96 . The composition of  claim 95 , further comprising urea in an amount ranging from about 0.5% w/w to about 5% w/w of the adhesive composition. 
     
     
         97 . (canceled) 
     
     
         98 . The composition of  claim 95 , wherein the ratio of (i) weight percent of polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate in the adhesive composition to (ii) weight percent plant protein composition in the adhesive composition is in the range of about 3:1 to about 1:2. 
     
     
         99 . The composition of  claim 98 , wherein the ground plant meal has a particle size in the range of from about 1 μm to about 200 μm. 
     
     
         100 . (canceled) 
     
     
         101 . The composition of  claim 95 , wherein the ground plant meal is derived from corn, wheat, sunflower, cotton, rapeseed, canola, castor, soy, camelina, flax, jatropha, mallow, peanuts, algae, sugarcane begasse, tobacco, whey, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         102 . A solid binder composition formed by curing a composition of  claim 83 . 
     
     
         103 . A method of bonding a first article to a second article comprising:
 (a) depositing on a surface of the first article the adhesive composition of  claim 83  thereby to create a binding area; and   (b) contacting the binding surface with a surface of the second article thereby to bond the first article to the second article.   
     
     
         104 . The method of  claim 103 , further comprising the step of, after step (b), permitting the adhesive composition to cure. 
     
     
         105 . A method of producing a composite material comprising:
 (a) combining a first article and a second article with the adhesive composition of  claim 83  to produce a mixture; and   (b) curing the mixture produced by step (a) to produce the composite material.   
     
     
         106 . (canceled) 
     
     
         107 . The method of  claim 103 , wherein the first article, the second article or both the first and second articles are lignocellulosic materials, or composite materials containing lignocellulosic material. 
     
     
         108 . (canceled) 
     
     
         109 . An article produced using the adhesive composition of  claim 83 . 
     
     
         110 . The article of  claim 109 , wherein the article is a composite. 
     
     
         111 . The article of  claim 110 , wherein the composite is a random non-oriented homogeneous composite, an oriented composite, or a laminated composite. 
     
     
         112 . The article of  claim 110 , wherein the composite is chip board, particle board, fiber board, oriented strand board, plywood, laminated veneer lumber, glulam, laminated whole lumber, laminated composite lumber, composite wooden I-beams, medium density fiberboard, high density fiberboard, extruded wood, or fiberglass. 
     
     
         113 . The article of  claim 109 , wherein the article is a particle board composite.