A biobased binder of carboxymethyl cellulose, citric acid, chitosan and wheat gluten for nonwoven and paper.

The amount of disposable nonwovens used today for different purposes have an impact on the plastic waste streams which is built up from several single-use products. A particular problem comes from nonwoven products with "hidden" plastic (such as cellulose mixed with synthetic fibers and/or plastic binders) where the consumers cannot see or expect plastic. We have here developed a sustainable binder based on natural components; wheat gluten (WG) and a polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) made from chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose and citric acid which can be used with cellulosic fibers, creating a fully biobased nonwoven product.

A Protein-Based Material from a New Approach Using Whole Defatted Larvae, and Its Interaction with Moisture.

A protein-based material created from a new approach using whole defatted larvae of the Black Soldier fly is presented. The larvae turn organic waste into their own biomass with high content of protein and lipids, which can be used as animal feed or for material production. After removing the larva lipid and adding a plasticizer, the ground material was compression molded into plates/films.