Cottonseed protein-based wood adhesive reinforced with nanocellulose

Although protein-based adhesives are eco-friendly, sustainable, and biodegradable, continued improvement in their adhesive performance is desirable. In this work, the effect of adding nanocellulose particles to cottonseed protein-based wood adhesives was studied. Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were found to be most beneficial at about a 2% additive level, giving 22% improvement in dry adhesive strength over the cottonseed protein control. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were optimal at about 10% additive level, giving 16% strength improvement relative to cottonseed protein alone. The hot water resistance of cottonseed protein isolate was also improved with CNF addition, but not with CNC addition. For comparison, soy protein isolate was also studied and showed about the same relative dry strength improvements with nanocellulose addition, but improvement of hot water resistance was less apparent. Infrared and thermogravimetric analysis suggested that the protein and the nanocellulose were interacting with each other. Thus, CNF may be a useful additive to cottonseed protein formulations used as wood adhesives.