Progress 07/01/01 to 06/30/04
Outputs
Biomass wastes such as liquid whey effluents from dairy industry are a burden on the environment due to their high biological oxygen demand (BOD). This project explored the use of whey proteins, the byproduct from cheese making, as a co-binding material in the development of a water-based environmentally friendly wood finish coating alternative, since currently used finish products predominantly contain volatile organic compounds (VOC), which are detrimental to air quality and harmful to the human health. A novel wood finish prototype product was formulated by incorporating thermally denatured whey protein isolate (WPI) dispersion into a waterborne resin (acrylic or polyurethane) based environmentally safe wood finish coating mix. The new WPI-resin composite coating product exhibited excellent mechanical and water resistance properties while contained a much less amount (<80 g/l) of VOC than the commercial counterparts (250-450 g/l). A U.S. patent application and a new
international application have been filed on these research findings. Results of the mold resistance study suggested that the degree of mold resistance of the new coating formulations was related to the level of protein incorporation and type and level of biocides used. Coating formulations with higher level of biocides achieved better mold resistance, whereas increasing protein level increased the rate of mold growth. Overall, the mold resistance of our coating formulations was comparable to the commercial products. The mold resistance data can provide researchers with useful information to tailor the wood finish formulations for various coating applications with desirable mold resistance. Microstructural characteristics of thin films prepared from the wood finish products were examined using three electron microscopic techniques, namely SEM, AFM and Confocal Microscopy. Micrographs of the films obtained demonstrated the compatibility between proteins and resins and revealed the
details of the complicated interactions among constituents. The microstructural data of polymeric materials can aid our understanding and prediction of material behaviors. The weatherability of the coating products was also examined by exposing coated wood panels to a continuous light cycle (UVA 351 lamps, 0.85 W/m2) at 50?C in a QUV accelerated weathering tester for a total duration of 667 h. Results showed that incorporation of light stabilizers in the coating formulations greatly improved the gloss retention, yellowness index difference, color difference, and lightness index difference. The weatherability of our coating products was better than or comparable to a commercial waterborne product. The shelf-life of the prototype products was stable (> 12 months) under ambient conditions. In addition, preliminary scale-up studies have generated promising results for future production of the wood finish coating products. The research results show that the new water-based environmentally
safe wood finish products may be used as alternatives to high VOC-containing commercial products for coating furniture, toys, and other high-end wooden products.
Impacts
We have demonstrated that cheese whey proteins could be used as a binding material in the development of new water-based environmentally safe wood finish coating products. Successful development and application of such a product will be beneficial not only to the wood and dairy industries, but also the environment and consumers.
Publications
- Guo, M.R., Li, J. and Wright, N.C. Protein based wood finishes and methods of producing the same. U.S. Patent Application No.: 60/397,460. Filed date: July 19, 2002.
- Li, J. and Guo, M.R. 2002. Develop an environmentally safe wood finish product using whey protein as a co-binding material. J. Dairy Sci. 85(Suppl. 1):380.
- Wright, N.C. and Guo, M.R. 2002. Characterization of an environmentally safe wood finishes containing whey proteins. Book of Abstracts, PMSE 0171. 224th ACS National Meeting, August 18-22, Boston, MA.
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
The objective of this project is to explore the use of whey proteins the by product from cheese making as a co-binding material to develop water-based environmentally safe wood finish products. Thermally denatured whey protein isolate (WPI) solution was incorporated into a waterborne resin (acrylic or polyurethane) based environmentally safe wood finish coating mix to formulate a novel wood finish prototype product. The new WPI-resin coating products exhibit excellent mechanical and water resistance properties while contain a much less amount of organic solvents than the commercial finish products. A U.S. provisional patent has been filed on these research findings. Results of studies on the mold resistance of the prototype coating products in comparison to a selected commercial water-based wood finish suggested that the degree of mold resistance of the coating formulations was related to the level of protein incorporation and type and level of biocides used. Coating
formulations with higher level of biocides achieved better mold resistance, whereas increasing protein level increased the rate of mold growth. On the other hand, a faster rate of mold growth was noted on the commercial wood finish coating compared to our coating formulations. The mold resistance data can provide useful information in tailoring the wood finish coating formulations for various coating applications with desirable mold resistance. Microstructural characteristics of thin films prepared from the wood finish products were examined using three electron microscopic techniques, namely SEM, AFM and Confocal Microscopy. Micrographs of the films obtained demonstrated the compatibility between proteins and resins and revealed the details of the complicated interactions among constituents. The microstructural data of polymeric materials can aid our understanding and prediction of material behaviors. The weatherability of the coating products was also examined by exposing coated
wood panels to a continuous light cycle (UVA 351 lamps, 0.85 W/m2) at 50?C in a QUV accelerated weathering tester for a total duration of 667 hours. Results showed that incorporation of light stabilizers in the coating formulations greatly improved the gloss retention, yellowness index difference, color difference, and lightness index difference. The weatherability of our coating products was better than or comparable to a commercial waterborne product. Shelf-life study of the whey-based coating products and the scale-up trials for future production of the coating products are underway.
Impacts
Strict environmental regulations are a reality in the paint industry today. Consumers demand environmentally safe products. The goal of this project was to develop water-based environmentally safe wood finish coating products using cheese manufacturing by-product (whey protein) as a binding material. If successful, this novel whey-based finish might be a good alternative to solvent-based commercial products and could benefit the environment and the consumers, as well as help both dairy and wood industries by adding value to their commodities.
Publications
- There was no publication in this period (1/1/2003-12/31/2003)
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
The objective of this project was to develop a water-based environmentally safe wood finish product using cheese whey protein as a co-binding material. In our previous work, thermally denatured whey protein isolate (WPI) solution was incorporated into a waterborne resin (acrylic or polyurethane) based environmentally safe wood finish coating mix to formulate a novel wood finish prototype product. The new WPI-resin coating products exhibit excellent mechanical and water resistance properties while contain a much smaller amount of organic solvents than the commercial finish products. A U.S. provisional patent has been filed on these research findings. A follow-up study was then carried out to test the mold resistance of the prototype coating products in comparison to a selected commercial water-based wood finish. Preliminary results revealed that the degree of mold resistance of the coating formulations was related to the level of protein incorporation and type and
level of biocides used. Generally, coating formulations with higher level of biocides achieved better mold resistance, whereas increasing protein level increased the rate of mold growth. On the other hand, a faster rate of mold growth was observed on the commercial wood finish coating compared to our coating formulations. We are now working on another trial to verify the preliminary trial results. The mold resistance test can provide useful information in tailoring the wood finish coating formulations for various coating applications with desirable mold resistance. In next studies, the structure-property relationship of the wood finish coatings will be examined and the scale-up trials for future production of the coating products will also be explored.
Impacts
Commercial wood finish products predominantly contain volatile organic solvents, which are detrimental to air quality and harmful to the human health. The goal of this project was to develop an environmentally friendly wood finish product using cheese manufacturing by-product (whey protein) as a binding material. If successful, it will be a win-win situation for wood and dairy industries, environmental protection, and consumers.
Publications
- Li, J. and Guo, M. R. 2002. Develop an environmentally safe wood finish product using whey protein as a co-binding material. J. Dairy Sci. 85(Suppl. 1):380.
- Wright, N. C. and Guo, M. R. 2002. Characterization of an environmentally safe wood finishes containing whey proteins. Book of Abstracts, PMSE 0171. 224th ACS National Meeting, August 18-22, Boston, MA.
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Progress 07/01/01 to 12/31/01
Outputs
Commercial wood finish products predominantly contain solvents, i.e., volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that pollute the atmosphere and harm the health. The purpose of this project was to develop a waterborne environmentally friendly wood finish coating product by using whey protein as one of the major binding compounds. Thermally denatured whey protein isolate (WPI) solution was incorporated into an water-based environmentally safe wood finish coating system at different ratios of whey protein to total solids. The physiochemical properties (pH, density, viscosity, drying time, hardness, color, and etc.) of the coating mix and/or the films were examined in comparison with selected commercial wood finish products. The newly formulated WPI-acrylic resin coating formulations released a much smaller amount (< 80g/l) of VOCs than the commercial wood finish products (250-450g/l). The WPI-acrylic coatings also exhibited shorter drying time and higher surface hardness
compared to those of commercial products. Incorporation of WPI resulted in improved clarity and color attributes of the films, while mechanical strength and moisture barrier properties of the WPI-acrylic composite films were comparable to the commercial counterparts. The results show that the environmentally friendly wood finish coating prototype product may be a good alternative for coating furniture, toys, and other high-end wooden products.
Impacts
In response to the governmental regulations, the wood coating industry is looking to the water-based coating alternatives to reduce its use and release of VOCs. This project seeks to develop an environmentally safe wood finish product using cheese whey proteins as a co-binding material. Successful development and application of such a product will be beneficial not only to the wood and dairy and wooden furniture industries, but also the environment and consumers.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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