Sustainable p-s tape adhesive made from vegetable oils?
A mishap in an Oregon State University lab has led to an environmentally-friendly, tape adhesive, reports Sustainable Business Oregon. Made cheaply from vegetable oils, the new pressure-sensitive adhesive can be used for duct tape, packaging tape, p-s labels or stick-on notes.

Discovered in the lab of Kaichang Li, the new adhesive was stumbled upon when scientists were looking for something that could be used in another wood-based composite product. “We were working toward a hot-melt composite adhesive that was based on inexpensive and environmentally friendly vegetable oils,” said Li, associate professor of wood science and engineering in the OSU College of Forestry. “What we were coming up with was no good for that purpose, it wouldn’t work.”

But the adhesive, which was simple to make and, negating the need for petrochemicals, completely renewable, worked great on paper. OSU has applied for a patent on the technology and is looking for an appropriate business partner to further develop and commercialize the adhesive.

K 2010 entrance passes available online at reduced rates
Entrance passes and show directories for K 2010, the 18th international trade fair for plastics and rubber, are available online now (€49 each for a one-day entrance pass, €108 each for a three-day entrance pass, €22 for a show director and €34 for a show directory and DVD package). K 2010 will take place Oct. 27-Nov. 3 at the Fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany. The entrance passes can also be used as a free public transportation ticket on all buses, streetcars, underground trams. urban railways and German rail service within the Rhine-Ruhr regional network. More info