NDSU Researchers Develop Bio-based Technology from U.S. Grown Crop Materials

Several crops produced in North Dakota could play a significant role in bio-based resins and coatings recently developed by researchers at North Dakota State University. Scientists at NDSU have developed bio-based resins that may prove to be a game changer in coatings and resin technology.

The NDSU researchers have developed a family of resins from renewable raw materials, creating resins that eliminate hazardous components such as formaldehyde and bisphenol-A. The resins are based on sucrose and vegetable oils, and can be varied to perform in many applications and industries, according to Dean Webster, professor in the NDSU Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials. Webster’s research group includes NDSU graduate students Xiao Pan and T. J. Nelson, undergraduate student Adlina Paramarta and Partha Sengupta, former postdoctoral researcher at NDSU.

The resins developed by the NDSU research group can be made from sugar beets, plus oils from soybeans, flax and sunflowers. When cured, the patent-pending resins show significantly improved properties over current bio-based materials and processes, according to the researchers. They also said the r