Bio-based hot-melt adhesive from xylan

Adhesives are ubiquitous in industries and daily life. However, conventional fossil-derived adhesives pose substantial health and environmental risks during manufacturing and utilization. The development of nontoxic high-performance adhesives from renewable feedstocks is therefore highly desired but remains technically challenging. Here we report a high-performing hot-melt adhesive—glue that is applied in a hot molten state—derived from a byproduct of the pulp industry, xylan, a type of hemicellulose. Under optimal conditions, the lap-shear strength between wood chips can reach approximately 30 MPa, surpassing that of classic epoxy resins and far exceeding that of a commercial hot-melt adhesive (ethylene vinyl acetate). Furthermore, the xylan hot-melt adhesive exhibits excellent reusability for multiple applications, retaining more than 100% of its original adhesion strength even after ten reuse cycles. Toxicity tests show good biocompatibility for xylan hot-melt adhesive. Overall, this work provides useful insights into the design of high-performance, reusable, bio-based adhesives for enhanced sustainability.