Wood products such as plywood, particleboard, and fiberboard rely on adhesives to provide strength and durability

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Clemson University $1 million on May 1, 2026, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (CFDA 10.310) to examine plant-based proteins from agricultural side streams as substitutes for petroleum-based adhesives in wood products such as plywood, particleboard, and fiberboard. The project runs through April 30, 2029, and is performed in Clemson, South Carolina.

The research focuses on understanding how protein composition, structure, and processing affect adhesive behavior and performance in wood products manufacturing. The work includes education and training activities providing hands-on experience in adhesive formulation, materials characterization, and performance testing to undergraduate students, graduate students, and early-career researchers, including training exchanges with the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Results are shared with academic, government, and industry stakeholders through meetings, workshops, publications, and presentations.

The Forest Service, as a sub-grantee receiving a sub-award on May 27, 2026, provides work space, equipment, support, and direction to a technician and postdoctoral researcher. The Forest Service conducts extensive screening of bond performance using its Automatic Bond Evaluation System, analyzes promising protein materials to understand performance mechanisms using fluorescence, light scattering, microscopy, surface chemistry, calorimetry, and mechanical characterization, and hosts and organizes at least two protein adhesive workshops open to academic and industry professionals. The Forest Service also disseminates findings through peer-reviewed publications and presentations.

Most adhesives currently used in these products are made from petroleum-based materials. At the same time, the U.S. Agricultural sector produces large quantities of plant-based protein residues as by-products of food, feed, and biofuel processing. These materials represent a potential domestic resource for wood adhesive applications. This project examines how plant-based proteins from agricultural side streams can be used in wood adhesive formulations. The research focuses on understanding how protein composition, structure, and processing affect adhesive behavior and performance. By identifying relationships between raw material properties, formulation variables, and bond performance, the project generates technical information relevant to wood products manufacturing. The project also includes education and training activities that provide hands-on experience in adhesive formulation, materials characterization, and performance testing. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and early-career researchers participate in laboratory research, workshops, and training exchanges with the USDA forest products laboratory.project results are shared with academic, government, and industry stakeholders through meetings, workshops, publications, and presentations. Overall, the project contributes technical knowledge and workforce training that support continued evaluation of agricultural residues for use in wood adhesive systems.