Adhesives Containing Methyl Alcohol

• Adhesive

Adhesives are one of the most important auxiliary materials and have a wide range of applications in packaging operations. The adhesive is actually a generic term for various stress materials that join or conform to the same or different materials. It has many types, mainly including liquid, paste and solid. Adhesive is the most important component in the technology of self-adhesive materials, and is the key to label application technology.

fFigure 1. Adhesives

• Methyl Alcohol

Methanol (CH₃OH) is the simplest structural monohydric alcohol composed of a methyl group and a hydroxyl group and has the chemical properties of alcohol. It is a colorless, alcohol-containing volatile liquid. It is used not only in the manufacture of formaldehyde and pesticides, but also as an extractant for organic substances or as a denaturant for alcohol.

Figure 2. Methyl alcohol

• The Harm of Methanol to Human Body

Methanol poisoning can occur when methanol is used incorrectly or when methanol vapor is inhaled. Methanol can be absorbed by the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract and skin. Methanol can be rapidly distributed in all tissues of the body leading to methanol poisoning when it is absorbed by the body. The harm of methanol to the human body is mainly reflected in the following aspects: 1. It mainly acts on the nervous system and has obvious anesthetic effect, which can cause brain edema. 2. It has a special selective effect on the optic nerve and retina, which is easy to cause optic atrophy and blindness. 3. Methanol vapor also has a strong stimulating effect on the respiratory mucosa. The study found that methanol - induced poisoning mainly has the following two ways. First, methanol can cause acidosis due to the accumulation of organic acids such as lactic acid and formic acid, because methanol can inhibit not only certain oxidase systems in the body, but also aerobic decomposition of sugars. Second, the self-metabolism of methanol, formaldehyde and formic acid is toxic, their accumulation can cause methanol poisoning. For example, in the action on the optic nerve, formaldehyde can inhibit the oxidative phosphorylation of the retina, prevent the synthesis of ATP in the membrane, cause cell degeneration, and ultimately lead to optic atrophy.

• Methanol in Adhesive

The harmful substances in the binder are mainly benzene, toluene, formaldehyde, methanol, styrene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, toluene diisocyanate, m-phenylenediamine and the like. The first step in the production of the binder is to synthesize formaldehyde, which requires methanol as the starting material. Therefore, the binder contains more or less a certain amount of methanol. And mainly used in the wood processing industry. Methanol has strong volatility, diffuses into the air, and inhaled into the human body, causing great damage to the human body.

• The Standard of Methanol Content in Adhesives

E0 grade methanol content is less than 5 mg/100 g, E1 grade methanol content is less than 9 mg/100 g, E2 grade methanol content is less than 30 mg/100 g.

• The Rapid Removal of Methanol

? Ventilation
Plant absorption. Plants have a strong ability to absorb formaldehyde, such as cactus, spider plant, reed, ivy, iron tree, chrysanthemum and so on.
put tea residue, grapefruit skin, onion slices, pineapple slices, etc. into a newly renovated room or fumigate the entire room with white vinegar.
Activated carbon adsorption
Photocatalytic decomposition method. The photocatalyst in the photocatalyst is stimulated by light to generate anions and hydroxyl radicals from oxygen and water in the air. They oxidize and decompose various organic and inorganic contaminants and eventually degrade into harmless substances such as carbon dioxide, water and the corresponding acids, which decompose pollutants and purify the air.
Chemical purification. Currently, there are two formaldehyde trapping agents on the market. One is to purify the air by neutralizing formaldehyde and producing harmless substances. Another is to purify the air by blocking formaldehyde and preventing methanol from volatilizing.

• Related Regulations

1. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) regulations

2. § 175.105 Adhesives

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