Sugar acts as a non-toxic binder for sand moulds

According to OSU, some technologies use various ‘binders’ to adhere sands and other materials to form moulds, into which molten metals are injected to create products with complex shapes.

Some materials used in the process, including furan resins and phenol formaldehyde resins, can emit toxic fumes during the procedure.

Experts in adhesion science in the OSU College of Forestry have applied for a patent on their use of sugar and other plant materials for this purpose.

In a statement, they said it should cost less than existing binders, is completely renewable and should be environmentally benign.

‘We were surprised that simple sugar could bind sand together so strongly,’ said Kaichang Li, an OSU professor of wood science and engineering. ‘Sugar and other carbohydrates are abundant, inexpensive, food-grade materials.

‘The binder systems we’ve developed should be much less expensive than existing sand binders and not have toxicity concerns,’ Li added.

Sugar is a highly water-soluble food ingredient but the OSU researchers are said to have discovered a novel way to make strong and moisture-resistant sand moulds with the substance. An inaccurate reading of temperature in a baking oven helped lead to the discovery, they said.