The DegrAmin project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant number 031B1186) and carried out from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022, aimed to develop formaldehyde‑free, biobased amino‑plastic resins that are expected to be biodegradable. The research was conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research and the Wilhelm‑Klauditz Institute, with close collaboration with industry partners who helped define technical and economic assessment criteria and guided the feasibility concept for future development phases.

The core scientific approach involved reacting lactones—specifically γ‑butyrolactone and ε‑caprolactone—with melamine to produce melamine‑lactone (ML) resins. In contrast to the conventional melamine‑formaldehyde route, the ML synthesis forms amide bonds at the lactone attachment sites. These amide linkages provide potential hydrolytic cleavage points, which are expected to enable biodegradation of the final polymer. Moreover, the use of lactones eliminates formaldehyde emissions, reducing them to the natural emission level of wood.

Preliminary experiments varied the molar ratio of melamine to lactone, reaction temperature, solvent, and time. Infrared spectroscopy monitored the progress of the reactions. The disappearance of the characteristic amine N–H stretching bands at 3430 cm⁻¹ and 3480 cm⁻¹, together with the loss of the lactone carbonyl band at 1765 cm⁻¹, confirmed the consumption of starting materials. New absorption features corresponding to amide and imide structures appeared, indicating successful formation of the ML backbone. No side reactions such as lactone homopolymerisation were detected, suggesting a clean conversion pathway. These spectroscopic results demonstrate that the ML resins can be synthesized under relatively mild conditions without generating unwanted by‑products.

An economic and risk assessment was performed in parallel. Technical questions focused on reaction scalability, cure behaviour, and mechanical properties, while economic questions addressed raw‑material costs, process energy consumption, and potential market competitiveness. The price of γ‑butyrolactone (1.5–2.0 €/kg) is roughly two to three times higher than that of formaldehyde (0.6–0.8 €/kg). However, the higher cost is offset by the lower environmental impact, the inclusion of at least 50 % biobased content, and the anticipated biodegradability of the ML resins. The assessment concluded that, despite the higher material cost, the overall value proposition is attractive for applications where low emissions and end‑of‑life degradability are critical.

Based on the laboratory results and the feasibility study, a concept for a subsequent pilot‑scale production phase was drafted. This concept outlines the necessary process adjustments, quality control measures, and potential industrial partners for scaling up. The project also identified that alternative aldehydes (e.g., acetaldehyde, glyoxal) are toxic, volatile, and insufficiently reactive, while isocyanate resins suffer from limited pot life, reinforcing the advantage of the ML approach.

In summary, the DegrAmin project successfully demonstrated the synthesis of formaldehyde‑free, biobased melamine‑lactone resins with clear spectroscopic evidence of amide bond formation and no detectable side reactions. The economic analysis supports the viability of the technology, and a roadmap for industrial implementation has been established in collaboration with key industry stakeholders.