An Indispensable Material for a Wide Range of Applications, From General-Purpose Items to Special Products

MCC (Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation)’s GOHSENOL™ is a biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) with excellent water solubility, gas-barrier properties, adhesiveness, film-forming properties,and chemical stability. It has been used extensively throughout the world as an industrial raw material and processing agent for many years. The main applications of GOHSENOL™ are adhesives and binders, paper processing, suspension agents, and emulsifiers. It is also used in polarizing plates for liquid crystal displays, and raw materials for a water-soluble film used in the encapsulation of liquid detergents. (See column below).

Main Applications of GOHSENOL™

Adhesives and Binders
Adhesives for plywood, civil engineering and construction materials, etc.

Paper Pprocessing
Coating on paper surfaces to improve strength while also improving printability and oil resistancee

Emulsifier
Emulsifier for synthetic resin emulsions such as polyvinyl acetate emulsion (known as woodworking bond material)

Films
Raw material for polarizing plates and water-soluble films

Suspension Agent
Used as a dispersion stabilizer essential in the manufacturing process of polyvinyl chloride (suspension polymerization)

Further area of focus is the development of applications for Specialty PVOH— a new function for GOHSENOL™. We have developed GOHSENX™ and Nichigo G-Polymer™ as specialty brands with higher added value, which have established them the positioning of indispensable materials for distinctive applications.

Aiming to Expand the Market for High Value- Added, Specialty PVOH

GOHSENX™ comes in a variety of grades with different functions depending on the modification. GOHSENX™ Z, which has added water and solvent resistance, is widely used as a protective layer (top coat) for thermal paper used for important documents such as airline tickets and delivery labels. This material dissolves in water during processing, making it easy to apply, and when it dries, exhibits water resistance.

Nichigo G-Polymer™ enables extrudability that cannot be achieved with conventional PVOH-based resins. As no other resin combines gas-barrier properties with biodegradability, it is attracting attention as a one-of-a-kind material that meets environmental needs. In recent years, demand in the food packaging field, such as coffee capsules, has been growing rapidly. This is especially evident in Europe, where efforts are being made to address plastic waste and marine plastic litter. We are also promoting One MCC initiatives, such as proposing compostable multilayer gas-barrier packaging consisting completely of MCC products.

PVOH is also being used in new applications such as an embolus material for shale oil and gas drilling. We will continue to maximize the properties of PVOH to enhance our presence in addressing environmental issues and developing new applications.

Meeting the Environmental Needs of Europe

With coffee capsules that are popular in Europe, it is difficult to separate and recycle the grounds, filters, and lids when disposing of them, and there is a growing need to compost the entire capsule. MCC has developed a all compostable multilayer barrier material that has attracted attention as a product that can meet this need, for which we have received many inquiries. In addition, as the trend to increase the ratio of paper in food tray materials accelerates in Europe, there is a need to provide materials with barrier properties, water resistance, and durability, while also being environmentally friendly. We will continue to propose products that are both functional and environmentally friendly.

MCC’s Proposal for All Compostable Multilayer Barrier Packaging

We will create a packaging material with gas-barrier properties and compostable layers by using compostable resins such as BioPBS™ for the outer layer and Nichigo G-Polymer™ for the middle layer, bonding these with a compostable tie resin newly developed by MCC.

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