PVA Wood Glue by Emulsion Polymerisation

White wood glue is polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) dispersed in water. It is made by emulsion polymerisation: vinyl acetate monomer is stirred into water with a stabiliser, here polyvinyl alcohol, and a water-soluble initiator such as a persulfate, which splits into radicals above about 50 °C and starts chains that link the monomer into polymer. The water carries away the heat, so the reaction stays under control. More monomer is usually fed in slowly as the particles grow. What comes out is a milky dispersion, and for glue that dispersion is the product. Vinyl acetate itself is made from ethylene, acetic acid and oxygen over a palladium catalyst.