A new XRF analysis develops high yield pulp with even sulfonate distribution at fiber level for improved renewable packaging
This project addresses the main challenges of using environmentally friendly, renewable packaging materials due to the widespread use of plastic in the packaging industry. This interdisciplinary project aims to address the uneven distribution of fiber sulfonation and softening in wood chips, which is currently poorly understood at a micro-level. After impregnation, the distribution of sulfonation […]
Microfiber
This project has addressed the major bottlenecks in using environmentally friendly, renewable packaging materials as plastic dominates the packaging industry. This interdisciplinary project aims to fundamentally resolve the degree of roughness, i.e. the amount of fiber sulfonation and softening prior to defibration, which is unknown at the micro level. Typically, the distribution of sulfonation in […]
The bio-feedstock of tomorrow for controlled and reversible chemical modification on the macro and microfiber level
Itaconic acid, a di-carboxylic acid produced from citric acid or fermentation of sugars, is predicted to become a valuable bio-based chemical for the future, making it interesting for applications in cellulose based functional materials. This project will investigate the tailored modification of Bleached Kraft Pulp (BKP) with itaconic derivatives. Since the reactivity to a large […]
PolyTree
The main goal of this project called PolyTree is to enable a closed-loop sustainable materials economy by making renewable polyesters from wood-based building blocks through innovative green chemistries. While biopolymers have been actively developed, their technical properties lack in respect to fossil-based materials. Moreover, biopolymers are not necessarily biodegradable – or recyclable. This project embraces […]
Modelling of conductive polymer-redox polymer supercapacitors
The Laboratory of Organic Electronics is developing cellulose base conductive polymer-redox polymer supercapacitors for large scale energy storage. This project focus on the modelling of such systems by coupling a recently developed theoretical model for organic mixed electronic-ionic conductors with the redox chemistry of wood-based redox polymer for energy storage applications. The aim is to […]
Methodologies providing new insights into the fundamentals of the pulping process
Today’s knowledge of what happens concerning the kinetics and other phenomena in the digester during the pulping process is mainly the result of the use of inductive methods. Based on these methods, generalised models have been formulated that are applied for process development as well as for industrial process optimisation. Recent studies (e.g., Mattsson et […]
Xylem development and wood formation
The project focuses on lignification and cell death of xylem elements and how these processes influence the chemical and physical properties of the secondary cell walls and woody tissues of vascular plants. We use two model systems. The roots and hypocotyls of Arabidopsis thaliana provide excellent models for understanding the molecular and genetic control of […]
Resource-efficient and non-toxic material flows from wood waste
With increasing focus on recycling, wood waste can increase its potential to generate secondary raw materials instead of incineration and landfilling. The quality of wood waste, as determined by the presence of material and mainly chemical impurities, is essential to ensure a high quality, clean and safe recycling loop for particleboards or for other emerging […]
NeoPulp – New perspective to the development of pulp fibre properties
Heterogeneity is one of the fundamental scientific and technological challenges of all bio-based materials. The research area of NeoPulp is pulping and papermaking processes. We plan to study the heterogeneity between fibres that affects both process performance and the properties of current and new fibre-based materials. This is a largely unexplored research area where the […]
Cellulose-based triboelectric filters for airborne particles (Tribofilter)
The project aims to design and investigate a novel cellulose-based filter material with high particle retention and low-pressure drop based on triboelectric effect. The developed material is thought to act as a self-charging electrofilter that retains polluting particles harmful to humans.Air pollution caused by particulate matters (PMs) has raised serious concerns due to their threats […]
Molecularly designed cellulose materials for triboelectric applications
Cellulose films possesses favorable triboelectric properties otherwise only found in synthetic, oil-based polymer materials. This can open up entirely new possibilities within the area of internet-of-things (IoT), which is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades. Cheap and sustainable sensor devices based on renewable, self-electrified systems without the need of batteries, self-powered by insignificant […]
Physical properties characterization of cellulose biocomposites
Advanced cellulose-based biocomposites are bio-degenerable mateirals for a sustainable material. These materials generally have complicated and highly heterogeneous optical and mechanical properties. The developments and applications of such materials demand a thorough investigation of their physical properties and their structure-property relationship. This project aims to characterize the optical and mechanical properties using experiments and simulation.
