MYWOOD-MYcelium as tool for the valorization of WOOD by-products, from materials to enzymes
Forestry biomass, the most abundant renewable resource on Earth, is an untapped source of energy and material. Biorefinery practices are still inefficiencies, leading to waste and reduced sustainability. This project proposes an integrated biorefinery approach, leveraging advanced fungal biotechnology to repurpose underutilized forestry biomass into innovative biobased materials and enzymes, while exploring the further biorefinery […]
POR-BioSorb: PORous Bio-based and high-functional sorbent alternatives
POR-BioSorb, a collaboration of European Universities, SMEs, and Research Institutes, aims to introduce the use of bio-based, energy-saving and climate-friendly porous materials with high absorption capacity. By using low-cost polymers from various biomass sources and advanced green production technologies developed in the consortium, this project will develop environmentally friendly alternatives to current materials that are […]
Tailored Lignin-Derived Materials for Remediation of Water, Soil, and Sediments
This project aims to develop value-added lignin-derived materials and explore their potential in mitigating pollution from both emerging and regulated contaminants, including PFAS and other micropollutants. The target materials include lignin-derived carbons and biochars with tailored surfaces, modified lignins, lignin-based composites, and 3-D materials.
Quantification of fungal damage in Scots pine round timber by X-ray CT imaging
The rising problem of pine forests experiencing various forms of damage, notably in young forests situated in northern Sweden, is a mounting cause for worry. The culprit behind this damage is Scots pine blister rust, Törskate (in Swedish), a fungus that specifically attacks the tree's trunk and branches. The primary goal of this project is […]
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 […]
