Deformation and fracture mechanisms of wood and wood polymer biocomposites
The main objective of this project is to study the deformation and fracture mechanisms of wood and polymer impregnated wood biocomposites, characterize the mechanical properties and relate them to structural differences. In this project, strain and deformation fields are measured, during mechanical loading, using digital image correlation which is useful for material comparison, also to […]
Real time 4D X-ray microtomography Imaging and analysis of water transport mechanisms in sustainable paper straws
At present, there are no quantitative experimental studies for liquid transport with relevant spatial and temporal resolution in cellulose fiber networks. This project aims to improve the understanding of the dynamic interplay between water transport processes and the cellulose fiber network. In this way, the proportion of sorption of water in pores and cell walls […]
Molecular Basis of the Interactions and Recalcitrance of Lignocellulosic Biomass
Lignocellulosic biomass represents the main renewable resource from the biosphere for the production of biofuels, platform chemicals and bio-based materials. Lignocellulose consists of a complex polymeric network of cellulose microfibrils embedded in a matrix of hemicelluloses, pectins, and lignins with exquisite organization from the nano- to the microscale. However, the heterogeneity of the lignocellulose polymeric […]
The kinetics of lignin extraction in oxygen delignification.
The current and future environmental challenges call for improved and more sustainable processes in the pulp industry. To contribute to a sustainable and competitive Swedish bioeconomy the pulp industry needs to increase efficiency without increasing the use of hazardous chemicals. Oxygen delignification is a unit process that has been used in pulp mill fiberlines between […]
BioUPGRADE – Biocatalytic upgrading of natural biopolymers for reassembly as multipurpose materials
BioUPGRADE unites expertise in functional genomics and material science to deliver breakthrough biotechnologies that sustainably upgrade nature’s main structural biopolymers into high-value and multipurpose materials.Living organisms drive our planetary carbon cycle via biocatalysts that transform CO2 into an enormous array of diverse and functional molecules. A significant fraction of this carbon is transformed into structural […]
Functional lignin nanomaterials
This is a umbrella theme of research carried out in Sustainable Materials Chemistry (SUSMATCHEM) research group in Stockholm University. We aim to make most out of lignin with minimal processing and chemical modification according to the principles of green chemistry. In addition to fundamental studies of structure and properties of lignin and lignin nanoparticles, we […]
Upscaling of natural plastic alternatives: towards a sustainable industry
The extensive use of fossil-based plastic around the world is accelerating climate change. The global life cycle GHG emissions of fossil-based plastics were 1.7 Gt of CO2 equivalent in 2015 and would reach 6.5 Gt CO2 equivalent by 2050 if the current plastic demand trend were to continue. However, legislations and consumers are pushing the […]
Colloidal properties of nanocellulose dispersions
The project aim is to control the stability and orientation of nanocellulose particles, by understanding the fundamental colloidal interactions between them in aqueous media. The information will then be used to create ordered and self-organized structures from nanocellulose dispersions. This knowledge is of great importance, since many nanocellulose based materials today are produced directly from […]
Circular cellulose to textile fiber production
The overall aim is to enable an upscaled process for textile fiber production based on alternative cellulose rich feedstocks together with TreeToTextile’s process, which is resource and energy-efficient without use of toxic chemicals. The proposed project focuses on the knowledge development for utilization of cellulose from residual streams, such as agricultural waste streams, recycled cartonboard/paper, […]
FibreFuse – Biobaserade kolfiber: Hur undviks att biobaserade kolfibrer fastnar i varandra under tillverkningen?
Att använda kolfibrer som armering i kompositer ger ett lättviktsmaterial som kan ersätta stål, aluminium eller glasfiber i många konstruktioner, t.ex. i fordonsindustrin eller till turbinbladen i vindkraftverk. Dessvärre är dagens kommersiella kolfibrer för dyra för många tillämpningar och även tillverkade av fossilbaserade polymerer. Lignin har länge ansetts vara en speciellt attraktiv kandidat som råmaterial […]
Conducting polymers-modified wood composites
In this project, we used different conducting polymers to impregnate the wood. Our goal is to create a pathway for studying the nano/microscopic structure of the conductive wood and the interactions between the wood components and the conducting polymer matrix. . In detail, we mainly focus on the difference of crystallinity and the orientation of […]
Multi scale modeling of the delignification kinetics during kraft cooking
The kraft process is today the dominant industrial technology for the production of pulp from wood.In this process, wood chips are boiled with chemicals in order to dissolve lignin, hemicellulose andextractives. The process itself contains several complex mass transport mechanisms, where thechemicals are to be transported into the wood chip and then further into the […]
