The WOBAMA project has been developing new techniques over three years to diversify the use of wood and create sustainable bioproducts. Researchers explored ways to convert wood into fuels, materials, and other value-added products using various refining technologies. Some key outcomes included developing processes to produce dissolving pulps with high cellulose content, extract hemicelluloses to lower pulp lignin, produce strong cellulose films, and create wood adhesives from natural polymers like xylan. The goal is to establish wood-based bioproducts and fuels that can replace unsustainable materials while boosting the European wood industry.
Engine Performance and Emission Test of Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil, Methanol...inventionjournals
ABSTRACT: In this study, diesel fuel, Methanol and Waste Plastic Pyrolysis oil with an addition of cetane additive blends were tested in a four stroke Twin cylinder diesel engine. The objective of adding Cetane Additive is to improve the combustion of blended fuel and have better performance characteristics for the blend. The Cetane additive addition is as recommended by TOTAL AC2010A. The 1ml cetane additive is added to 1000ml of blended fuel. The main objective of this report is to analyze the fuel consumption and the emission characteristic of a diesel engine which uses waste plastic pyrolysis oil in alternation of an ordinary diesel which are available in the market. Four stroke Twin cylinder diesel engine was used in this study to find out the brake thermal efficiency, specific fuel consumption, and emissions with the fuel of fraction methanol and Waste plastic pyrolysis oil in diesel. In this study, the diesel engine was tested using methanol and waste plastic pyrolysis oil blended with diesel at certain mixing ratio of 5:5:90, 10:10:80 and 15:15:70 of methanol and waste plastic pyrolysis oil to diesel respectively. Experimental results of blended fuel and diesel fuel are also compared.
Fuel from waste plastic by pyrolysis
Plastic is used [ PP, HDPE, LDPE, PS] .
By :
1-Ali Jumaah Thamer
2-Ali Kadhim Morwad
3- Muslim Kareem
4-Omar Montaser
Iraq-Basra
Waste plastic problem is an ever-increasing menace for global environment. Because of flexibility, durability and economy, a phenomenal rise is observed in the plastic consumer base. Throughout the world, research on waste plastic management is being carried out at war-footing. Plastics being non biodegradable get accumulated in the environment. If this problem is not addressed properly, it will lead to mountains of waste plastic. Being an official out sourcing agent for a leading industry in the country, we offer a state of art solution to this problem.
Engine Performance and Emission Test of Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil, Methanol...inventionjournals
ABSTRACT: In this study, diesel fuel, Methanol and Waste Plastic Pyrolysis oil with an addition of cetane additive blends were tested in a four stroke Twin cylinder diesel engine. The objective of adding Cetane Additive is to improve the combustion of blended fuel and have better performance characteristics for the blend. The Cetane additive addition is as recommended by TOTAL AC2010A. The 1ml cetane additive is added to 1000ml of blended fuel. The main objective of this report is to analyze the fuel consumption and the emission characteristic of a diesel engine which uses waste plastic pyrolysis oil in alternation of an ordinary diesel which are available in the market. Four stroke Twin cylinder diesel engine was used in this study to find out the brake thermal efficiency, specific fuel consumption, and emissions with the fuel of fraction methanol and Waste plastic pyrolysis oil in diesel. In this study, the diesel engine was tested using methanol and waste plastic pyrolysis oil blended with diesel at certain mixing ratio of 5:5:90, 10:10:80 and 15:15:70 of methanol and waste plastic pyrolysis oil to diesel respectively. Experimental results of blended fuel and diesel fuel are also compared.
Fuel from waste plastic by pyrolysis
Plastic is used [ PP, HDPE, LDPE, PS] .
By :
1-Ali Jumaah Thamer
2-Ali Kadhim Morwad
3- Muslim Kareem
4-Omar Montaser
Iraq-Basra
Waste plastic problem is an ever-increasing menace for global environment. Because of flexibility, durability and economy, a phenomenal rise is observed in the plastic consumer base. Throughout the world, research on waste plastic management is being carried out at war-footing. Plastics being non biodegradable get accumulated in the environment. If this problem is not addressed properly, it will lead to mountains of waste plastic. Being an official out sourcing agent for a leading industry in the country, we offer a state of art solution to this problem.
Originally, plastic is made from petroleum or natural
gas in a chemical process that combines smaller molecules into
a large chainlike molecule, often with other substances added
to give it particular qualities. Processes like gasification of
granulated plastic and catalytic pyrolysis can be used to
convert plastic, the long hydro-carbon chain back into smaller
hydra-carbon chains of naphtha, diesel, heavy diesel, kerosene
etc. These fuels can then be used anywhere from boiler fuel in
power generation to use in automobiles. This paper aims to
provide the best possible review of this much needed
conversion with the hope of visiting lowered fuel prices in the
near future by improvements in the design
Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic substances by heating the word is originally from the Greek-word elements pyro means "fire" and lysis means "decomposition".
Pyrolysis is usually the first chemical reaction that occurs in the burning of many solid organic fuels, cloth, like wood, and paper, and also of some kinds of plastic. Anhydrous Pyrolysis process can also be used to produce liquid fuel similar to diesel from plastic waste. Pyrolysis technology is thermal degradation process in the absence of oxygen.Plastic waste is treated in a cylindrical reactor at temperature of 300°C - 350°C. Now a day's plastics waste is very harmful to our nature also for human beings. Plastic is not easily decomposable its affect in fertilization, atmosphere, mainly effect on ozone layer so it is necessary to recycle these waste plastic into useful things. So we recycle this waste plastic into a useful fuel.
Bio-based chemicals are derived from renewable feedstock, i.e. all biomass derived from plants, animals or microorganisms (including biological waste from households, agricultural residues, and waste from animals and food/feed production), which can be used in part or as a whole as raw materials for industrial production and energy generation.
in this slides I try to speech about biobased chemicals and its products,methods and other opportunities...
Industrial biomaterials 2009—2012 summarises the key findings and inventions developed during the VTT’s Industrial biomaterials spearhead programme. In the field of bio-economy, the Industrial biomaterial spearhead programme focused on renewing industry by means of emerging technologies of materials and chemicals based on non-food biomass, including food side streams, agricultural leftovers and natural material waste fractions.
This publication focuses on the development of novel biopolymers and production technologies based on lignocellulosics, such as hydrolysed sugars, cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. The spearhead programme’s main achievements include the development of nanocellulose products, new packaging films and barriers from nanocellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, new production methods for hydroxyacids and their polymers like high performance bio-barrier PGA, the development of novel biocomposites for kitchen furniture, and textile fibres from recycled pulp.
Layman's report that summarises the EU CELLUWOOD project goals, actions and tangible results to a general public.
CELLUWOOD ( “Laminated Strong Eco-Material for Building Construction Made of Cellulose-Strengthened Wood - Final Outcomes”) was a four years EU project, funded under the Eco-Innovation research initiative. The project aims to develop a new range of structural elements made of wood by introducing innovative production elements and includes the use of cellulose instead of petroleum-based glue in the lamination of the timber products. The main results will be the strong eco-beams and eco-columns and their most sustainable manufacturing technologies, in addition to significant environmental and cost benefits of the innovation. These are achieved by the introduction of the (new) technologies from other sectors (e.g. cellulose velvet, biocomposite reinforcement and bio-resin) for innovative uses in the defect removal and repairing, facilitating innovation in the use of nano-cellulose and bio-resin technologies in timber reengineering, and the development, testing and demonstration of the new innovative products.
Coordinator and responsible of the project at AIDIMA: Miguel Ángel Abián
Originally, plastic is made from petroleum or natural
gas in a chemical process that combines smaller molecules into
a large chainlike molecule, often with other substances added
to give it particular qualities. Processes like gasification of
granulated plastic and catalytic pyrolysis can be used to
convert plastic, the long hydro-carbon chain back into smaller
hydra-carbon chains of naphtha, diesel, heavy diesel, kerosene
etc. These fuels can then be used anywhere from boiler fuel in
power generation to use in automobiles. This paper aims to
provide the best possible review of this much needed
conversion with the hope of visiting lowered fuel prices in the
near future by improvements in the design
Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic substances by heating the word is originally from the Greek-word elements pyro means "fire" and lysis means "decomposition".
Pyrolysis is usually the first chemical reaction that occurs in the burning of many solid organic fuels, cloth, like wood, and paper, and also of some kinds of plastic. Anhydrous Pyrolysis process can also be used to produce liquid fuel similar to diesel from plastic waste. Pyrolysis technology is thermal degradation process in the absence of oxygen.Plastic waste is treated in a cylindrical reactor at temperature of 300°C - 350°C. Now a day's plastics waste is very harmful to our nature also for human beings. Plastic is not easily decomposable its affect in fertilization, atmosphere, mainly effect on ozone layer so it is necessary to recycle these waste plastic into useful things. So we recycle this waste plastic into a useful fuel.
Bio-based chemicals are derived from renewable feedstock, i.e. all biomass derived from plants, animals or microorganisms (including biological waste from households, agricultural residues, and waste from animals and food/feed production), which can be used in part or as a whole as raw materials for industrial production and energy generation.
in this slides I try to speech about biobased chemicals and its products,methods and other opportunities...
Industrial biomaterials 2009—2012 summarises the key findings and inventions developed during the VTT’s Industrial biomaterials spearhead programme. In the field of bio-economy, the Industrial biomaterial spearhead programme focused on renewing industry by means of emerging technologies of materials and chemicals based on non-food biomass, including food side streams, agricultural leftovers and natural material waste fractions.
This publication focuses on the development of novel biopolymers and production technologies based on lignocellulosics, such as hydrolysed sugars, cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. The spearhead programme’s main achievements include the development of nanocellulose products, new packaging films and barriers from nanocellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, new production methods for hydroxyacids and their polymers like high performance bio-barrier PGA, the development of novel biocomposites for kitchen furniture, and textile fibres from recycled pulp.
Layman's report that summarises the EU CELLUWOOD project goals, actions and tangible results to a general public.
CELLUWOOD ( “Laminated Strong Eco-Material for Building Construction Made of Cellulose-Strengthened Wood - Final Outcomes”) was a four years EU project, funded under the Eco-Innovation research initiative. The project aims to develop a new range of structural elements made of wood by introducing innovative production elements and includes the use of cellulose instead of petroleum-based glue in the lamination of the timber products. The main results will be the strong eco-beams and eco-columns and their most sustainable manufacturing technologies, in addition to significant environmental and cost benefits of the innovation. These are achieved by the introduction of the (new) technologies from other sectors (e.g. cellulose velvet, biocomposite reinforcement and bio-resin) for innovative uses in the defect removal and repairing, facilitating innovation in the use of nano-cellulose and bio-resin technologies in timber reengineering, and the development, testing and demonstration of the new innovative products.
Coordinator and responsible of the project at AIDIMA: Miguel Ángel Abián
Presentation of CELLUWOOD Project at Fair HABITAT 2014torrubia
Presentation of the preliminary results from EU Project CELLUWOOD at the International Trade Fair HABITAT (Spain, 11th-14th February 2014).
Coordinator and responsible of the project: Miguel Ángel Abián
The EU Project CELLUWOOD is co-funded by the CIP Eco-innovation First Application and Market Replication Projects Initiative. Through the Eco-innovation funding scheme, the EU wants to support innovative products, services and technologies that can make a better use of our natural resources and reduce Europe’s ecological footprint.
The project has developed non-petrochemical adhesives (bio-resins) for improving the mechanical strength of laminated timber, so it can be used in large structures for buildings. This will encourage the use of renewable materials and avoid the use of adhesives petrochemicals. Furthermore, these bio-resins are being used to repair the wood defects such as cracks and knots, which improves the material utilization.
This project is co-funded by IVACE (Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial) and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry organized a Finnish-Swedish Forest Friends Forever Conference in Hanaholmen, Espoo on 17-18 April. The purpose of the conference was to thank Sweden for the gift in honour of Finland’s 100 years of independence and to further enhance Finnish-Swedish cooperation in research and innovation and in forest policy.
Espoo, 17.–18.4.2018
Resource efficiency in the pulp and paper industry - making more from our nat...EuropeanPaper
The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) has published these illustrations showing resource efficiency examples in the pulp and paper industry.
We know that the world’s growing population is putting increasing pressure on global resources and that the world’s current consumption patterns are simply not sustainable in the longer term. As the world’s finite supply of fossil fuels diminishes, in direct contrast to the increasing demands of a larger population, we will need to move to a circular economy based on renewable resources and optimum efficiency. In contrast to the linear model of take, make, dispose, a circular economy is a framework that takes insights from living systems. It considers that our systems should work like organisms, processing nutrients that can be fed back into the cycle, whether biological or technical, which is where phrases such as “closed loop” or “regenerative” come in.
It’s also why we believe Europe’s paper industry has a very bright future – because it is already a benchmark model of resource efficiency and a perfect fit for the circular economy. It is inherently sustainable by nature: Based on renewable, recyclable raw materials, Europe’s paper industry can produce second-generation biofuels to replace crude oil as well as renewable bio-based products. It provides packaging solutions to avoid food waste and it uses residues from the woodworking industry as its raw materials.
Second CELLUWOOD Newsletter (published in September 2014)
CELLUWOOD was a 4 years EU project, funded under the Eco Innovation research initiative. The project aims to develop a new range of structural elements made of wood by introducing innovative production elements and includes the use of cellulose instead of petroleum-based glue in the lamination of the timber products. The ‘physical’ results will be the strong eco-beams and columns and their most sustainable manufacturing technologies, in addition to significant environmental and cost benefits of the innovation. These are achieved by the introduction of the (new) technologies from other sectors (e.g. cellulose velvet, biocomposite reinforcement and bio-resin) for innovative uses in the defect removal and repairing, facilitating innovation in the use of nano/micro cellulose and bio-resin technologies in timber reengineering, and the development, testing and demonstration of the novel initiative products.
Coordinator and responsible of the project at AIDIMA: Miguel Ángel Abián
In the case of AIDIMA, this project is co-funded by IVACE (Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial) and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Design, Performance Evaluation and Synthesis of Sulfonated Carbon Based Catal...ijtsrd
Microcrystalline cellulose can be converted into valuable products such as glucose via hydrolysis reaction at mild condition using sulfonated carbon catalyst. A sulfonated carbon material was prepared by carbonization of bamboo sawdust followed by sulfonation. Prepared catalyst was studied for its ability to catalyze microcrystalline cellulose yield via hydrolysis reaction. Three carbon based catalysts at three different temperatures 400, 450 and 500 were prepared. The sulfonated catalysts were characterized using the following analyses elemental analysis, total acid density, FT IR, SEM and XRD. Based on the above characterization results, sulfonated carbon prepared at 500 and sulfonated via ultra sonication was found to have a higher acid density that is suitable to catalyze the hydrolysis reaction. The first step in the catalyst development approach was to increase the hydrolysis reaction by employing a stronger sulfonation procedure during catalyst preparation. The total acid density obtained for sulfonated carbon catalyst at 500 was 4.16 mmol g which significantly increases glucose yield. According to the FTIR analysis the sulfonated bio char contained sulfonic, carboxylic, and phenolic groups, which are responsible for the exhibited high catalytic performance during hydrolysis of cellulose. The yield of glucose obtained was 60.5 at 149.0°C in 8hour reaction time. Kefyalew H/Mariam | Bayisa Dame | Beteley Tekola "Design, Performance Evaluation and Synthesis of Sulfonated Carbon Based Catalyst for Hydrolysis of Microcrystalline Cellulose" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-1 , December 2020, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd38100.pdf Paper URL : https://www.ijtsrd.com/engineering/chemical-engineering/38100/design-performance-evaluation-and-synthesis-of-sulfonated-carbon-based-catalyst-for-hydrolysis-of-microcrystalline-cellulose/kefyalew-hmariam
First CELLUWOOD Newsletter (January 2014)
CELLUWOOD is a four years EU project, funded under the Eco Innovation research initiative. The project aims to develop a new range of structural elements made of wood by introducing innovative production elements and includes the use of cellulose instead of petroleum-based glue in the lamination of the timber products. The ‘physical’ results will be the strong eco-beams and columns and their most sustainable manufacturing technologies, in addition to significant environmental and cost benefits of the innovation. These are achieved by the introduction of the (new) technologies from other sectors (e.g. cellulose velvet, biocomposite reinforcement and bio-resin) for innovative uses in the defect removal and repairing, facilitating innovation in the use of nano/micro cellulose and bio-resin technologies in timber reengineering, and the development, testing and demonstration of the novel initiative products.
Coordinator and responsible of the project at AIDIMA: Miguel Ángel Abián
This project is co-funded by IVACE (Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial) and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
A new generation of cable grade poly(vinyl chloride) containing heavy metal f...Ali I. Al-Mosawi
Many additives are used to improve the performance of cables in terms of increasing their flame retardancy, thermal stability, thermal conductivity, and other characteristics. Unfortunately, most of these additives contain heavy metals. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to introduce a material representing a new generation of environmentally friendly heavy metal-free stabilizers for cable grade poly(vinyl chloride) that can compete with traditional materials in terms of performance and distinctive properties. This unique additive is Oxydtron, a synthetic silicate or simply nanocement. The tests performed are rheological properties represented by a capillary rheometry analysis, limiting oxygen index, and volume resistivity. The most significant improvement in Bagley correction measurements was 14.61%; 18.13%; and 27.20% more than poly(vinyl chloride) basic formulation when using 5wt.% Oxydtron at 160°C, 170°C, and 180°C, respectively. Also, the mean increases in relaxation time were 3.200 times, 8.825 times, and 12.458 times more than poly(vinyl chloride) basic formulation with 1wt.%, 3wt.%, and 5wt.% of Oxydtron, respectively. Furthermore, the Oxydtron lowered the value of the accompanying thermal gradient of the L.O.I test, reducing the heat-affected zone. The best result was with the extrusion processing method due to the uniformity of the processing conditions. However, the thermal gradient analysis showed residual heat stress in the test samples after cutting the burning layer and re-testing the samples again; this causes them to burn faster. This situation requires caution for designs that are exposed to high temperatures without burning. The optimum improvement in volume resistivity value was 14.71% and 38.24% more than poly(vinyl chloride) basic formulation after adding 5wt.% and 7wt.% of Oxydtron, respectively.
Wood Circus -loppuseminaari 8.12.2021: Teollinen puurakentaminen ja rakennus- ja purkujätteiden uudelleen käytön mahdollisuudet (in English) Dr. Javier Garcia Jaca
1. Science, Technology and Innovation
Special Edition
WOBAMA – Wood-based materials and fuels
Creating eco-friendly
bioproducts from wood
2. Insight Publishers | Projects2
Wood is one of the materials upon which
human civilisation was built, but recent
history has seen many new materials such
as plastics created from unsustainable
resources. Over the course of three years,
researchers from the WOBAMA project
have been developing techniques that can
diversify the way in which wood is used,
with the long-term goal of creating
sustainable and eco-friendly products
that can replace some of the materials and
fuels commonly used today.
WOBAMA — Wood-based materials and
fuels — took place between January 2012
and December 2014 as part of the
WoodWisdom-Net Research Programme
and ERA-NET Bioenergy. “The aim of the
project was to find new ways of converting
wood-based raw materials into a range of
value added bioproducts — both materials
and fuels — using a range of conversion
technologies,” explains Monica Ek, professor
of wood chemistry at Sweden’s KTH Royal
Institute of Technology. This institution has
worked alongside academic partners from
four other countries, as well as a host of
commercial partners who have brought
specialised industry expertise and facilities
to enhance the group’s effectiveness.
“EU members like Finland, Poland and
Sweden possess extensive wood resources,”
says Ek, “but their lumber industries face
competition from Asia and South America.”
The harvesting lifetime of forests in warmer
regions can be less than ten years, compared
to countries in Europe where growth periods
can be anywhere between seventy and one
hundred years. “It is difficult to compete on
this level, so it is important for us to consider
alternative ways of using the raw materials
provided by trees,” continues Ek. “This is
incredibly important for our economies and
businesses with forestry investments and
assets throughout the EU, and is one of the
main reasons why the work of the WOBAMA
project is so valuable.”
Financial incentives aside, there is also a
compelling environmental case for the
development of new wood-based
bioproducts. “Modern materials like plastics
are everywhere, but are derived from non-
renewable resources which will eventually
run out,” says Ek. “Wood makes for an
excellent alternative – a renewable resource
which comprises part of the planet’s
ecosystem.” Trees use photosynthesis to
convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
and build up polysaturates in the wood,
which can be used for creating packaging
and hygiene materials. In turn, these
products can then be recycled or burnt for
fuel. Although quantities of carbon dioxide
are released during these processes, it’s a
controlled aspect of the product’s lifecycle.
The bio-refinery
Once felled, timber needs to undergo
processing in order to obtain useful
bioproducts. This is done in a ‘bio-refinery’,
which extracts, pulps, bleaches and
performs various other treatments to the
wood. “A bio-refinery in the traditional
Biology Biotech
Wood is one of the most abundant resources in the EU, but the lumber industry faces stiff competition
from countries with faster growing wood. One potential means of revitalising the sector is to find different
ways to use wood. The WOBAMA project has been looking at ways to create eco-friendly bioproducts out
of wood, including fuels, adhesives, and plastic-like compounds
New techniques
for biorefining
in the EU
Hydrophobic paper (left corner: original paper).
3. www.projectsmagazine.eu.com 3
sense generates pulp fibres for usage in
paper or packaging,” says Ek. “However,
the models we’re introducing are
comparable to petroleum refineries, which
convert oil into different types of
commodities.” Valuable derivatives can be
separated and isolated by these refineries.
“Our greatest challenge has been
optimising the extraction techniques, and
obtaining efficient fuel compounds,” says
Ek. “It’s also very important that the
methods we champion can be employed in
real world contexts, and use ethically sound
catalysts like water, rather than toxic or
tightly regulated chemicals. These impose
limitations on methodology, so we need to
be very careful about which types of
additives enter our systems, to reduce risk
of contamination.
Scientific outcomes
With the project now complete, a number
of exciting, novel processes for creating
bioproducts have been discovered.
Prehydrolysis kraft pulping (PHK) is one
important way to produce dissolving
pulps with high cellulose content. The
partners at Aalto University have
developed a new prehydrolysis process
involving consecutive recirculation and
percolation modes, which could
selectively remove hemicelluloses with
limited degradation of polysaccharides,
as well as limited recondensation of
lignin. The pulps produced using this new
process followed by kraft pulping had
fairly high cellulose content of up to 95
per cent before bleaching.
The researchers from Aalto University
used sodium borate under alkaline
conditions to extract galactoglucomannan
(GGM, a hemicellulose) after bleaching.
Sodium borate is able to remove GGM
effectively and selectively. However,
cellulose II was formed after this treatment
due to the high alkalinity. To tackle this
problem, they tried to lower the alkalinity
but at the same time keep the effective
extraction of hemicelluloses by using an
enzymatic treatment in the beginning.
Using this combined treatment, the
hemicellulose content in the produced pulp
was fairly low, cellulose content was as
high as 98 per cent, and cellulose II content
was limited due to lowered alkalinity.
In the PHK process, in order to know when
or where to stop the bleaching to save the
yield and viscosity of the produced pulps, it
is important to understand the bleachability
of these pulps. The partners at Grenoble
INP-Pagora compared the bleachability of
PHK pulps and conventional kraft pulps,
focusing on oxygen delignification (due to
the process being environmentally
friendly). They found it was much easier to
bleach the PHK pulps than conventional
kraft pulps. Their findings showed that
modification of the lignin carbohydrate
complex during prehydrolysis might make
bleaching easier.
The partners at IBWCh have developed a
process to prepare high-tenacity films
based on cellulose, which have the potential
to replace conventional synthetics. The
hydrothermally treated dissolving pulp is
dissolved in ionic liquid and then
regenerated in an ethanol-water bath for
film casting. The films are fairly transparent
and homogenous, with tensile strengths of
115-126 MPa and elongations at maximum
stress of 25-60 per cent. The quality is thus
similar to that of commercial cellophane.
At present, bark in pulp mills is burnt to
produce energy, but there are actually
many better uses for the bark. It is an
ideal resource for creating many
interesting polymers. Birch bark, for
instance, has high quantities of suberin
present in it. Researchers from KTH Royal
Institute of Technology isolated a suberin
monomer and polymerised it to prepare
polyesters. These polyesters were then
crosslinked on the surfaces of paper,
making the paper more hydrophobic and
stronger. The hydrophobicity was also
stable against moisture.
In spruce bark, two abundant polymers
are cellulose and non-cellulosic
polysaccharides (NCPs). At KTH, these
NCPs were extracted from the spruce bark,
after which the residue was used to isolate
the cellulose in the form of nanoparticles
“Modern materials like plastics are everywhere,
but are derived from non-renewable resources
which will eventually run out”
AT A GLANCE
Project Title:
WOBAMA: Wood Based Materials
and Fuels
Project Objective:
The aim of the WOBAMA project was
to convert wood based raw materials
to a range of value added biobased
products, both materials and fuels,
using different conversion technologies,
within the biorefinery concept:
Wood Based Material - Conversion
Technologies - Biobased products
The WOBAMA project includes
• Pre- and postextraction of
hemicelluloses and impact on the
subsequent cooking and bleaching
processes
• Production of bioethanol of second
generation
• Cellulose functionalization for high-
tenacity films and biocomposites
• Hemicellulose functionalization for
adhesives
The project has resulted in a series of
demonstrators.
Project Duration and Timing:
January 2012 to December 2014
Project Funding:
WoodWisdom-Net and ERA-NET
Bioenergy
Project Partners:
Sweden: KTH Royal Institute of
Technology, AkzoNobel Casco
Adhesives, OrganoClick AB, SP
Processum AB
Finland: Aalto University, Stora Enso
Oyj, ANDRITZ Oy, Metsä Fibre Oy
France: Grenoble INP-Pagora
Poland: IBWCh Institute of
Biopolymers and Chemical Fibres
Germany : Solvay Acetow GmbH
Project Information
4. Insight Publishers | Projects4
AT A GLANCE
MAIN CONTACT
Professor Monica Ek
Monica Ek is professor in wood
chemistry and head of the
division of Wood Chemistry and
Pulp Technology at KTH Royal
Institute of Technology, Sweden,
and works primarily with natural
products chemistry and polymer
chemistry. She has participated in
national and international projects
targeting wood biorefinery
processes and cellulose chemistry.
She was the coordinator of
WOBAMA.
Contact:
Tel: +46 8 790 6000
Email: monicaek@kth.se
called cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). NCPs
and CNCs were mixed in water, and the
suspension was dried to prepare thin films.
These films are excellent oxygen barriers
that could be used in packaging materials.
By coating their surfaces with the
aforementioned polyesters, the oxygen
barriers also became hydrophobic. This
could enlarge the application areas of these
renewable materials.
Wood adhesives are mainly derived from
petroleum, some of which also contain
harmful chemicals. Researchers from KTH
evaluated polysaccharides in the form of
gums and hemicellulose as binders in wood
adhesives. Locust bean gum showed
remarkable results even without any
crosslinkers or additives, with results are
comparable to a commercial wood
adhesive. Xylan with small additions of
crosslinkers and/or dispersing agents
showed good bond strength and
surprisingly good water resistance.
Looking to the future
Optimistic about the potential for the
discoveries made through the project to
branch out into industry, Ek anticipates
that the methodologies could quickly take
root in progressive, independent
businesses. “The systems we’re pioneering
aren’t overly complicated or expensive. In
fact, indeed, several of our bio-refinery
techniques are primarily reliant on water.”
The WOBAMA project supported one
postdoctoral programme and five doctoral
programmes, from which three PhDs have
graduated. The project has resulted in more
than 40 scientific publications and
conference contributions. Ek explains how
working with numerous partners from
across the EU has helped the project in
many ways: “You need new partners and
firms to engage with the group, to
comprehensively assess the opportunities
available,” says Ek. “It’s important to have
relationships with associates that offer
different competencies and specialisms to
fulfill this ambition. This policy has
nurtured some unique experiences,
especially for our PhD students. They have
had opportunities to visit other institutions,
train in analytical techniques and access
facilities that have helped diversify their
individual skills.” ★
Pulping
Bark
Cellulose
Hemicelluloses
Adhesives
Composites
Films
Cellulose
deriva;ves
Composites
The WOBAMA model
“It is important for us
to consider alternative
ways of using the raw
materials provided
by trees”