Circular Biobased Materials

Our group exploits alternative resources for extracting fibers, particles and polymer for various uses. We work with end of life textiles, wood waste (including contaminated material), and several other non-traditional biomasses. Our strategies focus on harnessing residual components or impurities as assets in the fabrication of advanced and functional materials. 

Our approach is based on developing materials that are based not on compositing with other components, but by optimizing their nano to macrostructure following a super-engineering approach. By promoting simplistic designs we aim at simplifying the end of life of several materials.

We work on developing best routes to circularize biobased materials, either via recycling, or branching into a diffferent value chain. Nevertheless we focus on gaining a deep understanding about biodegradability of materials, a subject of increasing interest both from product and process aspect.

Our efforts focus on obtaining higher value from non-wood forestry resources, via their conversion into advanced materials and systems. We mostly work with bark and grasses to obtain non-traditional and tunable polymers and fibers that are used in the fabrication of supramolecular materials. Our efforts include extraction, modification and use of condensed tannins and Si-containing fibers.

BlackWOOD project aims at developing renewable superblack materials for advanced light management.

Funding: FinnCERES Bioeconomy Flagship.

Status: Finished.

The construction sector is responsible for a major portion of CO2 emissions worldwide. To meet the United Nations decarbonization goals both operational and embodied carbon must be reduced, which can be achieved by using more wood as a structural material. Ambition of the SUPERWOOD project is to develop wood-based structural materials that are much stronger than conventional products and display by-design functionalities. This will be achieved by a super-engineering approach guided by computational modeling and machine learning. Increasing the amount of wood used in buildings is an effective strategy to attain the current energy and climate targets laid down in the National Energy and Climate Strategy to reduce Finland's carbon footprint by 2030. The results of this project will lead to a wider understanding of microstructural requirements to obtain new wood-based products, therefore helping with the implementation of wood elements in more architectural and engineering endeavors.

Funding: Research Council of Finland.

In Tree2Ink, we aim at producing a fully renewable multipurpose biobased black ink which will be validated in relevant environments, including printing and dyeing technologies. Wood-based carbon and cellulose pulp are converted using a one-pot ball milling process into a nanostructured colloidal ink composed of carbon particles as pigments and cellulose nanofibers as transparent binders. This is a proof of concept project aiming at developing further our co-grinding technology while broadening its application potential.

Funding: FinnCERES Bioeconomy Flagship.

TexTerials focuses on feasible open-loop recycling strategies for producing high quality special fibers for application in the construction sector, thus generating impact at scale. We investigate fiber downsizing from the macro to the microscale levels, via shredding and refining, aiming at producing a new class of tailor-made fibers, with controlled hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance and sizes. By controlling surface chemistry and dimensions in the refined textile waste fibers, we will improve their networking, strength, reactivity, and surface compatibility with several other components that are relevant in materials for the built environment.

Our project is hosted by Valmet’s Beyond Circularity Veturi Program, directly aligning with the sub-theme of Recycling Technologies. TexTerials consortium (including the companies whose negotiations are at final stage) covers the entire value chain of open-loop textile recycling from textile and EPR-related, shredding and refining, chemical producers, material manufactures to end users. Through TexTerials results and collaboration within the consortium, the participating companies will be able to develop their own products, increase their competitiveness, create more sustainable businesses, and create economically feasible solutions for textile recycling and associated value chains.

Partners: Valmet, Kemira, Tana, Woamy, Greenful, Sweco, Consolis Parma.

Focus Areas: Shredding, wet refining, formulations for construction materials.

Funding: Business Finland, Co-research partnership model.