Sustainable and innovative cellulose‑based materials and products (SusChemCell)

Eco-friendly chemistry and engineering of cellulosic and nanocellulosic materials to create sustainable innovations

The project aims to maximize the value of the forest raw material by producing high-value products that have at least the same properties and price as today's fossil-based products. In addition, the project will lead to new sustainable technologies and innovations to increase the performance of wood that can compete with e.g. aluminum and produce paper for new applications such as energy storage. Synergies with the region's forest industry expertise gives us increased ability to create value from bio raw materials. In conclusion, our green innovations will lead to sustainable products of the future, stronger education, work opportunities and even new companies that can compete on a national and global arena. The project also contributes to a good environment and integration of people regardless of ethnic background, gender and religious beliefs.

Goals and results

The goal is to use our green chemistry concept together with engineering on wood and cellulose to transform the Swedish forest into high-value, modern and sustainable products (entirely based on biomaterials). This will increase the companies' competence in the area, provide international/national competitive advantages, provide new products and increased sales. We will also increase internationalization and the level of sustainable research/education in the region.

Goal

• Increased degree of refinement of bio-raw materials through innovation and commercialization of sustainable products and services
• Competitive and sustainable business life through innovation maturity
• Expanded markets for small and medium-sized companies through internationalization and cooperation in the local area
• Increased proportion of SMEs introducing product, process and service innovations
• Together, this will lead to several of the global goals also being strengthened.

This will be achieved through collaboration between academia and industry.

This is where we carry out and create our innovations on cellulose that several of the companies want. This is where new green chemistry and the latest in engineering are combined to refine the cellulose. This in turn leads to new products that can be used in important applications (e.g. packaging, batteries, supercapacitors, building materials, for insulation, skis, airplane constructions and cars) that improve people's lives on Earth.

All these products are recyclable and are based for a circular bioeconomy. In addition, a paradigm change in thinking for energy and electricity storage can take place with the research in our project. Education for the region's companies and other universities as well as research supporting activities will come also to happen.

Targets for cellulose into high-value products

1. Produce improved cellulose, nanocellulose and nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) using organic catalysis.
2. Perform new organocatalytic reactions on cellulose and nanocellulose materials.
3. Performed organocatalytic "click" reactions on cellulose, nanocellulose and wood using metal-free catalysts and UV light.
4. Engineering on cellulose and nanocellulose, high pressure pressing, coating of electrically conductive graphene.
5. Formation of super-strong, hydrophobic and lightweight barrier materials and threads from nanocellulose by organic catalysis.
6. Characterization of the surface-modified and treated cellulose, nanocellulose and lightweight materials.
7. Scale up above eco-friendly chemistry for industrial production.
8. Test the green technology and implement on a large scale at the companies.
9. Characterization of the properties of the biomaterials, e.g. packaging materials, electrically conductive paper, threads, adhesives.
10. Improve specific properties of the biomaterials.
11. Develop at least two new environmentally friendly products on the world market.
12. Form a company around our sustainable innovations when the project is over.

Wood for high-value products

In this work package, we will work together to develop new innovations directly for wood. This will significantly contribute to our goals because several of the companies involved in the project have this as a business area. The technology leads to sustainable fine chemicals, building materials and high-performance materials for skis, aircraft parts etc.

The activity is to refine wood raw material into high-value products by using new green chemistry and engineering. Here, our organic catalysis can lead to a significant increase in value and convert wood chips into fine chemicals, e.g. Capsaicin 30 000 sek/kg, 4 000 ton market, plastics or biofuel, 7-9 sek/kg. In collaboration with our business partners, we can scale up the processes. Once this is done, we can start selling high-value and competitive products on the global market. The project will also lead to the creation of a breeding ground for new companies. Together, we create a new, a new "green" innovation platform in the region. Synergistic effects between universities and companies exist as this research description contains a chain of disciplines from organic chemistry, cellulose chemistry, and engineering. The expertise from the different research groups and the collaborations complement each other perfectly because individually the researchers cannot carry out the entire research, but together we can.

Goals for wood for high-value products

1. Carry out environmentally friendly processes and oxidations on wood for a and selective degradation/modification of its lignin.
2. Transform vanillin extracted directly from wood into a high-value product such as Capsaicin and L-DOPA through catalytic green chemistry reactions.
3. Converted wood into a high-value product such as vanillin in high yield with our organic catalysis.
4. Link our selective degradation of lignin/wood with its conversion into a biofuel.
5. Engineer wood/plywood (high pressure pressing) to dramatically increase its strength.
6. Characterize the properties of the super strong and light wood/veneer material (e.g. skis, kayaks, building materials).
7. Scale up all these reactions to industrial scale.
8. Develop at least three new environmentally friendly products on the world market.
9. Form a company around this concept when the project is finished.