New green products from the forest’s raw materials

Photo: Innventia

Raw materials and waste products from the forest are predicted to become very important to tomorrow’s climate-smart manufacturing. Green carbon fibre, bioplastics, synthetic petrol and tech-talking packaging are some of the futuristic products to be showcased at International Wood Biorefining Week in Stockholm 24 - 26 of May next year.

Both cellulose and lignin, the hard part of the tree, and growth cells, can be combined with new technology to produce both new materials and new conditions. Lignin can be transformed into a green carbon fibre that can be used in lightweight products. With the aid of nanotechnology it is also possible to produce durable, lightweight and environmentally compatible cellulose materials.

“Society has big expectations of the forest industry”, explains Mikael Hedlund, Editor-in-Chief of the industry magazine Nordisk Papperstidning & Biobusiness. “Using the forest raw material as a base, we can create new materials and energy products that help to solve the climate challenge and replace fossil raw materials and fuels. Biobased materials and biofuels offer new business opportunities”, he continues.

High-performance materials from the forest can be used in various contexts. During the event, presentations of both nanocellulose and carbon fibre will be presented.

Green carbon fibre in vehicles

The automotive industry is interested in lignin-based carbon fibres for vehicle bodies, interiors and batteries. Green carbon fibre can save both money and the environment in a number of manufacturing processes.

“Look, it’s talking! - tomorrow’s packaging” is an item on the International Wood Biorefining Week programme that focuses on industry’s exploitation of increased digitalisation and built-in electronic systems. The event will bring together the forest industry and end users and present the very latest in electrically conductive cellulose and sensors in packaging.

The forest industry is also on the verge of producing advanced biofuels. Several production methods are possible, for example using gasification or catalytic processes, and the end products can be used in road traffic, aviation and maritime shipping. The technological advances also apply to solid biofuels, where the aim is to reduce volumes while at the same time increasing the fuels’ energy value.

Forest companies are an important part of the overall energy system and can play a strategic role in developing a future renewable energy system.

“We regard International Wood Biorefining Week as an important and international meeting place for the entire biobased forest industry for the purposes of knowledge exchanges, discussions, networking and business contacts in everything to do with issues about the bioeconomy’s innovations and innovators,” says Gustav Melin, CEO of the Swedish Bioenergy Association (Svebio).

International Wood Biorefining Week is jointly organised by Svebio, Adforum, Elmia and Nordisk Papperstidning & Business. The event includes International Pulp & Paper Week, Bioeconomy Innovation Forum and World Bioenergy, thereby creating a comprehensive meeting place for the forest products refining industry.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, a leading research and technology company in the Nordic region, and Innventia, a world-leading research institute that works with innovations based on the forest raw material, are both conference partners for the event.

The conference programme will be published shortly at the event’s website, www.iwbweek.com

For more information on International Wood Biorefining Week, contact:

Gustav Melin, CEO, Svebio
gustav.melin@svebio.se, +46 844 17 081

Marcus Bergström, CEO, Adforum
marcus.bergstrom@adforumworld.com, +358 44 56 24 524 / +46 8 749 97 31

Mikael Hedlund, Editor-in-Chief, Nordisk Papperstidning & Biobusiness
mikael.hedlund@mentoronline.se , +46 86 704 144

Klas Brandt, Business Manager World Bioenergy, Elmia AB
klas.brandt@elmia.se, + 46 36 15 21 09

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International Wood Biorefining Week is a leading international event for the innovative and sustainable wood-based biorefining industries. In focus are future challenges of the forest industry, including pulp, paper, bioenergy and new wood-based products.