{"id":3219,"date":"2025-08-29T13:55:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?p=3219"},"modified":"2025-08-29T13:55:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:55:47","slug":"repurposing-wood-waste-for-a-clean-green-alternative-to-fossil-based-chemicals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3219\/repurposing-wood-waste-for-a-clean-green-alternative-to-fossil-based-chemicals\/","title":{"rendered":"Repurposing wood waste for a clean, green alternative to fossil-based chemicals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The EU and Europe\u2019s bio-based industries are tapping into the hidden potential of wood to replace fossil resources in the production of high-performance resins with a low carbon footprint.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Ali Jones<\/p>\n

In one of Europe\u2019s most forested nations, Estonia, a quiet revolution is transforming the way we think about wood. For centuries, timber has shaped everyday life. It\u2019s used for building homes, crafting furniture and fuelling fires.<\/p>\n

Now, a lesser-known wood product is taking centre stage. This natural substance is opening new doors for replacing fossil-based materials in modern manufacturing, making wood not just a traditional resource, but a key to a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n

Sustainable performance<\/strong><\/p>\n

What if we could replace fossil-based chemicals with something as simple and renewable as wood?<\/p>\n

With support from the EU, Estonian biotech company\u00a0Fibenol\u00a0joined forces in 2018 with partners from\u00a0Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia\u00a0and\u00a0Sweden\u00a0to find out.<\/p>\n

Their mission was to turn hardwood leftovers \u2013 materials that might otherwise go to waste \u2013 into clean, high-performance alternatives to the polluting substances currently used in many everyday products.<\/p>\n

\u201cLignin can replace bitumen in asphalt mixes for example,\u201d said Peep Pitk, Fibenol\u2019s chief development officer. \u201cIt can also replace phenol in resins used to glue together veneers in wood panels and sugars can be used as a binder in insulation products.\u201d<\/p>\n

This collaboration, known as the SWEETWOODS project, is part of a much larger \u20ac2 billion EU- and industry-backed push to build a more circular, bio-based economy where nothing goes to waste and nature is part of the solution.<\/p>\n

Nature\u2019s glue<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the heart of the SWEETWOODS team\u2019s work was the extraction of\u00a0lignin \u2013 a natural polymer that acts like a plant\u2019s glue, giving it rigidity and strength.<\/p>\n

Once dismissed as a byproduct, lignin is now being transformed into a valuable resource for applications ranging from\u00a0construction materials and packaging to food, cosmetics, and even pharmaceuticals. And this is just the beginning.<\/p>\n

The EU plans to introduce a new\u00a0Bioeconomy Strategy by the end of 2025. The aim is to speed up the shift toward a circular, bio-based economy across Europe.<\/p>\n

Part of the\u00a0Clean Industrial Deal, this strategy is about more than sustainability \u2013 it is about scaling up breakthrough technologies like those pioneered in Estonia and turning them into mainstream industrial solutions.<\/p>\n

Fuelling the future<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fibenol\u2019s story began in the wood-for-energy sector, but by 2016, its founders started asking a bigger question:\u00a0how can we unlock more value from wood than simply burning it?\u00a0They envisioned uses that would deliver longer lifecycles, higher value and greater sustainability.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter scouting the world for two to three years, we decided to go with a new technology to extract lignin and sugars using minimal chemicals,\u201d said Pitk. \u201cOur goal was to scale it up, commercialise it, and ultimately license this technology worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

With EU support, Fibenol built a\u00a0flagship biorefinery in Imavere, Estonia, designed to tap the potential of lignin \u2013 known in the bioeconomy as\u00a0\u201cbrown gold\u201d.\u00a0The biorefinery started scaling up production in 2024 and now produces\u00a0high-purity lignin and wood sugars\u00a0that are already replacing toxic petrochemicals in a range of industries.<\/p>\n

The process relies on\u00a0low-grade wood from sustainably managed forests\u00a0or waste wood from the plywood industry, material that traditionally would have been burned for energy.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, the Imavere\u00a0biorefinery runs entirely on renewable energy, operating with zero waste and creating a truly circular bioeconomy model for the future.<\/p>\n

New alliances driving innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Building on the success of the SWEETWOODS project that wrapped up in 2024, Fibenol is now part of a new international consortium pushing lignin innovation even further.<\/p>\n

The initiative, called\u00a0VIOBOND, brings together partners from Austria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia and Spain to develop next-generation bio-based resins.<\/p>\n

As with SWEETWOODS, the new collaboration draws on the expertise of multiple partners in different countries to strengthen the bioeconomy across Europe and reduce reliance on fossil resources.<\/p>\n

Central to the VIOBOND effort is a\u00a0unique bio-based resin factory\u00a0being built in Riga, Latvia, with trials set to begin in summer 2026.<\/p>\n

The research team is being led by\u00a0Latvijas Finieris AS, the EU\u2019s largest birch plywood producer. It has relied for decades on phenol-formaldehyde resins derived from fossil resources.<\/p>\n

These engineered woods are essential for industries where strength and durability are non-negotiable \u2013 think flooring for transport trucks or liners for liquefied gas tankers.<\/p>\n

According to project coordinator\u00a0Kristaps Stankus, lignin\u2019s unique properties have led to a breakthrough product \u2013 one that defies common trade-offs in sustainable solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not typical for green technologies. You usually have to compromise \u2013 either cost, strength or appearance. But that\u2019s not the case here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, producing sustainable resins at an industrial scale while preserving critical performance remains a technical challenge. For now, a small proportion of fossil-based components is still required.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to replace 70% of phenol and formaldehyde with lignin in the resins used in our plywood factories,\u201d\u00a0said Stankus.\u00a0\u201cWe will be using lignin as nature intended, as a superior adhesive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scaling up sustainability<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once refined, the VIOBOND technology will enable manufacturers across Europe to produce more sustainable resins for a variety of applications, from plywood and sandpaper to insulation wool.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the next 5 to 10 years, we expect lignin prices to fall significantly. That will attract more industries to make the shift toward sustainable solutions,\u201d\u00a0said Stankus.<\/p>\n

Fibenol shares this vision, but sees an even broader future for lignin and wood sugars, extending well beyond resins to replace fossil-based chemicals across the material and chemical sectors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are enablers of change,\u201d\u00a0said Pitk, stressing that there are viable alternatives available today.\u00a0What is needed now, he said, is for end users to demand sustainable solutions and for major market players to prioritise sustainability alongside cost efficiency.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen sustainability becomes a key criterion, innovation can truly compete \u2013 and when that happens, it will be inspiring to see what can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u200bThis article was originally published\u202fin\u00a0Horizon<\/a>\u00a0the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

More info<\/p>\n