The wood product industries are under imminent pressure to reduce the biocidal content in their products or to replace it with renewable compounds due to the negative environmental impact of those both in service and at disposal. Although no chemical exists today able to be adaptable to the current industrial setup while being cost and performance efficient, a few bio-based systems will have high future relevance if their shortcomings are addressed properly.
Tannins have been extensively studied to improve the durability of common European timbers; however, due to instability in wood cells and leaching, the effectiveness of tannins is reduced over time. The leaching resistance of tannin has been increased by crosslinking with chemicals such as hexamine and formaldehyde. However, these chemicals release toxic formaldehyde gases. Therefore, the Artificial Heartwood project aims to develop bio-based formula from tannin- for protecting Scots Pine sapwood for window applications, as preliminary high risky research to reveal further possibilities to implement and validate promising results in the industrial scale. The project is highly aligned with the efforts of the wood and building industries to reduce their carbon footprint and reach a bio-based social economy with a direct contribution to various Agenda 2030 goals, such as 12, 13 and 15.
Participants
Linnaeus University and Stora Enso,
Budget & time plan
The project’s total budget is 1 MSEK and the project runs during six months – between May and October 2023.