6.Keynote – Enzymes that upgrade renewable biomass to chemicals and new bio-based materials
Genomics initiatives have uncovered the critical importance of microbial enzymes to expand-ing the range of products that can be made from plant biomass (i.e., lignocellulose). So far, most applications of such enzymes focus on the deconstruction of lignocellulose to mono-saccharides and monolignols for subsequent fermentation to fuels and target chemicals. While necessary for capturing the […]
6.Invited – The importance of molecular architecture of wood for enzyme action
Polysaccharide structures determine their biophysical properties and enzymatic digestibility. Moreover, plant polysaccharide structures also influence their interactions and assembly in the cell wall, and consequently, properties such as strength of wood. The action of enzymes on biomass may be influenced not only by the structure of the polysaccharide but also the molecular architecture of the […]
8.Keynote – Hydration solids: Properties of biological matter derive simply and predictably from the physics of water
Water has a substantial impact on the properties of most types of biological matter, but this impact is viewed as a perturbation rather than being foundational to the material. We recently introduced a theory that argues water gives biological matter its most basic properties (1). In this new picture, water is not a modifier of […]
8.Invited – Tailoring Nanocellulose Performance and Water Interactions through New Surface Modification Routes
By learning from nature and using bio-based building blocks we can engineer sustainable high-performance materials with improved functionality. However, the surface chemistry of nanocellulose must be well understood and controlled in order to optimize the interactions with liquids, ionic species and polymers. Water interactions play a crucial role in the processability and applicability of natural […]
2.7 Lignin Carbohydrate Complexes – Inferring Structure-Property Relations with Artificial Intelligence
The potential of lignin as an abundant, underutilized biopolymer is increasingly being realized. A key challenge for the targeted production of lignins remains the poorly understood relation between lignin properties and its complex structure. Novel artificial intelligence (AI) methods could reveal such structure-function relationships but remain elusive in biomaterials research. Here, we present our AI […]
3.2 Enzymatic grafting of ferulic acid to cellulose fibers for the production of bioactive functional foams
With more and more prominence on the green transition, it is becoming increasingly important to find holistic resource efficient processes to replace traditional fossil-based systems. One such industry is the polymer foam industry which today relies heavily on polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene etc. which are synthesized from petroleum. Naturally, these foams are non-biodegradable and derived from […]
6.2 Production of M-NFC from poplar wood chips: impact of a mechano-enzymatic pre-treatment on M-NFC fiber quality
NFC production is a well-known process that is more and more used to produce high added-value products for many applications such as food packaging, rheology agents or composites. However, production requires a lot of energy such as electricity or water. Starting from industrial poplar wood chips, we propose to combine an enzymatic treatment with a […]
2.3 Optimized synthesis of a high oleic sunflower oil derived polyamine and its lignin-based NIPUs
The development of bio-based materials is crucial for reducing the dependence on fossil resources. Being one of the major natural sources of aromatic scaffolds, lignin holds high potential for valorization, both for high-value added chemicals as well as its use as a macromonomer for lignin-based polymer production. This work presents an innovative approach to synthesizing […]
2.1 Monolithic, hybrid and particulate lignin-based hydrogels for sustainable CO2 capture
Amine-infused hydrogels (AIHs) represent a promising platform for developing solid absorbents with improved CO2 absorption capacity. However, most of them rely on petroleum-based and toxic monomers. Lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) are becoming prominent players at the interface between sustainable nanomaterials technology and chemical science due to their high surface-area-to-mass ratio, which allows them to interact with […]
8.1 Harnessing Water-Induced Functionality in Nanocellulose-Based Products
Due to its high specific surface area and abundant surface polar groups (such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and other ionic functional groups), nanocellulose exhibits strong interactions with water. The presence of water in nanocellulose can introduce diverse functionalities, serving multiple roles. In this presentation, I will discuss our work on leveraging water to tune the mechanical […]
