The WooBAdh project aims to study the feasibility of replacing formaldehyde in wood adhesives by natural components derived from wood or other vegetable matter. New bioadhesives, able to provide a holistic solution to the current emissions challenges facing the wood-based composites industry, will be developed by a consortium composed by research groups from France (University of Lorraine), Germany (Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg & Fraunhofer ICT), Slovenia (University of Ljubljana) and Spain (University of Santiago de Compostela, USC). The project is coordinated by the USC.
The proposed solution is focused on different modifications of polyphenols, namely lignin and tannins, for producing bioadhesives that do not contain formaldehyde in its formulation, eliminating in this way the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC). The substrates will be Kraft lignin, from the pulp and paper industry, hardwood organosolv lignin, as well as mimosa, quebracho and chesnut tannins. Depending on the nature of the raw material, some substrates may need to be modified at different levels for increasing their reactivity. Chemical and enzymatic approaches will be applied to modify the substrates. Then, on the modified and unmodified materials novel reactions to produce the bioadhesives will be evaluated. The key aspect to obtain suchbioadhesives is the system of hardening, without which any modification will be of no use.
Overview of the WooBAdh project proposal
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To select the logo of the project a contest open to personnel and researchers from the partners institutions was carried out. Three design proposals were presented. The design presented by Beatriz Gullón, postdoc researcher from the University of Santiago de Compostela, was selected as the project logo by the Project Management Committee.
Winner design for the WooBAdh logo
After the kick-off meeting the first workshop of the project was carried out at the School of Engineering of the University of Santiago de Compostela. The event counted with the participation of personel from ENCE, FORESA, Betanzos-HB, ACOUGA and COEQGa. First, Prof. María T Moreira, from the USC, presented the project to all the participants, and then, the representative of the different institutions explained their points of view about the project, and the use of bioadhesives in general. After the meeting, there was a lunch with the representatives of the institutions and the partners.
The kick-off meeting of the project was celebrated last 16-17 of July at the School of Engineering of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). It counted with the participation of all project partners and also with a representative of the stakeholder SilvaTeam. In this meeting, the partners presented the planification of the activities of their respective work packages. Different management and general aspects of the project were also discussed. At the end of the first day of the meeting, the representatives had a dinner at a tradicional Galician restaurant.
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