Work package 1: Contaminated wood cleaning and fractionation
This work package develops comprehensive technologies for managing contaminated wood waste through an integrated approach spanning 24 months. The work addresses the entire value chain from initial sorting to final resource recovery, ensuring maximum valorisation of waste materials. Key objectives include:
The work develops an AI-powered sorting system that uses deep learning and multiangle imaging to automatically classify wood waste into grades A-D based on contamination levels. This technology enables real-time sorting on conveyor belts equipped with integrated sensors for comprehensive waste characterization.
Once sorted, industrial wood waste from the UK and Finland undergoes grade-specific decontamination processes. Class A wood is treated with pressurized hot water extraction, while Classes B and C require more intensive chemical treatments using acids and chelating agents. These processes are carefully developed at laboratory scale before being validated in 300L industrial reactors.
The decontaminated wood then undergoes advanced fractionation through two complementary methods: chemo-enzymatic treatment using laccase and alkali, and acid prehydrolysis. These techniques sequentially extract lignin and hemicellulose while
preserving cellulose-rich residues. Through membrane purification technology, the process yields high-purity lignin in powder or liquid form, hemicellulose fractions separated by molecular weight, and cellulose suitable for sugar production.
The final stage focuses on treating wastewater through an innovative biochar-based recovery system. Activated biochar first adsorbs heavy metals and contaminants from the waste streams. These metals are then recovered through chemical desorption and precipitation, allowing the biochar to be regenerated and reused. Any remaining contaminants undergo microbial detoxification using specialized fungal and bacterial consortia, ensuring a complete zero-waste approach to wood waste valorisation.
This work package establishes the foundation for transforming contaminated wood waste into valuable resources, directly supporting WoodVALOR’s mission to create circular value chains across European industries.
Work package 2: Thermochemical and enzymatic approaches for production of key intermediates
This work package focuses on converting fractionated wood waste components into high-value biochemicals through integrated hydrothermal and biological processing. The package combines thermal conversion technologies with advanced bioprocessing to
transform lignin into phenolic monomers, solid residues into biochar, and cellulose into lactic acid via glucose intermediates, establishing a complete valorisation pathway fordecontaminated wood waste. Key objectives include:
The work follows a systematic factorial design approach organized into three integratedprocess streams. Beginning with hydrothermal treatment, lignin undergoes liquefactionat harsh conditions while solid residues are converted to biochar under milder conditions, both scaling from 500 mL batch reactors to 15L continuous systems.
For cellulose conversion, two complementary saccharification pathways are developed: a traditional enzymatic route using optimized enzyme cocktails in 72-hour cycles (scaling from 250 mL to 30L bioreactors), and an innovative hydrothermal approach
offering rapid 20-minute processing (scaling to 15L continuous reactors).
These glucose streams then feed into lactic acid production using an evolved strain adapted for high substrate tolerance. The strain is deployed in two configurations – separate hydrolysis and fermentation for maximum optical purity (>95%), or consolidated bioprocessing for process efficiency – both reaching 100L scale under non- sterile conditions. Final product purification employs multi-stage separation including solvent extraction and membrane filtration to achieve specifications for downstream conversion.
The work package will deliver validated, scalable protocols for converting wood waste fractions into valuable products. Final products will meet specifications for downstream conversion, with lactic acid achieving purity suitable for thermocatalytic transformation into acrylic acid and esters. The outcomes establish a complete biorefinery approach for wood waste valorisation with demonstrated scalability to industrial volumes.
Work package 3: Bio-based processing and heterogenous catalysis to key
building blocks
This work package transforms intermediate products from wood waste bioprocessing into high-value industrial materials including pigments, acrylate esters, fatty acids, binders, emulsifiers, and biochar. The work integrates biological fermentation with
chemical catalysis and thermal processing to create a portfolio of sustainable alternatives to petrochemical-derived products for the paints, coatings, and agricultural sectors. Key objectives include:
The work package integrates five complementary production pathways that transform wood-derived intermediates into industrial products. Beginning with fermentation-based processes, proprietary bacterial strains convert glucose syrups into pigment
intermediates, progressing from 2 – 5L bioreactors to 20L production scale. These intermediates undergo patented chemical transformations to yield indigo and a complete trichromy of blue, yellow, and red pigments. In parallel, oleaginous yeasts
produce lipids under nitrogen-limited conditions, achieving 10-30 g/L titers at 100L scale before conversion to fatty acids through integrated solvent extraction and membrane filtration.
Chemical conversion pathways focus on maximizing value from fermentation products. Lactic acid undergoes a carefully orchestrated two-step transformation – first esterification with various alcohols using both homogeneous and heterogeneous
catalysts, then controlled dehydration to acrylate esters while preventing unwanted polymerization. This integrated approach minimizes intermediate purification requirements between biological and chemical processing stages.
The hemicellulose fraction serves as a platform for specialty chemicals, undergoing controlled grafting with phenolics and fatty acids to create both emulsifiers and binder components. These reactions scale from 250 mL optimization studies to 20L production,
with products validated directly in industrial paint and coating formulations as sustainable alternatives to petrochemical ingredients.
Finally, solid residues are valorised through optimized pyrolysis, converting contaminated wood into biochar 10 – 20 minute residence times. Product quality is assured through advanced characterization including X-ray tomography and helium ion
microscopy, ensuring the biochar meets specifications for soil amendment applications while safely managing contaminants.
The work package will deliver a portfolio of bio-based chemicals and materials meeting industrial specifications. The outcomes establish complete value chains from wood waste to industrial products, enabling supply chain decarbonization across multiple
sectors.
Work package 4: Formulation and validation of industrial applications
This work package transforms bio-based monomers and additives from wood waste into commercial-grade polymers, coatings, adhesives, and sealants, while validating biochar applications for soil remediation. The work bridges laboratory-scale synthesis with industrial formulation and testing, establishing complete value chains from wastederived chemicals to market-ready products that can replace petrochemical alternatives. The key objectives include:
The work integrates monomer synthesis, polymerization, and industrial validation through four interconnected tasks. Starting with low molecular weight hemicellulose, acrylic acid, and fatty acids from upstream processes, controlled esterification creates
polymerizable monomers using both enzymatic and chemical catalysts. By benchmarking bio-based feedstocks against synthetic references, the process establishes conversion efficiency targets that guide upstream optimization
This monomer development feeds directly into parallel polymerization and formulation activities, creating a continuous optimization loop. Generic emulsion polymer formulations provide standardized platforms for testing bio-based acrylate esters, novel
monomers, surfactants, and stabilizers. Each iteration undergoes comprehensive characterization – from stability parameters (shear, pH, storage) and physical properties (solids content, viscosity, particle size) to thermal behaviour (DSC analysis) – with results benchmarked against commercial standards to ensure market readiness.
Industrial validation proceeds along two specialized tracks tailored to end-use requirements. Paint and coating formulations undergo performance comparisons with existing market products, while external validation identifies potential adoption barriers
and ensures regulatory compliance. Adhesives and sealants face more rigorous testing protocols, including substrate-specific adhesion tests, accelerated stability assessments, and full ISO certification procedures evaluating mechanical properties,
durability, and environmental resistance.
Complementing these polymer applications, biochar undergoes systematic evaluation for soil remediation in mining-impacted areas. Controlled greenhouse trials employ a factorial design across 40 mesocosms, comparing biochar sources and nitrogen
fertilization strategies in timothy grass and red clover cultivation. Weekly greenhouse gas monitoring combined with comprehensive pre- and post-treatment soil analysis quantifies improvements in fertility, carbon sequestration potential, and overall agricultural viability, establishing biochar as a value-added solution for environmental restoration.
The work package will deliver validated processes for converting bio-based monomers into commercial-grade polymers achieving >90% yields. The outcomes establish complete supply chains from wood waste to industrial products, with documented performance data enabling commercial deployment across multiple market sectors.
Work package 5: Health, safety, sustainability & regulatory aspects
This work package develops comprehensive assessment frameworks and tools to evaluate the environmental, economic, social, and regulatory aspects of valorising contaminated wood into platform chemicals. It integrates multiple assessment
methodologies into a Decision Support System while ensuring Safe and Sustainable by Design principles are embedded throughout the project lifecycle. Key objectives include:
The work establishes a comprehensive assessment framework by identifying and refining methodologies across five interconnected domains: dynamic life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, risk assessment, social life cycle assessment, and innovation/implementation research. This integrated approach ensures holistic evaluation of valorisation processes from multiple perspectives, creating a foundation for evidence-based decision-making.
Building on this framework, a centralized database transforms technical data from across the project into standardized indicators spanning material flows, energy consumption, economic metrics, social acceptance, and environmental impacts. By prioritizing consistency and transparency, the database enables accurate tracking of complex resource flows characteristic of circular bioeconomy systems, with public availability ensuring broader academic and societal benefit.
These tools and data converge in comprehensive scenario modelling that examines diverse value chain configurations. Process simulations span the entire production cycle—from upstream nutrient recovery through downstream processing—while
pursuing ambitious targets of zero net-carbon emissions, zero waste, and zero pollution. Each scenario undergoes rigorous evaluation across multiple dimensions: primary energy use, climate impacts (including GHG emissions and cumulative radiative forcing), resource efficiency, eco-toxicity, economic viability (capital/operating costs and
revenue streams), social acceptance, and health/safety criteria.
Mathematical modelling underpins the Decision Support System, employing superstructure models to simultaneously analyse and rank platform chemical scenarios. The system integrates multiple assessment methodologies – LCA, TEA, and Social-LCA
– through a sophisticated software suite. Continuous stakeholder engagement throughout development ensures the system addresses real-world needs and perspectives.
Complementing technical assessments, regulatory analysis maps the complex landscape of EU waste management regulations and relevant frameworks. Through stakeholder workshops and questionnaires, the analysis identifies both opportunities and potential barriers, translating findings into actionable policy recommendations that address bottlenecks in waste wood valorisation pathways.
Throughout all activities, Safe and Sustainable by Design principles provide overarching guidance through three integrated streams. Cross-project integration applies EC guidelines and NESSI scoring to embed SSbD thinking in all development phases.
Safety assessment leverages REACH and ECHA datasets for early hazard identification, while sustainability evaluation examines environmental, economic, and social dimensions across the complete innovation lifecycle. This comprehensive approach ensures that safety and sustainability considerations shape decision-making from initial concept through commercial deployment.
The work package will deliver an integrated assessment framework combining LCA, TEA, risk, and social analysis methodologies tailored for bio-based chemical evaluation. Together, the outcomes enable evidence-based decision-making for scaling wood waste
valorisation while minimizing environmental impacts and maximizing societal benefits.
Work package 6: Dissemination, exploitation, and stakeholder engagement
This work package maximizes the impact of WoodVALOR innovations by implementing comprehensive strategies for communication, dissemination, and exploitation. It focuses on raising awareness about circular processes using waste wood as feedstock, engaging diverse stakeholders from scientists to citizens, and ensuring effective protection and commercialization of project outputs. Key objectives include:
The communication strategy establishes a comprehensive framework to convey the project’s concept and impacts across diverse audiences, from consumers and scientific peers to business partners and policymakers. This multi-channel approach integrates
professional branding materials with digital platforms featuring a dedicated website showcasing project progress through infographics and videos. Social media channels across Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn provide regular milestone updates
while fostering social acceptance, complemented by newsletters that maintain direct engagement with interested stakeholders. A structured content plan ensures consistent messaging through managed partner interviews and strategic cross-platform
distribution.
Dissemination activities translate communications into targeted engagement opportunities. The project will maintain an active presence at selected annual conferences, deliver accessible webinars, and organize a final workshop to identify demonstration opportunities. Knowledge transfer extends through structured PhD student exchanges to partner facilities in the UK, Finland, and Belgium, where hands-on experience directly feeds into decision support system development. A Stakeholder Board established early in the project brings together industry, academic, and policy experts for regular feedback sessions that guide project direction. Mid-project effectiveness reviews will assess geographical reach, audience engagement, and overall impact, enabling strategic adjustments as needed.
The exploitation strategy ensures project innovations achieve lasting commercial impact through systematic technology assessment and intellectual property management. Each technology undergoes evaluation for environmental impacts and benefits, with findings integrated into a comprehensive exploitation plan updated at the project midpoint. Partners document exploitable knowledge and intended applications while establishing clear performance indicators and development timelines. This proactive approach to IP management and commercialization planning creates defined pathways for technology deployment beyond the project lifecycle, maximizing the long-term value of research outputs.
The work package will deliver a cohesive brand identity and communication infrastructure reaching multiple stakeholder groups through diverse channels. Success metrics will demonstrate expanded awareness of waste wood valorisation potential,
increased social acceptance of bio-based chemicals, and clear pathways for technology commercialization beyond the project timeline.
Work package 7: Project coordination
This work package ensures successful project execution through comprehensive management structures, risk mitigation, and effective knowledge sharing across the consortium. It establishes the administrative framework, monitors progress, manages
data, and promotes inclusive practices throughout the project lifecycle. The overarching objective is to achieve project goals through close collaboration, knowledge exchange, and productive consortium interaction.
The project management framework integrates administrative and scientific coordination through comprehensive systems for tracking progress, managing resources, and ensuring quality. Financial oversight encompasses partner expenditure tracking, audit
compliance, and regulatory reporting, complemented by systematic quality reviews and proactive management of legal and intellectual property matters. Risk management operates through a dynamic Quality Assurance & Risk Management Plan that
addresses financial, organizational, and managerial challenges.
Inclusivity principles are embedded across all activities through dedicated monitoring of gender and cultural equality, particularly in communication and exploitation efforts. Annual assessments identify potential discriminatory aspects and guide corrective
actions, extending these principles to funding distribution in associated countries to ensure equitable practices throughout the innovation ecosystem.
Data management strategies balance openness with commercial protection through a comprehensive plan developed early in the project. The approach maximizes research accessibility via strategic open access publishing while safeguarding intellectual
property, with regular reviews ensuring continued alignment with project evolution and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
This integrated management approach creates a robust foundation for achieving project objectives while maintaining compliance, managing risks, promoting inclusivity, and maximizing research impact.