Building the bark biorefinery

Date:September 1, 2017

Country: Canada

Application

• Production of bio-based resins, adhesives, polyols, and foam products for applications in construction and automotive sectors

Description

My research focus is to develop sustainable bio-based chemicals and materials using renewable forest biomaterials as feedstock. These would be greener than the current options, which are based on fossil fuels.One project we have worked on extensively involves what we call a bark biorefinery. Just as an oil refinery uses a single feedstock (oil) to produce a variety of products, we are developing platform technologies that can use tree bark as precursors and building blocks to produce value-added bio-based resins, adhesives, polyols, and foam products

Pathway Description:

A biorefinery process that uses microorganisms to break down bark into valuable chemicals