Abstract: According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of improving the reactivity and processability of cellulose in order to utilize cheap and easily available raw material and obtain excellent performance for biomaterial manufacturing.

Abstract: According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of producing furan carboxylates from aldaric acids in the presence of a solid heterogeneous catalyst and a solvent with short reaction time. The feedstock for the production is a stable compound, which allows industrial scaling of the process. Solid acid catalyst and sustainable solvent provide considerable reduction of toxic waste compared to traditional methods, and recyclability.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the manufacture of thermoplastic fibrous materials comprising forming at least one foamed liquid comprising water and at least one foaming agent, forming a dispersion by dispersing fibers including long fibers in said at least one foamed liquid comprising water and at least one foaming agent, mixing the dispersion with a foamable liquid or dispersion comprising at least one thermoplastic polymer, forming at least one foamed dispersion, and conveying the foamed dispersion or dispersions to a foraminous support and draining liquid trough the foraminous support to form a web or a sheet, to obtain the thermoplastic fibrous material. The invention also relates to materials and products obtainable by the method, and uses related thereto.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing high tensile strength nanofiber yarn by wet-extrusion on a slippery surface. In particular, the present invention discloses a method wherein individual nanocellulose fibers are aligned by high speed in-nozzle-alignment and on-surface-alignment, which comprise controlling the fiber width on a moving slippery surface.

Abstract: Provided are biomass-based materials and valuable uses of microalgal biomass including: (i) acetylation of microalgal biomass to produce a material useful in the production of thermoplastics; (ii) use of triglyceride containing microalgal biomass for production of thermoplastics; (iii) combination of microalgal biomass and at least one type of plant polymer to produce a material useful in the production of thermoplastics; (iv) anionization of microalgal biomass to form a water absorbant material; (v) cationization of microalgal biomass, and optional flocculation, to form a water absorbant material; (vi) crosslinking of anionized microalgal biomass; (vii) carbonization of microalgal biomass; and (viii) use of microalgal biomass in the making of paper.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preparation a glycolide polyester by ring opening polymerization characterized in that glycolide monomer with optional co-monomer(s) of cyclic ester(s) is/are subjected to ring opening polymerization in the presence of a dispersion stabilizer and a catalyst, said catalyst being selected for precipitating glycolide homopolymer or copolymer from solvent, said solvent being selected so that the glycolide monomer and the optional co-monomer(s), the dispersion stabilizer and the catalyst are soluble therein but said glycolide homopolymer or copolymer is non-soluble. The present invention further relates to an in situ ring opening polymerizing process product, and to use of said glycolide polyester, and to further processing of said glycolide polyester.

Abstract: The present invention relates to selective catalytic dehydroxylation method of aldaric acids for producing muconic acid and furan chemicals, which can be used directly in fine chemical and polymer applications (FCA/FDCA) and as intermediates in the preparation of industrially significant chemicals, such as terephthalic acid, adipic acid, caprolactone, caprolactam, nylon 6.6, 1,6-hexanediol and multiple pharmaceutical building blocks (MA/MAME).

Abstract: Provided are biomass-based materials and valuable uses of microalgal biomass including: (i) acetylation of microalgal biomass to produce a material useful in the production of thermoplastics; (ii) use of triglyceride containing microalgal biomass for production of thermoplastics; (iii) combination of microalgal biomass and at least one type of plant polymer to produce a material useful in the production of thermoplastics; (iv) anionization of microalgal biomass to form a water absorbant material; (v) cationization of microalgal biomass, and optional flocculation, to form a water absorbant material; (vi) crosslinking of anionized microalgal biomass; (vii) carbonization of microalgal biomass; and (viii) use of microalgal biomass in the making of paper.

Abstract: Biobased p-cymene and methods of producing same, which can further be converted to terephtalate. Further, a method is described for converting crude sulfate turpentine recovered from chemical wood pulping into p-cymene and eventually to terephtalic acid of biological origin, and products thereof respectively. In said method, both conversion and desulfurization is realized in one reaction step. The disclosure is also related to use of zeolite catalysts in said method.

Abstract: Provided are biomass-based materials and valuable uses of microalgal biomass including: (i) acetylation of microalgal biomass to produce a material useful in the production of thermoplastics; (ii) use of triglyceride containing microalgal biomass for production of thermoplastics; (iii) combination of microalgal biomass and at least one type of plant polymer to produce a material useful in the production of thermoplastics; (iv) anionization of microalgal biomass to form a water absorbant material; (v) cationization of microalgal biomass, and optional flocculation, to form a water absorbant material; (vi) crosslinking of anionized microalgal biomass; (vii) carbonization of microalgal biomass; and (viii) use of microalgal biomass in the making of paper.

Abstract: Described herein is a feasible, significantly simplified production method that avoids challenging lactonization steps and converts a low molecular weight aliphatic polyester, consisting of hydroxy acids and a comonomer, whose molecular weight has been increased by step-growth polymerization reactions. The molecular weight of the aliphatic polyester, based on comparison of initial and final weight average molecular weights (Mw,1/Mw,2), increased significantly at a rate which permits the use of reactive extrusion to produce high molecular weight aliphatic polyesters in a simple, economically feasible manner.

Abstract: The invention refers to a method for forming particles or droplets of at least one substance comprising the steps of providing a foamed medium, which foamed medium comprises said substance, and forming particles or droplets of said substance at least partly by electrostatic processing. The use of foamed medium in electrostatic processing enables higher production speeds and increases the evenness of a coating layer formed by electrospinning or electrospraying the particles or droplets on a substrate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of deoxygenating tall oil pitch, yielding aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The invention even comprises turning the aliphates into polymerizable olefins by steam cracking, and turning the aromates into polymerizable terephthalic acid by oxygenation and, as necessary, rearrangement. The monomers can be used for the production of polymers of partially or completely biologic origin. According to the invention, tall oil pitch is first heated to turn it into liquid, which is then fed into a catalyst bed and catalytically deoxygenated with hydrogen. The deoxygenation catalyst is preferably a Ni—Mo catalyst and, in addition, a cracking catalyst can be used, such as an acidic zeolite catalyst. The deoxygenated product stream is cooled down so as to obtain a liquid, which is distilled for separation of the aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons for use in the production of the respective monomers and finally polymers.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a process for the conversion of biomaterials into structural carbon products, particularly utilizing a hydrothermal treatment step that is carried out on a high molar mass organic starting material having a carbon content of >40 wt % of the dry matter. The invention also concerns a structural carbon product obtained using such a process, which has well-defined physico-chemical properties, e.g. in terms of surface area, carbon content, density, size and shape.

Abstract: A moldable fibrous product, includes foam-formed fibrous material selected from fibrous webs, paper webs, board webs, or sheets cut from any of the webs, at least one polymer selected from carbohydrate derivatives, polylactic acid, polyurethane and polyolefins impregnated in the web, and from 0.001 to 0.1% by weight of at least one foaming agent.

Abstract: A method for the manufacture of aromatic hydrocarbons, includes allowing at least one olefin to react with at least one hydrogen scavenger at a temperature from 50 to 1000° C., under a pressure from normal atmospheric pressure to 500 bar without an added catalyst, to yield aromatic hydrocarbons.

Abstract: A method of producing dissolving pulp from a recycled fibrous feedstock. The method comprises providing a fibrous material comprising cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose, said fibre source further having a lignin content of 0.1 to 7% lignin and an ash content of up to 3%; subjecting the fibrous material to an alkaline extraction at a temperature of about 0 to 25° C., to produce fibres having a reduced content of hemicellulose; subjecting the fibres thus obtained to a bleaching treatment carried out with oxidative chemical reagents in order to reduce the lignin content of the fibres; and recovering the fibres thus obtained. By means of the method, dissolving pulp can be produced from recycled paper and cardboard products.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of treating chemical pulp fibers by a polymerizing hydroxy acid, the fibers thus obtained and the products refined from them. In the method, the hydroxy acid reacts with the reactive groups of the fibers in the presence of a catalyst, forming ester bonds. The following units of the same hydroxy acid are oligomerized and/or polymerized to these grafted acid residues. The fibers thus treated and the products refined thereof endure better processing stages that include drawing and stretching than untreated fibers.

Abstract: A method of deoxygenation of tall oil as well as methods for the production of aliphatic hydrocarbons and polymerizable monomers from tall oil. Sulphurous crude tall oil together with hydrogen gas is fed into a reactor comprising a catalyst bed. The oil is catalytically deoxygenated by hydrogen in the bed by use of a sulfided metal catalyst, e.g. a NiMoS catalyst. The flow exiting the reactor is cooled down and a hydrocarbon-bearing liquid phase is separated from a gas phase, followed by subjecting the liquid phase to distillation for removal of useless aromatic hydrocarbons and then to steam cracking to form a product containing olefins such as ethylene or propylene. By regulation of the deoxygenation temperature to be at least 270° C. but less than 360° C. the yield is rich in linear and cyclic aliphates that usefully turn to olefins in the steam cracking, while formation of napthalenes is reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of producing olefinic monomers for the production of a polymer. The invention particularly relates to the production of tall oil-based biopolymers, such as polyolefins. In the stages of the method bio oil, with a content of over 50% of fatty acids of tall oil and no more than 25% of resin acids of tall oil, and hydrogen gas are fed into a catalyst bed (7); the oil is catalytically deoxygenated in the bed by hydrogen; the flow exiting the bed is cooled down and divided into a hydrocarbon-bearing liquid phase (10) and a gas phase; and the hydrocarbon-bearing liquid (13) is subjected to steam cracking (4) to provide a product containing polymerizing olefins. The deoxygenation in the bed can be followed by a catalytic cracking or, with a suitable catalyst, the deoxygenation and cracking can be simultaneous. The separated hydrogen-bearing gas phase can be circulated in the process.