Interdisciplinary collaborations are transforming forestry resources into the next generation of sustainable bioproducts.
Single-use plastic shopping bags may have been banned in BC since 2023, but petrochemical-based products continue to accumulate in landfills and almost every part of the food chain. Materials made from renewable resources, such as those being investigated at UBC’s BioProducts Institute (BPI), form part of the vision for a circular bioeconomy that closes the loop in the product lifecycle.
Bio-based materials are made from compounds found in biological matter, such as wood fibres. All vascular plants naturally contain cellulose and lignin, the most abundant biopolymers in the biosphere. In the lab, these compounds can be isolated and fractionated to create products with some of the highest mechanical strength or impact-absorbing properties, including foams comparable to their polystyrene and polyurethane counterparts.
Established in 2016 as a UBC Global Research Centre, BPI brings together expertise in the natural sciences, engineering, forestry, economic analysis, policy and social sciences to find solutions to address the challenges of waste and greenhouse gas emissions, both of which are contributing to the climate and environmental emergencies.
“BPI’s collaborative research is discovering how to transform the by-products of forestry and agriculture – along with ocean residues and food waste – into market-ready materials, chemicals and fuels,” says BPI Scientific Director and UBC Forestry Prof. Orlando Rojas, who is also the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Bioproducts.
The research consortium streamlines the process of translating discoveries made in the lab into commercial opportunities to de-fossilize the supply chain.”
Reducing harms from plastic pollution
Petroleum-based foams and plastics are difficult to recycle and persist in the environment for anywhere from 20 to 500 years. Micro- and nano-plastics are now found throughout the environment, including in the food chain, where they can enter the bloodstream.
Unlike plastics, which break apart into smaller microplastics and nanoplastics, the particles generated by biobased foams can rapidly biodegrade back into the environment.
A solution spearheaded by BPI is designed to help remove microplastics from water using a combination of the natural plant compound, tannins and forestry by-products, such as sawdust and bark. Called the bioCap filter, testing of the system has shown that it can remove almost all micro- and nano-plastic particles from water. Researchers are now investigating possible applications in wastewater treatment or household water filtration.
Another product being explored is a collaboration between the BPI team and Apple Inc. The companies are in the ideation phase of a new line of bio-based foams to be used as cushioning packaging for Apple’s electronics. Orlando anticipates a steady growth in demand for sustainable product solutions such as this among other electronics companies and any other industry in need of product packaging.
“Society at large, policymakers and industry are becoming aware that non-renewable, non-recyclable and non-biodegradable products are creating pollution and waste accumulation in nature that cannot be allowed to persist,” says Orland.
“Together with the government and industry partners, BPI is working to expand the availability of marketable bio-based materials, including those from plant fibres.”
Both Canada and the US are rich in fibre resources from forests, along with biomass waste from forestry and agricultural operation: all of which are prime sources of carbon, says Orland. When left to decompose or burned in fields or slash pies, this plant matter releases carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas that is driving climate change – into the atmosphere.
Forestry presents an opportunity to sustainably utilize cellulose, lignin and other biomolecules extracted from slash and forest operations waste to make biodegradable renewable and less-carbon-intensive products. Agricultural feedstocks and built-up organic matter on forest floors can also be transformed into bio-based materials used for everyday purposes, including biofuels, such as the ones being developed through a collaboration between UBC and the BC-SMART Biofuels Consortium.
“Wood-fibre bio-based materials can open new markets within the forest sector and generate new value-added products.”
Among the many research and development projects underway at BPI are cellulose-based electrodes for batteries, textile filaments, carbon capture materials and smart and flexible packaging, notes Orlando.
“BPI is leveraging the capabilities of nature as a means to achieve our goal to reduce the production of waste and pollution,” Orlando says. “Using science and insights from biological processes, the knowledge base we are building is accelerating collaborations and spurring bio-innovation for a greener, more sustainable world.”
This article was originally published in Branchlines Magazine. Read the magazine here.