Binders for wood-based materials are predominantly obtained from fossil resources.
The aim of the joint project is to establish binders based on biomimetic lignins that are obtained exclusively from renewable raw materials.
To this end, lignins from regional biomass resources are being tapped and chemically utilized.
Possible cross-linkers are produced using biotechnological processes and formulated into binders for wood-based materials in combination with the lignin fractions.
The developments focus on strain development and optimization for the biotechnological production of nature-identical cross-linkers, scaling tests to transfer laboratory tests to an industry-oriented development environment and the development of efficient processing methods for the biotechnological products from the fermentation broth.
The material flows from the biorefinery and biotechnology are formulated into binders on a laboratory scale, characterized and tested.
Suitable formulations are used in pilot tests for the production of wood-based materials and the products are tested for their technical suitability and compared with conventional composite materials.
The targeted binder based on biomimetic lignins will be subjected to a sustainability assessment in the form of a life cycle analysis in order to identify ecological weaknesses in the production process and identify potential for further improvements.