AFORE · Forest biorefineries: Added-value from chemicals and polymers by new integrated separation, fractionation and upgrading technologies

The approach of AFORE project is to develop novel, industrially adaptable and techno-economically viable bio-based solutions for the separation, fractionation, and primary upgrading of green chemicals from forest residues, wood chips, and chemical pulping liquors to be used as starting materials for current and novel value-added applications. It is targeted that by this means European forest and pulping industry can substantially increase its profitability and overall income within 10 years with positive impact on the waste formation and sustainability of the process. The project will focus on two paths, namely upgrading the current kraft pulping process into a multi-product biorefinery concept and development of entirely new wood-based biorefinery concepts, in which the wood cellulose is exploited in value-added applications with simultaneous production of a multitude of novel non-cellulosic products. The success of the technological developments will be evaluated using different modelling and assessment tools and by pilot and mill scale demonstrations. The techno-economical evaluations will also include a thorough investigation of how the new side-stream -based value chains will affect the current end-uses (mainly energy) as well as the environmental footprint of production. The multidisciplinary project consortium consists of research and industrial partners covering the whole value chain from wood to end products. The expertises of the partners include wood and pulp and paper processing, physical, chemical and biotechnical biomaterial processing, component isolation and upgrading, sophisticated biomaterial analysis, environmental and techno-economical modelling and assessment of processes, products and business scenarios related thereof.