Projects

Wood or lignocellulosic biomass more generally, is a readily available renewable resource, offering sustainable solutions for our growing human population. The core wood polymers - cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin - serve as fundamental components, extending beyond paper production to produce valuable wood sugars, textile fibers, thermoplastics, and fine chemicals. In our project, we are developing enzyme technologies utilizing extremophilic microbe-derived enzymes to break down and modify lignin, remove toxic phenolic compounds, convert cellulose into wood sugars, and advance enzyme-catalyzed cellulose technologies. Additionally, the project focuses on advancing technologies for converting kraft, hydrolysis (and organosolv) and synthetic lignins into porous materials, thermoplastics, and cutting-edge catalysts.

Studies on semi-industrial scale extraction of hemp, optimisation of conditions. Destillation of extracts, CBD crystallization. CBD fractionation by flush-chromatography.

Wood is the most abundant form of biomass used by industry and is the source of the three major biolpolymers in nature – cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. While cellulose is responsible for about 40-50% of the dry weight of wood, lignin content varies from 10% to about 35% across species. For decades, lignin has been seen as a bothersome side-product that needs removal at all cost. However, in the last decade, due to its polyphenolic nature, lignin has emerged to the focus of attention as a renewable alternative to crude oil based chemistry. The project aims to develop technologies for the extaction and fractionation of lignin and cellulose derived from low valorization level bleached chemi-thermomechanical pulp or industrial wood-waste. The goal of the project is to develop practical and environmentally friendly functional materials (e.g. thermo isolators and surfactants). Also, the project will identify and characterize novel industrial enzymes from extreme thermophilic organisms.

ECAC unites the competence and analytical capabilities of three prominent organizations in Estonia: University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology and the Estonian Environmental Research Centre and offers access to analytical instruments as well as services and collaboration both to academia and industry.This network enables the use of analytical apparatus in an optimal way and avoids duplication. The main objectives of ECAC are: (1) to create a “cross-user network” between research institutions. This allows the users easily to carry out complex projects, which require advanced apparatus. In addition, it avoids the duplication of the equipment (Objectives 1, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4). (2) to be an innovation and technology development support unit for R&D projects and industrial innovation (incl. to achieve the goals of a smart specialisation) (Objective 1) (3) to be the center of analytical chemistry education and knowledge transfer (Objective 3); (4) to be the support structure in analytical chemistry for Estonia's participation in various EU cooperation networks such as ESA, Eurachem, Euramet / EMPIR (Objectives 2.2, 3).