Synonyms

Wood composite

Related expressions

RFID transponder, woody tag,

Explanation

Wood itself is a complex composite made from polymeric carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicellulose), extractives, and lignin. Wood has important and usable material properties and our aim in the Indisputable KEY project is to promote the use of this naturally renewable plant material. In most of its current applications wood is used as such in various wood products (sawn products, woody furniture, etc.). Currently the wood industry uses wood as a bulky raw material, but should instead aim to utilize its full natural potential. In the Indisputable KEY project tags made from artificial wood material will provide a tool to find and direct the wood to a suitable use where its properties are best utilized.
Wood is by itself a great material, but certain physical or chemical modifications could be used to provide improved functionality to wood. Wood or wood fibres could be treated, coated, or impregnated with various plastics to provide more homogenous behaviour, strength, or stability against changing surrounding moisture and temperature conditions. Polymer chemistry knowledge and oil based chemicals are combined in these materials to wood science to facilitate production of enhanced tailor-made wood-composite materials and products.
Lignin would be a natural and sustainable binder or matrix material for most natural fibres, but so far its use as an industrial binder has been limited because of its complex structure has rendered it unusable.
Universities at Mie and Tampere propose introducing an advanced sustainable molecular-level separation, utilization and recycling system for forest products that will fit into current operations of the wood industry (Figure 1).

Figure 1 : Sustainable wood utilisation having “wood like” behaviour in nature

By erecting this kind of an advanced cyclical utilization system we can use these precious organic resources in our daily lives over and over again and over a long period of time. This will decrease the demand for forest resources by reducing the actual volume needed. It will suppress deforestation and ultimately lead to the preservation of the natural environment. This will also extend the life-time of some oil-based products in application areas where sustainable replacements cannot be found.

Figure 2 : Novel “synthetic wood” structures and materials

Application/usage in Indisputable KEY

Synthetic polymeric contaminants that enter pulp and paper production with wood chips create problems throughout the paper production and even in ready-made papers. They are often referred to as “plastics”, “stickies”, or “pitch” depending on where and how their detrimental effects are observed. Plastics contamination is a world-wide problem, and is estimated to cost Canadian pulp and paper industry in excess of 10 M€ annually in lost production, downgraded products, and lost orders caused by damaged reputation. Customers demand plastic free pulp, and pulp mills are currently equipped with expensive purification systems (pressure screens, flotation systems, reverse cleaners, and gyroclean rotary cleaners) that separate plastic debris based on some physical differences relative to wood or pulp. But none of them can remove a plastic RFID tag from the wood chip itself.
Control of plastic contaminants starts from good housekeeping habits of forest and woodland personnel, which also means that conventional oil-based plastics should not be used in the RFID transponders. Matrix material should facilitate easy processing and it should bind the tag tightly into a tree, wood, or wood product. RFID tags should tolerate outside conditions, and it should not absorb too much water to affect its stability, functionality or its electromagnetic properties. The matrix material should preferably look, feel and behave like wood, and the implant should not pose problems even if it remains in wood products produced.
Due to these reasons the idea is to embed the RFID into a wood-like matrix made from wood components themselves (Figure 2). These woody implants for the tree are called “woody tags”, and they will be produced using common plastics production techniques and equipment.

Institutions with teaching capabilities

Tampere University of Technology is the number one choice in Europe when considering the knowledge and teaching possibilities on artificial wood material. TampUnit with its various departments do provide teaching and R&D services for other universities, research institutes and industry. TUT plastic and elastomer laboratory has connections to several other groups working on novel artificial wood materials. Among these is Funaoka lab at Mie university, which is already connected to IK project.

For more information:
http://www.tut.fi

Available text books and training material

Commercial novel synthetic wood materials are not yet available, and Mie University is currently the only R&D site available to provide the raw material required for woody-tag production.
Literature on artificial wood is scarce as this is a new and emerging field of research. Professor Masamitsu Funaoka is a leading researcher at Mie University. An overview of his field of research can be found here .
Contact with the Indisputable KEY expert Dr Kari Kolppo is recommended.