Location: Nutrition, Food Safety/Quality
Project Number: 0500-00090-001-014-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 25, 2025
End Date: Aug 24, 2028
Objective:
Diversifying applications and products within the forest products industry is critical to increasing economic resilience in forest-based communities across the nation. Developing markets for novel and emerging forest products requires advancing technical concepts and applications along the research, development and commercialization lifecycle. De-risking these technologies reduces the barriers of attracting companies for technology transfer and adoption, as well as investment for startup businesses. This cooperative agreement contains five projects focused on novel forest products with commercial relevance addressing multiple industries and substitute applications for harmful materials. The expected outcomes and deliverables of the projects are provided in the following paragraphs. Detailed project details are provided in the Cooperative Agreement proposal to be submitted to USDA/ARS in combination with the budget details.
Focus Project 1: Developing imaging techniques to evaluate formation quality and fiber alignment in thermoformed molded fiber objects
The purpose of this project is to use advanced image analysis and machine learning techniques to develop methods to quantify/map fiber formation quality and orientation in molded fiber objects, directly supporting the molded fiber industry with a reliable and scalable assessment in manufacturing molded fiber products.
Focus Project 2: Hygrothermal and Durability Assessment of Wood-fiber Insulation (WFI) in Various Climate Zones
The purpose of this project is to determine long term durability and performance associated with the use of wood fiber insulation with entirely wood-based wall systems in different building types and climate zones and provide inputs for modeling programs to increase the likelihood of widespread market adoption.
Focus Project 3: Developing Biobased Barrier Coatings from Cork-Derived Suberin for Food Packaging Applications
The purpose of this project is to develop scalable methods for extracting suberin from forest/non-forest sources and formulating it into effective coatings for paper-based packaging as an alternative to PFAS and paraffin waxes to align with government regulation and consumer preferences.
Focus Project 4: Development of lignin-based biocomposites for material development and property improvements
The purpose of this project is to seek and overcome the challenges which hinder the effective utilization of lignin in polypropylene thermoplastic composites via thermokinetic mixing and develop suitable incorporation techniques for these materials into commercial markets.
Focus Project 5: Development of Cellulose Nanofiber as a new Material for Artists.
The purpose of this project is to further explore the commercial potential of cellulose nanofiber as a medium for professional artists and K-12 educators, serving as a suitable replacement for synthetic molding clays.
Approach:
Project 1: First, molded fiber objects from various pulps, wood particles, TMP, and CNF hybrids will be created to varying levels of formation quality. Next, samples will be nondestructively imaged, gridded, cut into regular shapes and weighed to determine local densities/basis weights. RGB indices or pixel intensity values will be correlated with algorithms to predict thickness and local density values. Thirdly, molded fiber sheet analogs will be created, calculating BOI values to evaluate local fiber orientations. Lastly, the system will be applied in a commercial partner’s production process to evaluate scale-up and refine techniques.
Project 2: First, wood-fiber insulation material properties will be directly evaluated for thermal conductivity and water vapor transmission rates, with materials conditioned to a range of environmental conditions. Properties will be verified using hygrothermal modeling techniques. Next will be a field test monitoring hygrothermal durability and energy consumption in an existing CLT/WFI building with revised occupancy, temperature/RH, and energy consumption sensors to better quantify envelope performance and incorporate it into hygrothermal modeling software to perform what-if analysis to improve building use efficiency.
Project 3: First, suberin from cork, potato peels, and white birch bark will be extracted, purified, and analyzed using FTIR and DSC to determine chemical composition and thermal properties. Next, purified suberin will be dispersed and emulsified with various biobased compounds as needed, then applied to paper substrates using the rod coating method and evaluated using SEM to determine coating uniformity. Lastly, the water and oil barrier properties of the coating system will be evaluated, with a TEA performed to evaluate the scalability and economic viability of the suberin-based coating process.
Project 4: First, commercial hardwood and softwood lignin will be blended with chemical modifiers and catalysts in a thermokinetic mixer, varying material loadings and blending times. Blends will be tested via FTIR, NMR, and GC to evaluate structure and molecular weight changes. Next, selected lignin blends will be compounded with polypropylene then injection molded into testing coupons. Tensile, flexure, and notched Izod impact tests will be performed to evaluate mechanical performance, with DSC and TMA performed for thermal properties. Lastly, a TEA and LCA will be conducted to provide a holistic evaluation of performance trade-offs, supporting lignin-PP composites for industrial adoption.
Project 5: First, freeze-thaw cycling experiments will be conducted varying solids content, % fines, viscosity, and water retention capacity. Artists will compare the formulations against polymer clays for workability and moldability. Next, a variety of food-grade preservatives and additives will be evaluated to extend CNF shelf life, evaluating contamination, mold, and bacteria growth.