The goal of this presentation is to tell about the engineering challenges provided by papermaking operations, which are indeed fascinating, especially when one considers paper recycling, paper product differentiation, automation, and efforts to adapt biobased solutions.  Such challenges are expanded when considering the adoption of emerging nanomaterials. This talk will address some advances in the integration of nano and microcelluloses with paper, considering strength and functional properties. Attention will be given to the effects of the residual lignin and the morphology of these emerging materials, applied in internal and surface treatments in conventional papermaking as well as in foam forming

Canada Excellence Research Chair, Chemical & Biological Engineering | Wood Science | Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, Canada

Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, Finland

Professor Orlando Rojas received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University followed by an appointment as Senior Researcher in the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH and the Institute for Surface Chemistry, YKI, both in Stockholm. He was professor (2004-2014) in the Department of Forest Biomaterials and Chemical and Biological Engineering of North Carolina State University. He is affiliated with Aalto University, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems and the chair of Aalto’s Materials Platform(Finland).  Currently, Professor Orlando Rojasis a Canada Excellence Research Chairunder a program that supports world‑renowned scientists to establish ambitious research in Canada. He is Director of the Bioproducts Institute, a cluster with ca. 40 professors of University of British Columbia(UBC) with shared interest in the area. In UBC, he shares affiliation with the departments of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Wood Scienceand Chemistry. He is Distinguish Professor in Nanjing Forestry University,Dalian Polytechnic University, and South China University of Technology.

Prof. Rojas is recipient of the Anselme Payen Award, one of the highest recognitions in the area of cellulose and renewable materials. He is an elected as Fellow of the American Chemical Society (2013), the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (2017) and recipient of the Tappi Nanotechnology Award (2015).  Prof. Rojas is research PI of the Finnish Materials Bioeconomy flagship (FinnCERES) with the mission to harness the natural properties of lignocellulose to create new sustainable materials. He was co-PI of the Academy of Finland's Center of Excellence in Molecular Engineering of Biosynthetic Hybrid Materials Research, HYBER. Prof. Rojas most recent research grants include the prestigious European Research Commission Advanced Grant (ERC-Advanced) and a Horizon H2020 project, among many others.

During his career he has advised 42 postdoctoral fellows, 57 PhD and 37 MS students and has hosted 114 international visiting scholars and professors. He has published over 420 peer-reviewed papers (h-index=71, > 23900 citations, GS). Together with his research group, Bio-based Colloids and Materials, Prof. Rojas mission is to support global sustainable development through research on the fundamental and utilization aspects of renewable resources, including areas related to colloid and surfaces of lignocellulose, proteins and other biopolymers.  In this area, he introduced groundbreaking developments related to thin films of cellulose and lignin for investigating molecular adsorption of surfactants and polymers using quartz crystal microgravimetry and surface plasmon resonance.

Topochemical Engineering Strategies to Add-Value to Functional Bioproducts

Functional bioproducts are emerging as new business lines for forest, pulp and paper companies boosted by growing bio- and circular economy initiatives. Moreover, negative impacts of plastics and additives on environment and human health are driving forces to replace these materials with more sustainable and healthy alternatives. To this end, forest-based bioproducts such as fibres, lignin and polysaccharides are excellent candidates to replace non-renewables. However, the application of these bioproducts to current and emerging value chains require suitable processing and tailoring of functions and properties. Topochemical engineering is a method to design fractionation (disassembly) and fabrication (assembly) of highly engineered functional materials. Controlled fractionation of biopolymers combined with functionalization and topochemical fabrication of bioproducts facilitates the creation of materials with tailored functions and properties. In this work, topochemical fractionation and fabrication strategies of industrial relevance are presented and discussed. Four original technology platforms for valorization of bioproducts are presented: 1) InnoBleach for shortening bleaching sequences and increasing pulp production without capital expenditures 2) Waterfinery for isolation and dissolution of biomass components using water-based solvents 3) PolySpheres for fabrication of catalysts, hydro- and aerogels for diverse applications in consumer and biomedical products and 4) PolyBright, a biobased optical brightener for biobased coatings and consumer products. As conclusion, topochemical engineering has great potential to advance the creation of processes and products of the emerging bioeconomy.

Professor Chemical Engineering for Health and Care
Bio- & Chemical Systems Technology, Reactor Engineering and Safety (CREaS)
Department of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering Science
KU Leuven
Celestijnenlaan 200F 3001 Leuven Belgium

Pedro Fardim is Professor in Chemical Engineering at the KU Leuven in Belgium. He obtained his Doctor of Science in Chemistry at State University of Campinas, Brazil and his Habilitation in Chemical Engineering at Åbo Akademi University in Finland. He has also 9 years of experience in R&D&I in industry. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the International Academy of Wood Science, President of the European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence (EPNOE) Association, and a member of the American Chemical Society. His current research and education activities focuses on Topochemical Engineering for Health and Care. He published more than 150 papers and gave more than 100 invited talks.  

Twitter: @Chemenghealth Web: www.pedrofardim.eu