Projects

SuperBark is a four-year EU-project that explores natural components in softwood bark to develop new bio-based adhesives and coatings solutions.

Adhesives and coatings are an integral part of consumer products used in our daily lives. Today, most adhesives and coatings on the market are formulated using fossil-based and harmful chemicals, which conflicts with the EU-level goal of reducing our dependency on non-renewable resources and protecting the health and well-being of citizens and the environment.

The Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) funded SuperBark project will exploit natural components in softwood bark, a major side stream of the forest industry. The goal is to develop ≥ 95% bio-based adhesives and coatings for industries including construction, packaging, furniture, and transportation that comply with the functional, safety, and sustainability standards required by the industry and consumers.

Throughout SuperBark, the partners will evaluate the safety, sustainability, technical as well as economic performance of the adhesives and coatings to initiate further R&D actions towards commercialization of the developed processes and products, which will reduce the demand for fossil-based, hazardous chemicals and polymers typically used in adhesive and coating products today.

SuperBark will bring together experts from different disciplines and thus contribute to the CBE JU specific objective of increasing the intensity of cross-disciplinary research and innovation activities to support the acceleration of innovation processes and development of bio-based solutions.

Fraunhofer ICT will lead WP 3 “Polyphenol-based adhesives” and cooperates with partners in the analytically characterization and chemical modification of polyphenolic extractives from soft wood bark. We will generate functionalized and chemical reactive intermediates (TRL 3-5), which will be used for the development of curing systems and thermoset adhesives. Also, we will perform their characterization according to ASTM D7998-19 and other Norms.

Partners

• Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy, Finland (Coordinator)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, Germany
• Riga Technical University’s Institute of Energy Systems and Environment, Latvia
• Holzforschung Austria –Österreichische Gesellschaft für Holzforschung, Austria
• Luxembourg Institute Of Science And Technology, Luxembourg
• Inštitut za celulozo in papir, Slovenia
• Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Spain
• CLIC Innovation Oy, Finland
• Adler-Werk Lackfabrik Johann Berghofer GmbH & Co KG, Austria
• Metsä Wood, Finland
• Goričane, tovarna papirja Medvode, Slovenia
• Kastamonu Entegre Ağaç Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., Türkiye