Advanced Sustainable Materials Derived From Agro- and Hardwood-based Feedstocks

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The proposal describes the bilateral Canada-Brazil research collaboration involving both a Canadian**(EcoSynthetix Corporation or "ECO") and a Brazilian (Suzano Papel e Celulose or "Suzano") company as well**as top academic research institutes in both geographic regions: The University of Waterloo (UW) in Canada,**and Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) and the Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano) in Brazil.**The goal of this proposal is to develop advanced sustainable materials by utilizing agro-derived biopolymers**and hardwood based materials, to enhance the properties and to produce new value-added renewable products.**The underlying strategy is to recombine the properties of nature's most abundantly produced biopolymers,**cellulose, starch and lignin, via integrated design concepts.**This proposal outlines a research plan for three closely related sub-projects to develop advanced sustainable**materials using agro-based engineered bionanopolymers and hardwood-based pulp fibres, cellulose nanofibres**and lignin. The objective is to utilize biobased raw materials instead of non-sustainable petroleum-based**feedstocks. Details of the research plans will be described under the following strategic sub-projects:**-Project 1: Performance Enhanced Hardwood Pulp Products**-Project 2: Moldable Hardwood Pulp Composites**-Project 3: Hardwood Lignin-based Resins for Wood Composites**In the competitive forestry sector, the creation of new advanced sustainable materials will lead to greater**utilization of agro- and hardwood-based materials and enable EcoSynthetix and Suzano to develop new**advanced products with vast market potential. The research plan described in this proposal will enhance**industry-academia interactions between Canada and Brazil, and develop value-added, forest-derived materials**that are positioned to generate employment and profound economic impact in both Canada and in Brazil.