Value-added Chemicals and Other Bio-based Products From Bark

随着人们对不可再生资源的迅速枯竭、气候变化以及以石油为基础的产品价格上涨的日益担忧，全球对开发能够从可再生资源中提取燃料和化学品的技术产生了强烈的兴趣。树皮残渣不仅因为它们合适的化学成分和大量的可获得性，而且因为它们不是全球粮食供应体系的一部分，所以前景光明。我们树皮研究计划的长期目标是开发可持续技术，利用树皮作为石油原料的商业可行替代品，生产具有巨大市场潜力的增值环保工业材料。NSERC的这一发现项目将补充我们在树皮增值利用方面的其他开发努力。它将集中在树皮基酚甲醛(PF)胶粘剂和硬质聚氨酯(PU)泡沫发展所需的两个关键基本问题上。NSERC项目将致力于的具体研究目标是：1-基本了解树皮成分对树皮衍生酚醛树脂胶粘剂的反应性和粘附性的影响，以及2-使用离散单元法(DEM)开发硬质PU泡沫塑料的导热和压缩性能预测模型，以确定最佳泡沫结构，并为制造树皮基刚性绝缘泡沫塑料增强填充剂的形态和类型。通过这些基础研究获得的机械洞察力将指导我们的树皮开发努力，揭示最佳粘合剂配方和泡沫形态和组成。他们还将大大有助于了解酚醛胶粘剂和PU泡沫塑料的一般知识。如果成功，树皮衍生的增值绿色化学品和生物基材料将大大有助于加拿大林产品厂向综合生物精炼厂的转型，极大地提高该行业在全球市场的竞争力。通过该项目培训的HQP将非常适合成为新兴生物经济的未来领导者，为加拿大的长期繁荣和福祉做出重大贡献。

With increasing concern over the rapid depletion of non-renewable resources, climate change, and the rising price of petroleum-based products, there is a strong global interest in developing technologies that can derive fuel and chemicals from renewable resources. Bark residues hold great promises not only due to their suitable chemical compositions and large availability, but also because they are not part of the global food supply system. The long-term objectives of our bark research program is to develop sustainable technologies that can use bark as commercially viable substitutes for petroleum-based feedstock to produce value-added eco-friendly industrial materials with a large market potential. This NSERC Discovery project will complement our other developmental efforts in value-added utilization of bark. It will focus on two critical fundamental issues needed by the development of bark-based phenol formaldehyde (PF) adhesives and rigid polyurethane (PU) foams. The specific research objectives that will be addressed by this NSERC project are: 1- to obtain a fundamental understanding of the effect of bark components on reactivity and adhesion of bark-derived PF adhesives, and 2- to develop a predictive model for thermal conductivity and compressive properties of rigid PU foams using Discrete Element Method (DEM) in order to identify optimum foam structure, and reinforcing filler morphology and type for making bark-based rigid insulation foams. The mechanistic insights to be gained through these fundamental studies will guide our bark developmental efforts by shedding light on optimum adhesives formulations and foam morphologies and compositions. They will also contribute significantly to the general knowledge of PF adhesives and PU foams. If successful, the bark-derived valued-added green chemicals and bio-based materials will help substantially with the transformation of Canada's forest products mills to integrated biorefineries, greatly enhancing the sector's competitiveness in the global marketplace. HQP's trained by the project will be ideally suited to become the future leaders in the emerging bio-economy making significant contributions to Canada's long term prosperity and well-being.