Tree bark as a renewable source of wood protection materials for building applications
Coordinator: Mika Sipponen, Stockholm University (SU), Sweden
mika.sipponen (at) mmk.su.se
Other partners: FI, LV, NO, PL, SI
Duration: 2022-2025 (to be confirmed)
Project objective: BarkBuild will tackle the societal challenge of climate change by developing new, long-lasting wood building materials with low environmental impact that will replace products having a larger carbon footprint and poor environmental soundness. The primary research objective of the BarkBuild project is to develop new barkbased wood protection and building formulations and demonstrate their technical performance, safety, and sustainability in wood impregnation, coating, and polymer composites in outdoor and indoor use.
Abstract:
BarkBuild explored how industrial side-streams from spruce and birch bark can be valorised for the protection and production of wooden construction materials. The project investigated bark-derived solutions for coatings, impregnation and engineered wood products, testing their water resistance, fungal durability and fire protection performance.
The project demonstrated several promising innovations, including the first use of naturally occurring polyphenols and suberinic acids in coating processes. A fully biobased, water-resistant coating and a functional coating capable of removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde, from indoor air were developed. Bark residues were also used to develop a bark-derived binder system for engineered wood products. More than 15 scientific articles and 25 conference presentations helped raise awareness of bark as a sustainable resource for wood protection.
The results highlight the potential of bark-derived materials to reduce reliance on synthetic and fossil-based materials, while identifying key challenges for further development towards real-world applications.
By funding the BarkBuild project ForestValue enabled us to bridge fundamental research and applied innovation in bio-based wood protection. It allowed us to demonstrate bark-derived compounds like suberinic acids and polyphenols in functional coatings and engineered wood products. The transnational collaboration and industry engagement fostered through ForestValue were instrumental in moving these sustainable solutions closer to real-world application, strengthening Europe’s shift away from fossil-based materials.