European Regional Development Fund project
(Nr. 2010/0324 2DP/2.1.1.1.0/10/APIA/VIAA/057)

The general aim of the Project is to develop innovative competitive deciduous wood products with upgraded and predictable durability properties, which would strengthen the view of wood as a natural, high-value, promising, competitive and sustainable building material and would favour its wider application in habitat environment..

The specific aim of the Project is hydrothermally modifying aspen and birch wood and choosing the appropriate binders and coatings, to obtain competitive products with a higher added value, essentially upgraded durability properties and wider applicability, which would be attractive for the consumers; to favour the integration of science and production in Latvia’s priority direction – sustainable utilisation of renewable forest resources.

The following activities will be carried out in the framework of the Project:

1. Elaboration of the Project’s feasibility study.
2. Research. As a result of the implementation of the Project, the available knowledge will be assessed, the existing one will be expanded, and new knowledge will be gained on the production potentialities of the innovative product – durable soft deciduous wood by way of thermal modification. The obtained experimental data on the service properties, in connection with fundamental knowledge of the changes in wood composition and structure, will enable forecasting the material’s service time. The objects under study: birch and aspen wood. This is chosen, taking into account the availability of these deciduous wood resources in Latvia, the current moderate commercial application, and the consumers’ wish to extend the wood products’ choice by higher added value products.
3. Ensuring of the accessibility of research results (information on the progress of the Project on the LS IWC homepage; information on professional associations and enterprises in the forest field as well as potential manufacturers and consumers of modified wood products; publications, presentations at conferences).
4. Securing of industrial property rights for research results (preparing of a patent application for filing in the European Patent Organisation). Applicant of patent – LS IWC.

The Project’s implementation site - Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, 27 Dzerbenes Str. 27, Riga, LV-1006 (http://www.kki.lv/, koks@edi.lv).

The scheduled total project implementation term - 36 months.

Project leader- Dr. chem.  Bruno Andersons (bruno.andersons@edi.lv).

Project open - December 17, 2010.

Category of research: commercial study. The activities implemented in the framework of the project have no economic character, because, in compliance with the Regulations No. 752 (07.07.2009), subclause 3.1. of the Cabinet of Ministers, the project corresponds to the following criteria:

• Performs the main activities – research activities and dissemination of the results of research activities in the form of knowledge and technology transfer;
• The reward, which is gained when realising these main activities, is repeatedly invested in the main activities;

Realization of project