LSIWC Joins the FIBRIX Project to Develop High-Value Products from Forest Biomass

The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) has joined the international project FIBRIX (Forest Integrated Biomass Refining for Innovation and Excellence), which aims to develop a new approach for converting underutilised forest biomass into high-value materials.

A significant share of Europe's forest biomass consists of branches, bark, thinning residues and insect-damaged trees. These resources are often used for low-value applications such as energy production. The FIBRIX project aims to develop sustainable solutions that enable more efficient utilisation of these resources and their conversion into new materials and products.

The project will:

  • identify and characterise underutilised forest biomass resources across Europe;
  • develop sustainable biomass harvesting, storage and pre-treatment technologies;
  • create digital decision-support tools for forest owners and forestry companies;
  • establish a modular and scalable biomass fractionation and processing platform based on ionic liquid technologies;
  • demonstrate the potential of high-value bio-based products;
  • promote sustainable utilisation of forest biomass while preserving soil quality, biodiversity and carbon stocks;
  • strengthen collaboration among researchers, industry, policymakers and society.

Within the project, LSIWC will develop microwave and autohydrolysis pre-treatment technologies to improve the processing of forest biomass. These technologies, combined with ionic liquid-based approaches, are expected to enable the production of high-purity lignin and cellulose fractions suitable for the development of new bio-based materials. The institute will also improve methods for the regeneration and reuse of ionic liquids, test biomass processing technologies under conditions close to industrial scale, and provide expertise in technology scale-up.

FIBRIX brings together nine partners from six European countries: Finland, Sweden, Romania, Portugal, France and Latvia. The project is coordinated by South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (XAMK). It will run from September 2026 until 2029 and is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU).

More information about the project is available on the CBE JU website: https://www.cbe.europa.eu/projects/fibrix