LSIWC Researchers Receive Two Awards for Best Posters at SWMMS 2026 Conference

From September 21 to 23, the international conference “Sustainable Waste Management in Materials Science” (SWMMS 2026) took place in Poznań, Poland, bringing together researchers working on sustainable materials, waste valorisation, recycling and circular economy solutions. The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) was represented by three colleagues from the Polymer Laboratory – Dārta Līna Eihe, Ralfs Pomilovskis and Anna Rēzija Āboltiņa. During the conference, Dārta Līna Eihe received the Best Young Scientist Poster Award, while Ralfs Pomilovskis received the Best Poster Award.

At the conference, LSIWC researchers presented research related to waste recycling and the development of new polymers and composite materials:

• Dārta Līna Eihe presented research on the depolymerisation of polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foam waste using microwaves and ultrasound. The research is being carried out as part of the project “Chemically Recycled Polyurethane Foam Waste as a Raw Material for the Development of New Polymers Using the Michael Addition Reaction” (RecPUR).
• Ralfs Pomilovskis presented research on the development of bio-based thermosetting materials using renewable raw materials. The research is being carried out as part of the project “Polymer Resins from Sustainable Origin Carboxylic Acids Reinforced with Natural Fibers for Composite Development” (SuReComp).
• Anna Rēzija Āboltiņa presented research on bio-based polymers with dynamically adaptable covalent networks and their use in the development of recyclable natural fiber-reinforced composite materials, as part of the project “Development of bio-based polymers with covalently adaptable networks for recyclable natural fiber reinforced composite production” (BioCAN).

“The conference was very well organised, and it was valuable to meet researchers from different countries, learn more about their research and exchange experiences. It was a great opportunity to look at our work from a broader international perspective,” says Dārta Līna Eihe.