In the news on LTV Ziņas — a study by the LSIWC included among the most significant scientific achievements of 2025.
This morning on Rīta Panorāma, a broad audience was introduced to a major achievement by scientists from the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry — an eco-friendly binder derived from birch bark that could soon be introduced into real industrial production.
“From a by-product of fuel production to a high-value product—this briefly sums up the work carried out by scientists at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry. An environmentally friendly binder for plywood manufacturing has been created from birch bark and is expected to be introduced into industrial practice very soon,”—this is how our researchers’ work was presented in the studio this morning.
The report focused on our researchers’ project ‘From Birch Bark to Sustainable Wood Materials: Suberinic Acid Innovations in the Circular Bioeconomy’, which has just been included among the most significant scientific achievements of 2025 as named by the Latvian Academy of Sciences. In the Academy’s competition, 55 submissions across all major scientific fields were evaluated, and 12 works were selected as laureates.
Our researchers have demonstrated for the first time on an industrial scale that suberinic acids obtained through the depolymerisation of suberin can be successfully used as eco-friendly binders for the production of moisture-resistant plywood, particleboard and fibreboard, as well as for wood surface coatings and impregnation.
The authors of the study are Dr.sc.ing. Jānis Rižikovs, Dr.sc.ing. Aigars Pāže, PhD Daniela Godiņa, MSc. Rūdolfs Bērziņš, MSc Kalvis Liepiņš, Msc Guntis Sosins, as well as industry representatives from AS Latvijas Finieris — Ainārs Bobulis, Artūrs Raimonds Feldmanis and Ketrina Plantus.
The importance of the work is underscored by 15 scientific publications, a best-paper award in Materials Horizons, one patent, and a licence sold for the use of the intellectual property. International collaboration with Stockholm University, NIBIO, INNORENEW, Warsaw University of Life Sciences and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland confirms the significance of Latvian innovation at the European level.
The report by the LTV Ziņu dienests can be viewed in the recording of Rīta Panorāma.
