Insights

This week, within the framework of the ARMS project, an interview was published with Dr.sc.ing. Aleksandrs Voļperts, researcher at the Laboratory of Lignin Chemistry of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry. In the Beyond the Lab Coat series, the project partners introduce the scientists working on next-generation supercapacitor materials. Our colleague Aleksandrs shares his path into science, his motivation, and why research continues to surprise and inspire him. Did you dream of becoming a scientist as a child? Honestly, I do not remember wanting to be anything when I was just a kid...

The staff of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) is celebrating a special moment — our colleague, Head of the Cellulose Laboratory, Dr.sc.ing. Inese Fiļipova, has recently been elected to the position of Associate Professor. This is a significant milestone in her professional journey, reflecting not only outstanding scientific achievements but also her long-standing contribution to academic teaching. Inese is one of the leading researchers in cellulose materials, and her story is one of both rational choices and deep passion — a story about the path into science, the people...

October has often marked significant discoveries and new beginnings in the history of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry. From a gasoline-powered planting drill for forest regeneration and the invention of the artificial wood “lignamon” to bioethanol technologies and research on marine algae — these media stories reveal how, across different decades, the Institute’s scientists turned ideas into real-world solutions. In October 1958, the newspaper Cīņa reported that the Institute of Forestry Problems had developed a gasoline-powered drill for tree planting. The device allowed two...

In 1980, on board the space station Salyut-6, the first chemical technology experiment in the history of astronautics was carried out in Earth’s orbit. For the first time, polyurethane foam was produced under microgravity conditions, providing new insights into the behavior of chemical and technological processes in weightlessness. The experimental device “Lotoss”, designed at the Latvian Institute of Wood Chemistry, was developed by Arnolds Alksnis. It was intended for studying polymerization reactions in space, and its construction made it possible to safely mix and observe component...

With the arrival of autumn, Latvian forests and parks reveal an increasingly frequent sight on fallen or damaged tree trunks – the colorful turkey tail ( Trametes versicolor). This visually striking but inedible polypore fungus is known worldwide as one of the most extensively studied medicinal fungi. In Latvia, however, it has also become an inspiration for researchers at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, who are developing innovative mycelium biocomposites – natural materials that can replace synthetic foams and plastics. The story about this research and its achievements was...

Dr. Jānis Rižikovs, Head of the Biorefinery Laboratory and Leading Researcher at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Corresponding Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, is one of those scientists who can see value where others see only residues. His team research on birch outer bark and other forestry by-products has led to innovative solutions – from extracts used in cosmetics to the world’s first fully bio-based adhesive for plywood with the highest water-resistance class. Under his leadership and collaboration, technologies have been developed that not only reduce dependence...