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Can your used cooking oil become a material of the future? This question - and broader sustainability challenges - were at the heart of discussions at one of Europe’s most prominent engineering forums: the 28th International Dresden Lightweight Engineering Symposium, held on 26–27 June 2025 in Dresden, Germany. This year’s theme was “Lightweight Engineering – Sparking Industrial (Re)Ignition.” With growing attention to security, infrastructure, and technological sovereignty, lightweight engineering is being positioned as a globally significant, cross-disciplinary field that bridges materials...

Recycling thermoset materials such as polyurethane (PUR) foams is one of the most challenging tasks in the circular economy. Until now, PUR foams have been considered difficult to recycle due to their crosslinked structure, which prevents remelting or dissolution. In this context, a significant breakthrough is presented in the 2025 publication in the Journal of Polymers and the Environment, titled “ Fast Recycling of Polyurethane Foams Containing Bio-based Ester-Cleavable Segments”, co-authored by PhD Miķelis Kirpļuks, senior researcher at our Polymer Laboratory. The study was carried out in...

Applications are now open for Venture Catalysts, a free training programme for budding entrepreneurs and scientists in Latvia to develop their innovative ideas into competitive businesses. The five-week training programme will run from 29 July to 28 August. "The Venture Catalysts programme is designed for founders, academic teams and PhD students working at the intersection of science and business. "Venture Catalysts" is a hands-on, training programme focusing on commercialisation, innovation strategy, leadership and start-up development. Participants learn step-by-step how to build a viable...

Sustainable materials, smart sorbents, valuable sugars from wood, biochar, and carbon electrodes from biomass – these are the current research directions pursued by five postdoctoral researchers at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry. These projects are part of a broader goal focused on green technology-based bioresources that are efficient, environmentally friendly, and competitive. Get to know each of them and discover how their ideas can become real-world solutions! Ralfs Pomilovskis: Two-Component Bio-Resins for the Automotive and Construction Sectors Project description...

The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry has been announced as the winner of the first round of the 2025 Open Innovation Competition, organized by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC)! Our team’s proposed solution focuses on the creative and sustainable valorisation of softwood bark – a byproduct of Metsä Group’s industrial operations. After a thorough evaluation of all submitted proposals, BIC and Metsä Group recognized that the concept submitted by our researcher, Dr. chem. Māris Lauberts, was the most outstanding (*). “We received many interesting solutions, but only one winner...

From June 9 to 13, TReResin researcher Arnis Āboliņš visited the Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) at TUD Dresden University of Technology in Germany. The visit took place within the framework of the Green Compass project, in which the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry is a partner. This international initiative brings together European expertise to develop environmentally friendly materials and energy-efficient production processes. Green Compass ( full title: Green materials and energy-efficient processes for circular composite products by utilising...