News

Today, Ph.D. Edgars Kuka, researcher at the Wood Degradation and Protection Laboratory, was elected as a member of the Latvian Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (LLMZA)! LLMZA is a public association of scientists and an active participant in both national and international projects and initiatives. It regularly cooperates with the Latvian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Agriculture, represents Latvia in the European Federation of Agricultural, Food and Nature Sciences Academies, as well as in the European Agricultural Research Initiative (EURAGRI), and is involved in the...

Did you know that chitosan, extracted from Agaricus bisporus mushroom biomass, is one of the rare natural polymers with a positive charge? This unique property makes it an effective barrier against bacteria and moisture – an advantage lacking in many synthetic materials. Meanwhile, industrial hemp, historically used in rope-making and early papermaking, is now being reimagined as a micro- and nanofiber source for strong, renewable materials. So, what do chitosan, hemp fibers, and suberinic acids from birch bark have in common? They are all components in the BIOHYDROPACK project, where...

The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry has been honored with the prestigious “Award for Packaging Excellence” at the WorldStar for Packaging 2025 competition, organized by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). The award recognizes their innovative packaging project—Mycelium Composite Material Granules for Product Protection, developed by Dr. Ilze Irbe. This international accolade underscores the high quality and competitiveness of packaging solutions developed in Latvia. The award ceremony took place on May 30, 2025, in Milan, Italy, during the IPACK-IMA exhibition. The WorldStar 2025...

From June 2 to 4, the 21st International Conference on Renewable Resources & Biorefineries (RRB2025) took place in Turku, Finland, bringing together around 300 participants from more than 30 countries. The event was organized by Åbo Akademi University, with the main theme “Moving Beyond Carbon Neutral.” The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) was well represented at the conference, with eight researchers participating and presenting a wide range of studies covering biotechnology, lignocellulosic processing, filtration materials, and bioactive compounds. Dr.sc.ing. Uģis Cābulis...

Yesterday, Lūkass Segliņš, an undergraduate student at the Art Academy of Latvia successfully defended his Bachelor’s thesis “The Mycelium Board” in the Product Design programme and received the highest possible grade – 10! This is not just a visually striking surfboard – it’s an environmentally friendly biocomposite, grown from fungal mycelium in close collaboration with the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry and Drty Boards surfboard craftsmen from Liepāja. Scientists from LSIWC supported the development of a suitable mycelium composite material by testing a variety of substrates...

Senior researcher at the Lignin Chemistry Laboratory, Dr.chem. Māris Lauberts, has won the international Metsä Group Challenge, organised by the Finnish forest industry company in collaboration with the Bio-Based Industries Consortium (BIC). Metsä Group particularly appreciated: the genuine novelty of the proposed approach, the credibility of the workplan, and the clarity of the presentation. This win highlights the ability of LSIWC researchers to develop practical and sustainable solutions in the field of bioeconomy. The next step is to implement a proof-of-concept (PoC) in collaboration with...