Missing alt text

No Tree Wasted: How Innovations in Biomass Technology are Fueling Change

As Canada seeks effective solutions to address climate change, new biomass technologies grow in popularity—and demand

By exploring new uses for every part of a harvested tree, Canada’s forestry sector is identifying new, greener ways to contribute to climate change goals and replace inefficient practices with effective and sustainable solutions.

Researchers are working with forestry experts to convert biomass by-products into usable, greener products, and pivot away from non-biodegradable plastics in favour of renewable wood-based options. By moving to greener solutions, and exploring their economic viability and critical environmental impact on a global scale, Canada’s sustainably sourced and responsibly managed forest products can help power a more circular economy.

Reinventing wood-based bioplastics

You’ve probably heard of cellophane, a transparent cellulose packaging film, made from cellulose plant matter—usually wood pulp. In the 1960s, cellophane was mostly replaced by polypropylene film for its lower cost. Nowadays, while traditional cellophane can still be biodegradable, many commercial variants are coated with synthetic chemicals to improve performance, which compromises their biodegradability. With landfills and oceans flooding with plastics that will never break down, going back to a sustainable cellulose film is of utmost importance.

That’s why researchers like Dr. Penghui Zhu from the University of British Columbia are creating transparent and stretchable all-cellulose films as a sustainable alternative. The manufacturing process Zhu’s team uses involves a simple but effective method of combining mechanical blending and cold sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatments. “The key difference is that our production process is much simpler and does not involve the use of toxic chemicals, which is a major concern in traditional cellophane manufacturing,” explains Zhu. “We offer a more environmentally friendly alternative.”

Mac-Biomass-IL1

Zhu’s cellulose film combines high tensile strength with better stretchability than regular papers, offering flexibility similar to plastics while maintaining superior strength. “Beyond mechanical performance, cellulose is biodegradable, renewable and derived from biomass—such as trees—making it an eco-friendlier option compared to petroleum-based plastics, which contribute significantly to environmental pollution,” he affirms.

And, the global potential for commercialization is substantial. According to Zhu, the packaging films market is expected to reach around USD $185.09 billion by 2030. “With increasing consumer demand for sustainable alternatives, our cellulose films offer a cost-effective, scalable solution,” he says. “Unlike nanocellulose films that rely on energy-intensive processes and costly chemicals, our approach aligns well with existing pulping industry practices. This makes it easier to integrate into large-scale production.”

Maximizing value from forest by-products

Similarly, Dr. Anupama Sharan at University of Toronto is working to turn lignin into a renewable alternative for synthetic polymers. Lignin, an abundant and naturally-occurring polymer found in almost all forms of biomass (like plants and trees), closely resembles synthetic polymers known as polyphenols, found in widely-used products like foams, coatings, resins and adhesives that are traditionally derived from non-renewable, fossil-fuel based resources.

Currently, most of the lignin produced at a typical pulp mill is burned as a form of energy. This helps in energy self-sufficiency for the paper mill, but doesn’t allow for the maximum return on lignin. “The value that can be derived from lignin application as a polymer is easily 10 to 20 times more than its value as an energy source,” says Sharan.

Sharan discovered enzymes that can improve the chemical reactivity of lignin to transform it into a desirable polymer. The application of lignin in resin and adhesive products is still in preliminary stages, but lignin-based adhesive appears to perform similarly to synthetic ones. And the environmental impact is clear. “In all cases, the environmental benefits of lignin outweigh the synthetic polymers,” affirms Sharan. “Lignin-derived polymeric products are carbon-neutral, and possibly even carbon-negative, depending on the shelf-life of the polymer and how long the carbon is trapped therein. The sheer scale of polymeric products consumption globally means that even if 10 to 20 per cent of these products were replaced by lignin or used in part, [that] would lead to massive carbon savings.”

New pathways for value retention in forest biomass resources would also improve the economic performance of the forest sector and overall efficiency of wood-fibre usage—particularly important given the increasing threat of wildfires. “Lignin utilization becomes critical, in addition to active forest management, to reduce the climate-change induced carbon discharge from the forest sector,” says Sharan. “Research into bioprocesses is crucial as it addresses the urgent need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate plastic pollution,” adds Zhu. “By developing biodegradable alternatives, we can significantly lower the carbon footprint associated with plastic production and disposal.”