Course content

Resources (forests, forest plantations, recovered paper and annual/biannual plants). Wood structure and chemistry. The structure and properties of wood fibers. Manufacture of paper fibers. Manufacture of paper and other wood fiber based materials. Biocomposites. Bioenergy and biofuels from wood.

Learning outcome

At the end of the subject the students shold know:
- Plant based fiber raw materials, resources and properties.
- Chemical composition of wood and other plant materials.
- Energy content of wood, energy and materials from plant-based raw materials.
- Bioenergy and biofuels: Types and applications.
- Methods for industrial manufacture of biofuel, fibers, fiber-based materials and biocomposites.
- Be able to describe the structure and chemical composition of vegetable fiber raw materials.
- Be able to describe the basic principles of the manufacture of biofuels, fibers and fiber-based materials from wood and other plant raw material.
- Assess the suitability of different usage of wood and agricultural waste.
- Perform simple economic calculations on the economy of using wood and agricultural waste as an industrial raw material.
- Basic laboratory skills within the area of bioenergy, pulping and papermaking.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and compulsory laboratory excercises. If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form may change from written to oral.

Compulsory assignments

• Laboratory exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic chemistry, physics and chemical engineering.

Course materials

Smook, G.A.: Handbook for pulp and paper technologists, 3rd Edition, Angus Wilde Publications Inc., 2002.
Richardson, J., Björheden, R., Hakkila, P., Lowe, A.T., Smith, C.T.: Bioenergy from Sustainable Forestry: Guiding Principles and Practice (e-book available from UBiT), Kluwer, 2002.
Drapcho, C.M. et.al.: Biofuels engineering process technology, McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Hand-outs.

Credit reductions