RISE creates meeting places where companies, raw material suppliers and end users collaborate on bio-based material solutions. Through our networks, we promote dialogue on circular material flows, standardisation and joint solutions for industrial transition.
The industry is undergoing a transition in which fossil-based materials must be replaced with renewable alternatives. The challenge lies in finding bio-based solutions that are sustainable, can be manufactured efficiently, possess the appropriate properties for their intended use, and can be scaled up for industrial production. While many companies have ideas and concepts, they often lack the infrastructure and expertise to progress from laboratory testing to market readiness.
At RISE, we develop and test bio-based materials from raw materials to finished products. We develop processes for bio-based materials such as cellulose, nanocellulose and lignin, turning them into components of functional materials that can replace plastics, fossil chemicals and composites in products such as packaging, adhesives and construction materials. Our testing infrastructure verifies that material concepts work on an industrial scale and optimises processes to suit your application.
LignoCity is the world's only open test bed with flexible production of tailor-made lignin qualities on an industrial scale. Here, we create opportunities for companies to develop, test and scale up new climate-smart solutions – from idea to market.
The testbed for the circular wood value chain in Skellefteå is a creative environment for research and development. Here, you can test, verify, and further develop materials, components, and building systems – from idea to reuse – in collaboration with experts and industry.
The Skellefteå testbed covers the entire circular wood value chain and offers a unique breadth of resources and expertise. Researchers, companies, and partners can work with everything from sawing, processing, and drying to the development of new materials, constructions, and building systems – all the way to use, reuse, and verification. Below, the various areas and opportunities offered by the testbed for innovation, development, and collaboration along the entire chain are presented.
Materials and Components
Here, you can test and develop new wood-based materials and components. Through climate testing, strength testing, and material analysis, you can verify properties, optimize material usage, and explore new innovations. The equipment enables everything from small-scale tests to full-scale testing of, for example, studs, panels, and flooring.
Sawing, Processing, Drying, and Measurement Technology
We offer advanced measurement technology and process development for the sawmill industry and wood processing. With various camera systems, lighting, and conveyors, we can measure and analyze everything from fiber angles and heartwood content to quality, bark presence, and shape defects. We develop and evaluate new control methods and processes for energy-efficient wood drying, and collaborate with Luleå University of Technology on CT scanning and climate testing. Our systems are used to optimize production and improve quality throughout the wood flow.
Construction and Building Systems
The testbed supports the development of constructions and building systems with a focus on circularity and industrial processes. We work with design for disassembly and reuse, material optimization, and long-lasting architecture. Here, you can test fastenings, shear joints, stiffness, and strength in various building components, as well as receive support in dimensioning and construction solutions.
Building and Use
We offer testing of finished building systems and components such as windows, doors, and wall elements. Properties such as air tightness, water tightness, climate stability, and durability can be tested according to different standards and requirements. We also provide advice on building systems, fire safety, moisture protection, and service life, as well as inspections and damage investigations.
Reuse and Circularity
Circularity is a central part of the testbed’s offering. We develop methods for condition assessment, reuse, and recycling of bio-based constructions and components. By verifying reusability and interpreting standards and regulations, we contribute to increased resource efficiency and reduced climate impact.
Bildtext: Labprovning i Skellefteå, balkprovning, hårdhetsprovning med Brinell och utdragsprovning av skruv. Circular transition Sekundär områdes navigation:
Every year, Europe's pulp and paper industry generates millions of tonnes of black liquor, an energy-rich but underutilised by-product rich in lignin. The SPLENDOR project is turning black liquor into gold with a hydrothermal process.
Until now, the production of valuable chemicals from black liquor has relied on complex and costly processes. The EU-funded SPLENDOR project is changing this by developing a groundbreaking, catalyst-free technology that converts in one step black liquor directly into high-value bioaromatic substances such as vanillin and syringol, while recycling inorganic chemicals for reuse in the factory.
A six-month trial period with a 250-litre/hour prototype in a pulp mill will lay the foundation for a full-scale 5,000-litre/hour system. By integrating production on site and creating new industrial applications, SPLENDOR aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 800,000 tonnes per year – a major step towards the EU's sustainability goals.
The team optimises and performs long-term testing of the process at RISE's pilot plant LignoCity, while conducting extensive chemical analyses to evaluate the polymers produced.
Technical objectives
We target several industrial applications derived from monomers, dimers and oligomers, including:
SPLENDOR works towards the goals of the circular economy by converting residual streams into valuable chemicals, reducing European industry's dependence on fossil-based chemicals.
The project is supported by €7.3 million in funding from the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) and is coordinated by Ghent University together with 11 partners across Europe to redefine black liquor as a valuable resource for Europe's circular bioeconomy.
The SPLENDOR project held its kick-off meeting in Ghent on 9 - 10 September 2025. The meeting brought together the project's participants from academia and industry, including: Ghent University, Maastricht University, University of Nottingham, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Nova Biochem Ltd, UPM, Strane Innovation, Soprema, Hansen & Rosenthal GmbH & Co. KG, and Specialty Operations France.
Academic participants: Ghent University, Maastricht University, University of Nottingham.
Research institute: RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
Industry and small and medium-sized enterprises: Nova Biochem LTD, UPM, Strane Innovation, Soprema, Hansen & Rosenthal GMBH & CO. KG, Specialty Operations France.
Horizon Europe: Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking
Project end date:
Biobased materials
URSOILL – Swedish Living Lab works to improve soil health in Swedish cities through research, innovation, and collaboration between municipalities, academia, industry, and citizens. By developing solutions for cleaner, vibrant, and resilient urban soils, URSOILL contributes to greener cities, greater biodiversity, and more sustainable societies.
The Swedish Urban Soil Living Lab (URSOILL) is a collaborative initiative dedicated to tackling the most pressing soil health challenges in Swedish cities. Through a bottom-up, co-creation approach, URSOILL brings together municipalities, academia, industry, and citizens to develop, test, and implement innovative solutions for healthier urban soils.
URSOILL focuses on the unique challenges of urban soils, including:
URSOILL is testing and developing a range of solutions, including:
Med det akuta behovet av att minska koldioxidutsläppen och ställa om till ett hållbart samhälle, har svensk träindustri en unik möjlighet att bli en drivkraft i den gröna omställningen, både på hemmaplan och internationellt. RISE har därför tagit fram en offensiv strategi för att göra branschen klimatpositiv till år 2045.
- Träindustrin har en enorm potential att bli en klimatförebild, men vi behöver tänka större än bara byggmaterial – trä kan bli en bas för en ny generation produkter, affärsmodeller och teknologier, säger Marie Johansson, forskare på RISE.
RISE strategi har tagits fram i nära samarbete med industrin, forskarvärlden och branschorganisationer. Ambitionen är att Sverige ska leda utvecklingen internationellt.
- Sverige har alla förutsättningar att sätta en ny global standard för hur trä används klimatsmart. Det handlar om teknisk spets, hållbarhetsambition och ett näringsliv som vågar investera, säger Marie Johansson.
Strategin lyfter fram tio utvecklingsområden som visar hur trä kan användas i ett klimatneutralt samhälle utifrån bland annat resurseffektivitet, cirkulär design och återbruk.
- Det räcker inte med teknisk innovation. Vi behöver också nya marknadsmodeller, förändrade normer och politiskt stöd, säger Marie Johansson.
Arbetet går nu in i en genomförandefas där idéer ska omvandlas till test- och demonstrationsmiljöer, prototyper och kommersiella lösningar.
Med rätt stöd, forskning och samverkan kan vi tillsammans lyfta svensk träindustri till en ledande roll i den globala klimatomställningen.
Grunden för strategin är den framsynsrapport som RISE tog fram 2024 tillsammans med träindustrin. Rapporten analyserade megatrender, identifierade drivkrafter och kartlade utvecklingsområden i hela trävärdekedjan – från råvara till återbruk.
– Framsynsarbetet gav oss en tydlig bild av vart världen är på väg – och vad träindustrin måste göra för att inte hamna på efterkälken. Nu går vi från analys till handling, säger Marie Johansson.
För att omvandla visionen om en klimatpositiv träindustri till verklighet, erbjuder RISE konkret stöd genom forskning, test- och demonstrationsmiljöer och strategisk samverkan med näringsliv och beslutsfattare.
– Vi ger industrin verktyg för att ställa om – från tidiga analyser och scenarier till tekniska tester och verifiering av hållbarhetsnytta. Det handlar om att omsätta kunskap till praktisk förändring, säger Marie Johansson.
RISE fungerar som en neutral innovationspartner och samlar aktörer från hela värdekedjan för att möjliggöra långsiktiga lösningar.
– Med rätt stöd, forskning och samverkan kan vi tillsammans lyfta svensk träindustri till en ledande roll i den globala klimatomställningen, säger Marie Johansson.
RISE har en bred expertis inom träteknik. Läs mer och kontakta oss om något av våra fyra huvudområden:
Solution blowing is a manufacturing process used to produce nonwoven materials from polymers in solution. The solution is pumped through a spinneret, where high-velocity air is blown concentrically along each spun filament, which is stretched and collected on a drum or in a bath to form a nonwoven material.
Purpose/Benefit:Electrospinning is currently the most established method for producing advanced nonwoven materials with controllable functionalities and properties. Despite its advantages, the technique is limited in terms of scalability, which restricts its industrial exploitation. Solution blowing has recently emerged as a powerful alternative that addresses these limitations. The technique enables rapid and flexible prototype development, with great design freedom to introduce specific functionalities in the nonwoven materials. One of the major advantages is the increased control over the material’s structure – both in terms of creating three-dimensional structures and more complex geometries, such as tubular constructs. This has allowed for designing scaffold materials that resemble the native microstructure of human tissue, a key feature in regenerative medicine.
Fiber production via solution blowing shares many similarities with conventional wet spinning, meaning that existing expertise in this area can largely be transferred to the new technique.
RISE offers services in research and development of processes for manufacturing nonwoven materials via solution blowing. We conduct experimental studies to develop new raw materials, optimize manufacturing processes, or produce nonwoven materials with specific functionalities. Through systematic testing and optimization of process parameters such as polymer concentration, addition of active substances, spinning parameters, coagulation bath composition, etc., we can tailor fiber properties to suit specific applications.
We have experience with a wide range of bio-based fiber-forming materials such as cellulose and its derivatives (e.g., hydroxypropyl cellulose), as well as marine materials such as chitosan, alginate, fucoidan, ulvan, and gelatin. We can also provide guidance on various production methods for materials with different application areas.
Solution Blowing at Lab Scale
Flexible equipment with the ability to control dimensions of both the finished nonwoven material and the individual fibers.
Material Analysis
RISE can analyze nonwovens using a variety of methods. We can perform chemical analyses and evaluate materials in terms of morphology using both optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as determine porosity and wetting properties.
Our goal is to deliver customized solutions for the production of functional nonwoven materials, tailored to meet each customer’s unique needs. Deliverables may include optimized process parameters summarized in a report or produced fiber materials with specific functionalities.
Area:
Selected publications
The aquaculture and seafood industry generate large nutrient-rich waters that are currently wasted. SEAlgaePower intends to use microalgae cultivation to clean these residual water streams. At RISE, extracted high value components from the microalgae biomass will be explored for use in MedTech, ATMP and pharmaceutical applications
Land-based aquaculture and seafood industries consume large amounts of water and thus also generate a wide range of residual water streams of varying quantity and quality. Some are extremely rich in salt and nutrients, such as phosphate, nitrogen and organic carbon. Current methods for wastewater treatment are very expensive and energy-intensive. In addition, valuable nutrients are lost from the food chain, and in the best case are instead used for low-value purposes such as biogas. At the same time, the demand for new and sustainable resources for the production of food, materials and energy is increasing.
Cultivation of microalgae in wastewater streams could solve this dual problem. Microalgae are microscopic organisms that have a unique ability to carry out photosynthesis and efficiently convert dissolved nutrients into biomass in the form of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates and carotenoids.
The specific aims of SEAlgaePower are to optimize pilot-scale algae cultivation and wastewater cleaning; develop biorefinery protocols for protein, lipid, and carbohydrate recovery from the microalgal biomass; and to develop microalgae-based product prototypes and ingredients in a bioprospecting manner. RISE will here focus specifically on the development of fiber-based materials for wound healing and regenerative medicine using high molecular weight carbohydrates and proteins as well as on the encapsulation of bioactive lipids, pigments, and peptides.
