FSCN researchers awarded for research on storing carbon dioxide in materials from the forest
Carolina Costa, researcher at Mid Sweden University's FSCN Research Center, is awarded the Young Researcher's Award from the Gunnar Sundblad Research Foundation. Carolina is awarded for her research on how carbon dioxide that is captured can be bound and used in new materials.
"It is a great honour for me to receive this award, especially in competition with other candidates who presented outstanding research ideas. This recognition means a lot to me, as it will help me drive my research forward and strengthen my profile in the field of the development of sustainable materials from forest resources," says Carolina.
In her research, she investigates how the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be bound into new sustainable materials that can be useful for society, what is known as Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU).
Through a process called mineral carbonation, Carolina is researching how carbon dioxide can react with lignocellulose from forest raw materials and reactive metal species in an alkaline solution. The result is a new composite material that not only stores carbon dioxide, but also has high strength and a long service life – something that makes it particularly interesting for the construction industry.
Long-term storage of carbon dioxide
"The material from lignocellulose could be used in insulation, for example, but it could also be developed to challenge traditional construction materials in the future. This could support the transition towards more sustainable and climate-resilient construction methods, by not only reducing carbon emissions but also enabling long-term storage of carbon dioxide in sustainable building materials. Carolina says.
In her research project, she wants to investigate in particular how the material can be used in composite materials that mimic cement and in 3D-printed building materials.
An important part of the project is to be able to take the next step and scale up the process from laboratory level to being able to test it on a larger scale.
"Right now, we have produced the material on a gram scale, but we want to reach the kilogram level. When we produce larger volumes, we can better determine what the material is best suited for," says Carolina.
Prize that promotes development
In her research project, she will also have the opportunity to continue exploring the material together with researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada, where there is expertise and advanced equipment that can contribute to the further development of the research.
"In her research, Carolina Costa shows an exciting opportunity to both store and use carbon dioxide in an energy-efficient way to create climate-smart building materials," says Torgny Persson, Research and Innovation Director at the Swedish Forest Industries Federation and Chairman of the Gunnar Sundblad Research Foundation Foundation.
The Gunnar Sundblad Research Fund supports research that promotes the development of the wood fibre-based industry. The prize of SEK 400,000 will be awarded by HRH Prince Carl Philip at the Swedish Forest Industries Federation's Future Meeting on 14 May in Stockholm.
