Nordic Wood Biorefinery Conference (NWBC) has presented the latest discoveries and innovations in bio-based materials, chemicals, and products from wood biorefineries. NWBC has been held in Helsinki, 25-27 October 2022.
Students Pitching Competition & Awards
Students had an opportunity to participate in our pitching program and give a pitch presentation in the conference on Tuesday October 25th afternoon. The award winners were announced at Pörssi dinner on Wednesday October 26th evening. Find below the winners of the awards.
Birch plate
“Risteys” Crossing wooden plate has been designed for the 100th anniversary of Finland. The crossing lines represent cooperation which was essential in rebuilding Finland. Handicrafted in Finland.
The jury wanted to give a special recognition for an excellent pitch presentation to Cláudia Esteves, RISE on “Oxygen lignification: improving pulp properties with less energy”. She was presenting a realistic approach to tackle the energy demand challenges while improving the paper strength and she did her presentation in a clear and inspiring fashion.
Boreal Alliance Award
Boreal Alliance network announced an award for an outstanding presentation given by an early-stage researcher at NWBC 2022 in the field of science and technology of forest products industries. The award was given to a novel approach that promotes development of forest-based bioeconomy, with an emphasis on the scientific excellence and collaboration aspects of the work. The prize, sponsored by the FinnCERES Flagship, amounts to 1000 EUR and was awarded to doctoral candidate Tuuli Virkkala, VTT on the pitch presentation "Bioinspired structures based on mixed-linkage glucan and nanoselluloce interactions". Her presentation was considered outstanding with a high level of scientific novelty. The pitch was both easy to follow while still explaining the science behind. Tuuli showed a good understanding of the work by being able to give an excellent answer for a rather challenging question posed by the jury.
In general about the Johan Gullichsen Award
Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association grants this award for a meritorious presentation in the field of science and technology of forest products industries presented in the PhD student pitching at NWBC 2022. The prize amounts to 3000 EUR.
About the winner
- The winning presentation showed a promising and realistic solution tackling a topical global challenge
- Results and their substantial impact potential were presented in a good and logic way - the pitch presentation was very fluent and easy to follow
- The research has major industrial relevance and techno-economical prospects for the potential upscaling of the process are not too far in the future
and finally,
- The experimental work offers new relevant knowledge in adding value for softwood and eucalyptus kraft pulps towards wood based textiles
The winner is…
- Elisa Spönla from VTT with her presentation “Enzymatic high-consistency processing of softwood and eucalyptus kraft pulps for textile fibres”
Site visit to Bioruukki
Visit VTT Bioruukki Pilot Centre on Monday 24.10.2022 afternoon at 15.00-17.00. The site visit fee per person is 50,00 € (incl. VAT) and you can save your seat when registering to the conference.
We will organise transportation from hotel Scandic Park to Bioruukki and back to the hotel after the visit. Travel time is about 30 min one way.
NOTE: Limited amount of 60 seats available!
Helsinki City reception
The City of Helsinki will host a reception to NWBC attendees in Helsinki City Hall (Pohjoisesplanadi 11-13) on 25.10 at 19.00 – 20.30.
Conference dinner
The dinner will take place at Restaurant Pörssi at 19.00 - 23.00.
Pörssi, the Gray Granite House, was built between 1911 and 1912. The building is commonly kept as one of the 20th century’s most impressive works of Finnish jugend-architecture. Designed by architect Lars Sonck. Brokers left the house in the early 1990s when the stock exchange moved to electronic securities trading.
Location: Pörssi Restaurant (Fabianinkatu 14) is 2 km from Scandic Park Helsinki, 30 min walk or 15 min by tram (Nro 4).
Side event: Nordic Research and Technology Infrastructure Workshop
Welcome to the Nordic Research and Technology Infrastructure Workshop to identify Nordic collaboration opportunities, strengths and industry needs for Nordic bioeconomy testbeds on 24.10.2022 at 11.30-14.30.
We invite all stakeholders (Research Infrastructure owners, companies, public authorities, funding authorities, innovation organizations…) with an interest in bioeconomy Research and Technology Infrastructures (RI/TI) to participate in the Nordic Research and Technology Infrastructure Workshop.
The purpose of this workshop is to discuss about Nordic Research Infrastructure collaboration and funding opportunities, strengths and industry needs from Nordic perspectives.
Our sponsors for NWBC 2022
Organisers
NWBC is a cooperation between VTT in Finland and RISE in Sweden.
The event gathers expert speakers from the chemical, energy, pulp and paper industry as well as recognized representatives from the global research community.
The local host’s contact info: [email protected]
Atte Virtanen (head of local host, VTT), Vice President
Katariina Torvinen (VTT), Research Manager
Merja Laamanen (VTT), Coordinator
Jessica Vepsäläinen (VTT), Assistant
To get the latest up-to-date information about the conference, keep following news on this event page.
Moderator
Luckily André Noël Chaker has agreed to be our moderator for the event. Here some thoughts about what forest means to him.
As both a Canadian and a Finn, the forest has played many important roles throughout my life. As a young Summer camp counsellor, I used the forest for educating, physical development and strengthening resilience. Now, as a forest owner, the forest has brought many economic, health and even spiritual benefits to me and my family. When we take good care of our forests, they take good care of us.
Why attend NWBC?
Registration
Registration is closed
Registration fees
- Registration fee is 1150,00 € incl. VAT 24%
- PhD student fee is 400,00 € incl. VAT 24%
- 30 student (fee 400 € incl. VAT 24%) seats reserved for students who will provide a presentation, poster or take part in pitching event.
- Students are requested to submit their abstract timely (by 30.4.) and also send a recommendation letter from their supervisor.
- Please send the recommendation letter to [email protected]
- Site visit to VTT Bioruukki Pilot Centre 50,00 € incl. VAT 24%
Payment and cancellation
- Payment is done by credit card or with an invoice. For invoices a separate fee of 15 € will be charged. No cash is accepted.
- Administration fee 200 € (incl. VAT 24%) will be charged of cancellations until 23 of June 2022 after which the cancellation fee is 700 € (incl. VAT 24%).
- For PhD students the cancellation fee is 200 € (incl. VAT 24%) before 23rd of June, after which the cancellation fee is 400€ (incl. VAT 24%).
The Conference Venue
The NWBC2022 conference will be held at the Vision 1-3 meeting rooms in Scandic Park Helsinki. A magnificently renovated hotel right next to Helsinki city centre and close to excellent transport connections, 1,4 km from the railway station and bus station, 10 min with tram. Link to map.
Hotels & Travel
The Conference hotel is Scandic Park Helsinki. The lounge-like hotel lobby, comprehensive meeting and function spaces, and all of the hotel rooms were recently completely refurbished. You can use the newest equipment at the BeAlive Health Club gym, adjacent to the hotel.
Mannerheimintie 46, 00260 Helsinki, Finland (Link to map)
Tel: +358 300 308 407
E-mail: [email protected]
Accommodation allotment information:
Allotment code BTEK251022
Time: 24.10. - 28.10.2022
Room type: Standard
Rate:
130 € / single room / night
140 € / double or twin room / night
Rates always include: breakfast, wireless internet
Booking:
Everyone books their own room. Please use the allotment code BTEK251022 when making a booking from http://www.scandichotels.fi/?bookingcode=BTEK251022, by phone +358 9 4272 2524 or email [email protected].
The rooms are available until Oct 11th, 2022 or depending on the hotel’s booking situation. Cancellation policy: No costs if cancelled until arrival day by 18.00!
Other hotels in Helsinki:
Crowne Plaza Helsinki - Hesperia
Original Sokos Hotel Presidentti
Hotel Arthur
more hotels at Booking.com
Letter of invitation
On request, the Meeting Organiser will provide a personal invitation to participate in the meeting. Such an invitation is only meant to help the invited participants obtaining a visa. It does not represent any commitment on the part of the organisers to provide any financial support.
Insurance
Please check the validity of your own insurance. The Meeting organisers cannot accept liability for personal injuries sustained or loss of, or damage to, property belonging to delegates or the registered accompanying persons during the Meeting.
Extend your stay!
If you have the possibility to extend your stay in Helsinki, please do. Helsinki is a beautiful city. Additionally, the old Hansa town Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, is only a 2 hours boat trip away from Helsinki, which gives you the opportunity to do as may other Finnish tourists do each year, i.e., visit the city for day (or more).
Mikael Hannus, SVP Group Innovation R&D, Stora Enso
Call for abstracts is closed
Themes this year are:
- Low emission biorefineries and side-stream valorization
- Engineered lignin products
- Novel cellulose modifications
- High performing wood-based products for industrial scale
- Structure – function – performance interrelations in materials engineering (including modeling)
- Wood-based textile solutions
- Circularity of wood-sourced carbon and emerging policies
- Assessing environmental aspects
In the review process submitted abstracts will be defined as oral presentations and posters. The review process will be finished in June and review results will be communicated to writers. Full manuscript and poster submission deadline will be September 12th. The full manuscript will be published in the Conference Proceedings. (Template for the full manuscript)
If the presenting author is a PhD student, the person is a candidate for the Award(s) via pitching session held in the conference. If you are an eligible candidate and interested to win Award(s), you can specify it in the abstract submission portal.
Scientific committee
- Per Tomani, RISE
- Florian Graichen, SCION
- Mikael Hannus, Stora Enso
- Gustav Nyström, EMPA
- Lauri Sikanen, LUKE
- Kristiina Kruus, Aalto
- Emily Cranston, UBC
- Orlando Rojas, Aalto / UBC
- Hanna Hörhammer, VTT
- Peter Axegård, C-Green Technologies
- Paul Stuart, Polytechnique Montrèal & EnVertis Inc.
- Marcelo C.S. Muguet, Klabin
