Innovood
Knowledge-base and tools for innovative use of wood and fibres
Short on the Innovood project
Objectives
The general project objective was to build an improved knowledge-base and new tools, which will support the development and production of new innovative, eco-efficient products with a high content of further converted wood or wood fibres.
Research and results
For this purpose, a database with measurement data and an integrated system of models for growth and properties of trees have been developed. Selected stands of Norway spruce and Scots pine, representing different growth conditions and ages of trees, have been sampled in Sweden and Finland. Samples have been analysed for a wide range of properties, including knots and other stem structures with X-ray tomography, wood and fibre properties with SilviScan, fibres with microscopy, chemical composition of wood and pulp properties. The database is structured to provide related data on properties of stands, trees, logs, wood, knots, fibres and important properties of products from the different sectors of the forest-based industries. It has been extensively used as a basis for modelling of growth and properties. A tool has been developed to facilitate the use of the models for simulation and visualisation of growth and properties and how they are influenced by growth conditions.
The data, models and tools have been used in three case studies; addressing production of both pulps and products from solid wood, with the objectives was to optimise the allocation of wood to suitable products and also the production in the mill. The improved knowledge-base and new tools proved to be useful. They are now used in further research and development by the partners.
Program and partners
Innovood is a project within the Swedish-Finnish Research Programme "Wood Material Science and Engineering", funded by VINNOVA, TEKES and a consortium of companies: Heinolan Sahakoneet Oy, Koskisen Oy, Pergo, Ponsse Oy, Raunion Saha Oy, Södra Cell and Vapo Timber Oy.
The research partners of the project and the responsible scientists of each partner are:
(Pergo terminated their activities in the project when new owners changed the priorities of the company.)
Contact
Sven-Olof Lundqvist, STFI-Packforsk
Project Coordinator
Arto Usenius, VTT
Vice Project Coordinator
Downloads
Brief report on the Innovood project and its results
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
New innovative products from wood will provide new benefits to society based on renewable raw materials. They will also offer new opportunities for industry and forestry. For development of such products and efficient ways to produce them, there is a need for:
- new knowledge on many properties of wood
- new methods to optimise allocation of raw materials and industrial production
In the Innovood project, researchers and companies from different areas of expertise in Finland and Sweden have joined forces in order to improve the basis for this. The aim is also to favour the development and use of new products based on wood contra alternatives based on non-renewable resources. This is a contribution to sustainable development. Wood-based manufacturing is often performed in small and medium size enterprises, in many cases located close to the resources and in areas where their success or failure has a large impact on the local community. The strengthening of their competitiveness has, thus, a large importance for the society. Cornerstones of the project are databases, model-based tools and case studies.
1.2 Objectives
The general objective was to build up an improved knowledge-base and new tools, which will support the development and production of new innovative products with a high content of further converted wood or wood fibres.
2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
A keystone of the Innovood project has been the building of a database for Nordic softwood with related data on properties of stands, trees, logs, wood, knots, fibres, etc., including the properties of most importance for the different sectors of the wood-based industries. The data on different properties originate from the same wood materials, allowing not only the investigation of variations but also studies of relationships, building of models and development of new and better products. Models have been developed, spanning a wide range of levels of detail relevant for the different industries: from “log scale” models, relevant for yield in sawing and kraft cooking, to “fibre scale” models, describing fibre length, width and wall thickness within growth rings.
During the first year, sampling and measurement activities were emphasized. Existing models were compiled and adapted for the project. Some of these models have later been further developed based on new property data compiled in the database. During the second year, the work on measurements and models continued. Models for other properties were developed. A framework was developed for simulation and visualization of growth and property variations within and between stems. The data, models and simulation tools were finally applied in case studies related to different products in the different sectors of the forest-based industries.
2.1 Sample material and database
16 stands of Norway spruce and Scots pine in Sweden and Finland were selected to represent Nordic softwood of different ages and growth conditions. Large, medium and small size trees, totally 48 trees, were samples at different heights along the stem. Radial variations were determined to describe systematic differences between parts of trees. Property variations in different scales were determined, from averages of stem/log cross-sections to within growth ring variations, depending on the features to be analysed:
- Stand and tree data were collected on sampling in the forest.
- VTT Building and Transport measured the branching structure within the stems (wood structure, size and properties of knots) with X-ray tomography, figure 1.
- STFI-Packforsk analysed radial variations in wood density, fibre width, fibre wall thickness and microfibril angle with SilviScan, figure 2, and calculated wood stiffness and other properties. The annual growth of the trees was evaluated. Averaged for annual rings and their earlywood and latewood were calculated. Pulps were produced from radial sub-samples and analysed for fibre length.
- Metla analysed fibre length variations between individual annual rings from the pith to the bark, as well as within growth rings with microscopy, figure 3.
- STFI produced pulps from wood of different origins, sheets for manufacturing of composites and analysed the sheets for paper related properties, figure 4.
- Pergo produced fibre composites from these sheets and tested them for moisture uptake and dimensional stability.
- Södra Cell FoU characterized the chemical composition of a large number of radial sub-samples (lignin, cellulose, hemi-celluloses and extractives).
STFI-Packforsk has built the database in which the data are compiled. The database is a good basis for evaluation of property variations, studies of relationships and development of models. It is a unique basis for continued research and development of applications, with a large potential in many areas. The project partners will continue to perform research based on these data, individually and in different cooperative constellations.
2.2 Models and simulation
An integrated set of models has been developed, describing relationships between:
- stand and site properties and tree growth
- tree growth and wood properties, such as knots, in 3-dimensional stems
- wood and fibre properties, such as fibre length, in 3-dimensional stems
The models also describe the property variations within and between stems and stands.
An important part of the model system is the RetroSTEM model, developed by University of Helsinki and Metla. With this model, the internal structure of trees, such as widths of growth rings and heights of internodes, may be estimated from external measurements, knowledge about previous thinning, etc.
When this structure is known, other models are used to estimate the within stem variations of important properties, such as wood density, number and sizes of knots and fibre dimensions. In figure 5, this is illustrated with the maximum diameters of knots in all whorls along a stem, showing measured data and data estimated with models from University of Helsinki and Metla. Figure 6 shows the radial variation in wood density from pith to bark (averages of growth rings) for two stem cross-sections. This is illustrated based on data measured with SilviScan and data simulated with models developed by STFI-Packforsk and Metla.
The “Innovood Tree Visualiser” has been developed to facilitate simulations with the models in conjunction with information in the database or other data, figure 7. It has been implemented by University of Helsinki as a stationary full version to be used for instance in the case studies and by STFI-Packforsk as a web-based limited version, which will become a showcase for the project and possible to use in education, etc. Growth and properties of trees grown under different conditions may be visualised and images may be generated for download and use in presentations and publications (if proper references are given).
The level of detail in these simulations of property variations within stems is averages for individual annual rings of arbitrary cross-sections. With this detail, properties of logs, sawn products and sawmill chips from different parts of the stem may be calculated.
VTT has improved its previous models for value chains, emphasising chains for products from solid wood, and developed new functionalities. The new tool is called “InnoSim”. Routines are now implemented also for the bucking of stems into logs and for calculation of properties of different wood entities along the value chain: from raw materials of different origins all the way to stage of the ready wood components.
Figure 8 illustrates a virtual chain from tree to product. Stems are divided into logs, which are analysed with X-rays and evaluated for determination of location and properties of all knots in the stem. Similar information from estimation of other properties may be added. Various sawing patterns, or other alternatives, may be simulated and the results are compared, including also grading of “virtual boards”, in order to find optimal solutions. Various alternatives may be simulated for optimization.
2.3 Case studies
Three case studies have been performed. The case study “Customer designed fibres”, managed by Södra Cell, has focused on how the raw-material affects the product properties. Södra has built a large dataset of basic properties of logs, representing the supplies of pulpwood to three of its pulp mills. Södra has used data from the pulp investigations of STFI-Packforsk, see figure 4, to develop models for pulp properties, such as water retention value, sheet density, tensile index and tear index. With these and other models, the wood density, chemical composition of wood, fibre dimensions and properties of the pulp produced have been estimated for pulpwood logs.
Statistical distributions have been estimated for these properties for the three mills. This is illustrated in figure 9 with the fibre length distributions of wood delivered to the mills, calculated from estimated averages for bundles on trucks. Wide distributions for fibre length and other properties (not shown) indicate that the wood can be segregated into classes with different fibre properties for various products, if the benefits reached from such selection exceed the costs. The consequences of using different types of wood raw materials for production of various pulp products have been simulated, providing an improved knowledge-base for selective use of wood for improved pulp and paper products.
In the case study “Profitable secondary conversion concepts for end user mill”, managed by VTT, a number of different conversion alternatives have been simulated with the value chain models mentioned above. Simulation results have been analyzed to support strategic decision made by sawmills. In figure 10, the value yields obtained with traditional cant sawing and with the more recently introduced “live sawing” are compared. For this type of logs, live sawing has clear advantages, especially for logs with smaller top diameters. The results clearly indicated that there is a big potential to increase the value yield by producing value added components instead of traditional bulk production. The sales value of the production may increase with up to 100 percent, under favourable conditions even more.
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In the case study “Selection of suitable raw material for customer-specific products”, performed by University of Helsinki and VTT, three different forest stands were selected for comparison. Based on stand data, virtual stems were generated using the RetroSTEM models. The InnoSim tool was used to simulate cross-cutting of the stems and conversion into final sawn timber products according to the demand on the market, as well as to analyse the results of different alternatives. It was demonstrated that there was a clear ranking of the stands regarding cost efficient production of the desired products.
To communicate the results of the project, a public concluding seminar was organised at STFI-Packforsk in March 2007. Some results are published and further dissemination is being prepared. The cooperation has inspired the partners to several joint applications to new research programs. Some project results are already applied in research and development and further applications in industry are being discussed.
3. CONCLUSIONS
An improved knowledge-base and new tools supporting the development and production of new wood-based products have been created. This includes the database on important properties of stands, trees, logs, wood, knots, fibres and products. It also includes new models and an integrated system for simulation of tree growth and properties, and how these are influenced by growth conditions. The data, models and tools developed in the project have proven to be useful in case studies in different sectors of the industry. They are forming a basis for further research and development of applications of the partners, individually and in cooperation.
By merging the competences and resources of the research partners, it has been possible to address difficult tasks involving different sectors of the forest-based industries as well as forestry. The cooperation has also strengthened the Nordic innovation system through the formation of a denser network among partners complementing each other, which has inspired the partners to take initiatives to new joint projects.
Concluding Innovood Seminar
Innovative use of wood and fibres
Results from the Innovood project
On March 21, 2007, a concluding seminar was arranged at STFI-Packforsk, Stockholm. The project objectives, the methods applied and the results were presented in two sessions as follows:
Objectives
The general objective of the project is to build an improved knowledge-base and new tools supporting the development and production of new innovative products from wood or wood fibres. In a second step, the data and tools have been tested in industrial case studies. Results from both steps will be presented at the seminar.
Morning session: Properties of wood and fibres
Spruce and pine trees have been sampled in Sweden and Finland. Logs have been sawn into boards and pulps have been produced. A large number of properties of industrial importance have been determined. Related properties of stands, trees, logs, wood, knots, chemical composition, fibres and pulps have been organized in a database. A system of models has been developed for growth and properties. Differences between and within trees, stands and wood species may be estimated for the most important properties. Tools have also been developed for optimization in conversion chains. The database, models and tools support the selection of suitable wood and fibres for different products.
Afternoon session: Optimal processing of wood and fibres
The data, models and tools have are tested in three case studies, including studies of improved allocation and processing in sawing, production of building components and specialty pulps.
Documentation of the Innovood Seminar - Downloads
Report
Lundqvist, S.-O. (editor): Innovative use of wood and fibres – Results from the Innovood project.
STFI-Packforsk report no 268, March 2007
Presentations
- General introduction to the Innovood project,
Sven-Olof Lundqvist
- Integrated Database for Nordic softwood
2.1 Sampling and layout of measurements,
Thomas Grahn, Örjan Hedenberg, Sven-Olof Lundqvist
2.2 Generation of real stems into virtual stems,
Arto Usenius, Tiecheng Song
2.3 Properties of wood, fibres, pulp …,
Örjan Hedenberg, Thomas Grahn, Sven-Olof Lundqvist
2.4 Innovood Database,
Thomas Grahn, Sven-Olof Lundqvist
- Chemical composition of wood,
Dag Molteberg
- Predicting wood and fibre properties,
Harri Mäkinen, Lars Olsson, Thomas Grahn, Sven-Olof Lundqvist
- Predicting 3D stem structure and wood properties
5.1 Growth, stem structure, integration of property models, visualization,
Annikki Mäkelä, Harri Mäkinen, Sanna Härkönen, Anu Kantola
5.2 Innovood Tree Visualizer,
Sanna Härkönen
- Demonstration of web-version of Innovood Tree Visualizer,
Åke Hansson, Thomas Grahn, Sven-Olof Lundqvist, Sanna Härkönen
- Conversion of wood products
7.1 InnoSim – a simulation model of wood conversion chain,
Tiecheng Song, Arto Usenius
7.2 How to increase the value of sawmill products,
Arto Usenius, Antti Heikkilä, Tiecheng Song
- Fibres, pulp and paper
8.1 Variations in pulp properties,
Örjan Hedenberg, Sven-Olof Lundqvist
8.2 Results from a case study at Södra Cell,
Dag Molteberg
- What happens now?
Sven-Olof Lundqvist
- Summary,
Dag Molteberg
Results from the project have to some extent already been published, but more publications are being prepared. If you want to make references to the project and its results, please, refer to the report which may be downloaded above or to more specific publications.
Lists of results and publications
Results from the projects are already used in research and development, education and contract work for companies. Applications in the industry are being prepared. Further information about capabilities generated in the project, use of results, publications and other communication of results is available as downloads:
Partners and Acknowledgements
Research Partners
Many researchers have been engaged in the project. Major contributions have been made by:
Helsinki University:
- Annikki Mäkelä
- Anu Kantola
- Sanna Härkönen (Univ of Joensuu)
Metla:
- Harri Mäkinen
- Pekka Saranpää
Pergo:
- Håkan Wernersson
- Tomas Stjärnberg
STFI-Packforsk:
- Örjan Hedenberg
- Thomas Grahn
- Lars Olsson
- Åke Hansson
- Sven-Olof Lundqvist
Södra Cell AB:
- Dag Molteberg
- Camilla Rööst
- Catharina Fechter
- Alexandra Wigell
VTT:
- Arto Usenius
- Tiecheng Song
- Antti Häikkilä
The project has been coordinated by Sven-Olof Lundqvist, STFI-Packforsk, with Arto Usenius, VTT, as vice coordinator.
Funding parties and project steering committee
Innovood has been a project within the Swedish-Finnish Research Programme "Wood Material Science and Engineering".
The project has been funded by
and a consortium of companies listed below, together with their members on the Project Steering Committee (during the main part of the project):
- Heinolan Sahakoneet Oy Juha Ropilo
- Koskisen Oy Pekka Ulvas
- Pergo (Europe) AB Håkan Wernersson
- Ponsse Oy Tuomo Moilanen
- Raunion Saha Oy Olli Raunio
- Södra Cell AB Dag Molteberg (Chairman)
- Vapo Timber Oy Jukka Toiviainen
The public funding organisations have been represented by Juha Vaajoensuu, TEKES, and Bengt Larsson, VINNOVA. Leena Paavilainen has represented the Program Secretariat.
Also the coordinator and vice coordinator, Sven-Olof Lundqvist and Arto Usenius, were also members of the steering committee. Further members representing the research partners were Anders Pettersson, STFI-Packforsk, Pekka Saranpää, Metla, and Annikki Mäkelä, Helsinki University.
All persons and organizations having supported the project with research efforts, with advice as members of the Steering Committee or with funding are acknowledged for their contributions.