International. The European Union Project called 'ProWood' (Protection of Wood), aims to generate innovative, economically viable and ecologically feasible coatings (varnishes or paints) to prevent wood degradation.
To do this, we work to obtain 'sol-gel', 'functionalized vegetable oils' and / or 'alkyd compounds', which for the first time will carry in their composition microorganisms, biological compounds or enzymes that antagonize the degradation of wood.
One of the most important aspects is the characterization of the microorganisms involved in the degradation of wood, and also that of its antagonists. To this end, the main sampling has been carried out in Villavieja (Priaranza del Bierzo), where samples of decaying wood from more than 60 plant species have been collected, as well as wood from buildings.
The samples have been processed and analyzed for a year at Inbiotec (Institute of Biotechnology of the University of León), (to obtain cultivable microorganisms), and in Sintef (Norway) to identify, through metagenomics, all the microorganisms present. The process has made it possible to select more than a dozen possible antagonist microorganisms, which are being integrated into the coatings developed by the rest of the Consortium partners for the first experimental tests.
ProWood is a project coordinated by Inbiotec that has a budget of 1.58 million euros, of which 195,000 € correspond to the institute itself, which has allowed to generate two direct full-time jobs in the Institute.
The ProWood consortium is made up of 5 partners from different European countries:
- Three technology centres: Inbiotec (Spain), Sintef (Norway) and Ppimc (Romania),
- One university: Technical University of Freiberg (Germany), and
- A company specialized in DYO paints (Turkey).
Currently, research related to wood degradation focuses mainly on two procedures, accelerating that degradation, or finding mechanisms that prevent that process.
In the first case, (biorefinery), degradation is accelerated to valorize products of plant origin. In the second, it is prevented, which in many cases uses toxic products.
Source: University of León.
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