In June 2026, the International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS) marked its 60th anniversary with a conference bringing together wood scientists, materials researchers, and research representatives from a wide range of fields. The event created an ideal setting to discuss where wood science is heading and what role bio-based adhesives can play in that transition.
Source: Wood K Plus
For the SUSBOARD team at Wood K plus – Competence Centre for Wood Composites & Wood Chemistry, the conference was an opportunity to present a poster titled “Bio-based Adhesives for Particleboard and MDF,” sharing ongoing work on fully bio-based, formaldehyde-free binders for wood-based panels. The objective behind this work is straightforward but ambitious: to develop 100% biobased adhesive systems that can perform under real production conditions while relying on renewable raw materials instead of fossil-based chemistry, directly relevant to the future of particleboard and MDF manufacturing.
The poster presented the binder concept currently being developed within SUSBOARD, based on polylysine and carbohydrate components enriched with 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), a combination designed to enable rapid cross-linking and strong bonding performance.
Source: Wood K Plus
What made the conference especially valuable was the opportunity to discuss this work with researchers active in very different areas of wood science. Progress in sustainable adhesives does not happen in isolation, it benefits from exchange across chemistry, processing, material testing, and industrial implementation, and the IAWS anniversary conference offered exactly that kind of setting.
We were glad to bring SUSBOARD to the IAWS 60th Anniversary Conference, and look forward to continuing these exchanges with the wider wood science community as the project progresses.
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