ASCC, School of Forest Resources researchers attend international CNM conference in Finland

Advanced Structures and Composites and School of Forest Resources professors and researchers Douglas Gardner and Yousoo Han, and doctoral students Elliot Sander and Sungjun Hwang, presented at the 2022 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials in Helsinki, Finland. Their presentation: “Methods to produce dry nanoscale cellulose nanocrystal powders: challenges and opportunities.”

The conference, co-chaired by Dr. Mehdi Tajvidi, associate professor of renewable nanomaterials in the School of Forest Resources, focused on materials for sustainability and sustainable process of producing cellulose nanomaterials (CNM).

Materials for sustainability encompasses the utilization of renewable materials and nanotechnology to address the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations in a collective effort to foster a secure and sustainable economic growth.

A sustainable process of producing CNMs focuses on processes with low energy input and environmentally benign and highly recyclable chemicals for economic production of CNMs.

Much of this work was done as a part of the Hub and Spoke program, a UMaine/ASCC/Oak Ridge National Lab partnership.