News

• 2025-10-06

  Naturally Fast-Growing Spruce Trees Have Many Long Fibers

  Rapid height growth may positively influence fiber length in Swedish spruce wood. A case study investigated wood samples from 38-year-old of Norway spruces (Picea abies) at one of Sweden’s most naturally fertile forests.

  – Long fibers produce strong paper and cardboard products due to an increased number of bonds, says Björn Sjöstrand, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Karlstad University. The advantage of increased strength broadens the range of applications, and the same strength can be achieved with less material.

  The hypothesis for the study was that trees with fast height growth may have longer fibers, and thus provide longer pulp fibers, compared to lengths previously reported in Sweden.

• 2025-10-06

  Autumn Meeting with AI Theme

  The autumn meeting of the EXACT industrial graduate school offered two days filled with discussions and workshops. This time, the theme was AI — its possibilities, but also its ethical aspects.

  – It’s always a pleasure when the industrial graduate school can bring together PhD students, supervisors, and company mentors to discuss project progress, says Jörgen Samuelsson, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Director of the graduate school. Our autumn and spring meetings are important opportunities to exchange experiences and discuss ongoing research. It’s also a chance to talk about shared challenges in doctoral work, and this time we focused on AI.

• 2025-09-19

  Research for energy-efficient paper manufacturing

  Paper manufacturing is very energy-intensive, but there is great potential for improving energy efficiency. In a comprehensive research project conducted in close collaboration with industry, researchers at Karlstad University have used data modelling and laboratory and pilot-scale experiments to generate new knowledge that can help streamline the processes.

  – Wood fibres have an incredible ability to retain water and clump together, which poses challenges in the production of paper and paperboard, says Björn Sjöstrand, docent in chemical engineering at Karlstad University. To create smooth and even paper products, we must prevent the fibres from clumping together. So, what is the solution? Lots of water. As much as 99.8 per cent water at the start of the process. Water helps separate the fibres and creates physical space between them, which makes it possible to create a smooth sheet of paper.

• 2025-06-10

  Research for Sustainable Paper Manufacturing

  A new research project has been launched to improve production efficiency and reduce resource consumption within the forestry industry.

  – Sustainability is a central focus of the project, which aims to decrease energy and resource usage in the forestry sector, says Björn Sjöstrand, Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering. By developing user-friendly numerical models for optimizing dewatering and drying, the project promotes energy-efficient production and lower carbon emissions. The models enable simulations of various strategies without costly trials, accelerating the development of energy-saving processes.

• 2025-02-18

  Leather substitutes made of fungal biomass can become your new handbag or steering wheel cover

  Imagine a handbag or a steering wheel upholstered in leather – but made of artificial leather made from fungi grown from food waste. In a new research project the goal is to develop just that in collaboration with industry.

  The project aims to meet societal challenges such as food waste and the production of natural leather that is ethically and environmentally questioned due to unsustainable production methods.

  There are already various alternatives to artificial leather. These often contain fossil-based plastics to meet the desired properties. The substitutes also often do not meet the desired quality characteristics and environmental requirements, which makes it interesting to work closely with industry in the project.

• 2025-01-31

  Karlstad University part of new EU project on circular economy

  In collaboration with eleven partners from six countries, Karlstad University is participating in a new EU project that was recently granted funding as part of the programme Circular Bio-based Europe. The project, WoodVALOR, focuses on the transformation of contaminated wood into high-performance paints, coatings and biochar using sustainable methods.

  – This is an innovative bioeconomy project with partners from the UK, Ireland, Finland, France, Belgium and Sweden, says Ali Mohammadi, sub-project leader and associate professor in environmental and energy systems. By developing and optimising advanced purification and fractionation processes, we want to maximise resource efficiency by reusing 100 per cent of the wood.