Biofore-Magazine-2021

By Armi Kauppila Photography Ville Vauhkonen

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FEATURE

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“ I enjoy change and creating something new. Here we are making something that hasn’t been done or tested before,” says Biofore Base researcher Jaana Käkölä . UPM’s world-class Biofore Base research centres combine re search, piloting and analytics touniteUPM’s technologies and globally accumulated experience, develop the company’s growth ventures and support existing businesses. The centre’smain areas of research are biochemicals, biofuels, pulp, biomedicals and fibre-based packaging materials. The target is to fur ther accelerate the commercialisation of bio-based solutions as viable industrial processes in a cost-efficient way. Responsibility in industrial and consumer products Many Biofore Base employees are motivated by an interest in sus tainability issues and the prospect of replacing fossil-based materials with bio-based alternatives. Käkölä, who studies pulp and biofuels, is part of a new team focusing on various polymers and molecular bio­

products. She is interested in researching new bio-based products because of their potential environmental impact and the use of renew able energy. “I ammotivated by the development of products and processes that are better for the environment. It is also fascinating to be working with something completely new, and there is still much to be solved. For example, we are the only company in the world to produce renew able diesel made of crude tall oil that is suitable for all diesel engines,” Käkölä notes. Leena Kunnas feels the same way about responsibility. She leads a product development support team at Biofore Base and develops packaging and label papers, as well as related research methods. Con sumers have increasingly demonstrated significant interest in re cyclable and bio-based packaging materials, such as UPM Specialty Papers’ barrier paper products, which are a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. They create a barrier againstmoisture and grease to protect the product inside the package. “Replacing single-use plasticswith these products is anopportunity to support sustainability. I want to think about and develop responsi bility issues inmy work in the future as well,” Kunnas says. Global cooperation across sectors The Käkölä and Kunnas teams work together as well as with others fromdifferent backgrounds. “We can always learn something new from skilled colleagues and other experts, and together we can solve challenges that we may not be able to answer alone.We develop processes and testingmethods to gether, and if they work, everyone is happy,” Käkölä says. Cooperation with businesses and their product development man agers is also important. The experts’ work involves extensive collabo rationwith different production sites and research centres around the world. The UPM group has research centres in China, Germany and Finland, and various businesses have their own facilities. The teams also cooperate closely with chemical and machine suppliers, as well as with customers, universities and research institutes. Additionally, Käkölä and her team sometimes develop processes or analytics with start-up companies. Developing newmethods by applying old insights As part of her work, Jaana Käkölä supports UPM’s pulp and biofuels businesses with chemical analytics and develops new related research methods. In the case of biofuels, she analyses the chemical composi tion and properties of new rawmaterials and products. Pulp research, on the other hand, focuses on developing sustainable wood-based fi bre materials. The work requires a solid basic competence in chemis try and creative problem-solving abilities. Because the teams work with completely new products and pro cesses, the required analytical techniques are often unavailable. This means they must first develop the necessary methods before studying the chemical composition of new raw materials. The information ob tained is used in the development of newproducts, as well as for quali ty control andmanufacturing processes. When the exact composition of a product is known, it is possible to design it from the development stage to ensure it is as well suited to recycling as possible. However, it’s not always necessary to start froma clean slate. “Usually there is already some method that can be modified. Even when a newmethod needs to be developed fromscratch, there is some equipment that can be adapted for use,” Käkölä says. Kunnas’ teamdevelops completely new specialty paper products in close cooperation with the business. The team also improves the fea tures of existing paper products. “When a new product is launched, it is always the result of a long multi-stage process. That’s why the launch is always a really big and important moment for us,” Kunnas says.

Blue-sky thinking Innovation and research and development programmes are essential for the development of new products and technologies. Employees at the UPMLappeenranta Biofore Base research centre collaborate with many organisations to pioneer the development of bio-based materials.

“When a new product is launched, it is always the result of a long multi stage process.”

Jaana and Leena are leading the charge towards a future beyond fossils.