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One of two students awarded a research scholarship recently by the Canadian Wood Council says she approaches her research on bio-based adhesives for cross-laminated timber (CLT) with a “passion” for wood and sustainable solutions.
Alex Mary is a third-year PhD candidate in wood and bio-based materials engineering at Laval University in Quebec City. Her application for a 2023 Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarship impressed the wood council with its dual pledges to pursue environmental sustainability and product performance.
The focus of her research lies in exploring the potential of replacing the petrochemicals used in most CLT with recycled bio-based protein materials — soybean meal, microbrewery spent grains, skim milk powder and even shrimp shells.
Mary wrote in her project description submitted to the wood council that her area of research “has the potential to revolutionize the wood construction industry…this approach aligns perfectly with Canada’s climate goals, reducing emissions in the construction sector and enhancing its global leadership in climate action.”
“I was really honoured to win it,” said Mary, who is France-born but now studies in Quebec and holds the position of industrial research chair in eco-responsible wood construction at Laval’s department of wood and forest science.
“It was really a surprise to win because I felt that it was too much of a chemistry subject to really be in the field of the scholarship.
“I’m really glad that this kind of field can help the wood industry.”
Mary’s first paper on the process, written with four collaborators, found the increase in bio-based protein content increased, or stabilized, adhesive gel time, promoted better penetration into wood and positively impacted the mechanical properties of the adhesives.
Among other benefits, CLT with bio-based adhesives would have a better life-cycle profile, biodegrading completely at its end of use, unlike CLT with petrochemicals.
The other scholarship winner announced Dec. 20 was Kilian Krauss, a first-year PhD candidate in wood science at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on the design of mid- and highrise mass timber buildings in seismically active areas.
“The quality of submissions this year was outstanding,” said Martin Richard, the council’s vice-president of market development.
Mary’s original internship in France focused on water-based coatings for interior wood, spurring her interest in wood. She led a research project on water-removable wood adhesives, leading to the launch of her PhD studies at Laval.
Among her previous honours was first prize in the Gustave-Clodomir-Piche scientific poster competition at Carrefour Foret.
Not only is Mary creating adhesives formulated from different bio-based products, but she is attempting to determine their effectiveness at various protein-content levels, from five per cent to 20 per cent. One finding, for example, was that introducing greater protein concentrate at a lower pH might lead to longer gel times.
Her paper cites sources going back 20 years and Mary said there are many others doing good work in the area.
It has been determined that among natural lignins, tannins and proteins, proteins, being biological macromolecules, “are recognized for their capacity to enhance adhesion to wood substrates,” Mary and her colleagues wrote.
It all bodes well for improved sustainability in CLT but it might be many years before the results are seen in the marketplace — Mary did not want to estimate a timeframe.
“I think it’s a really important subject and some people are putting a lot of effort in order to improve it,” she said, noting the industry has been generous in supporting the research.
“I’m trying to always have the industrial side on my mind when I’m developing the additives.”
Still, her focus at this time is mainly on straight science.
“I’m doing scientific research. Surely the aim is to always improve the literature and to help to find a solution,” Mary said.
Her goal is to “give us a solid base so that people can take my research and then go higher than I’ve been able to do.”
Follow the author on Twitter @DonWall_DCN.
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