Stepping up North Karelian energy, materials and chemicals development (development project)

PUHTIA is a group project of University of Eastern Finland (UEF, coordinator) and Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke, partner), where both participants implement their own pairs of development and investment projects. The entity is funded by the Regional Council of North Karelia from the Just Transition Fund (JTF) of the European Union’s Innovation and Skills in Finland 2021 – 2027 program. Research and education of the project partners have recently been developed in Joensuu by increasing the systematic exchange of information and developing common research infrastructure especially in the fields of forest bioeconomy and wood construction, where one goal has been jointly implemented company projects and testing services serving the enterprises. Moreover, the global changes in the world order have caused a revolution in the energy sector, which requires quick and bold leaps towards diversified energy production and hydrogen economy. At the same time, the management of emissions from energy production and other industrial activities plays an increasingly important role.

The goal of PUHTIA group project is to develop the equipment resources of the region’s R&D operators, increase the utilization rate and build a closer mutual and more business sector oriented cooperation than at present. As a result of the project, several companies in the region will start product or service development cooperation with the project partners, this cooperation creating a mutual competitive advantage, information exchange and knowledge sharing. The PUHTIA projects support largely the Green Transition, the diversification of North Karelia’s regional economy and the creation of new jobs, especially by developing technological solutions for processing natural resources and energy technology.

PUHTIA input of human resouces for the different tasks are realized in the development projects, whereas the parallel investment projects facilitate the acquisition of laboratory resources. The demonstration tasks of the PUHTIA and formerly executed projects, Biopartners and Puu-TKI, bring visibility and show the collaboration potential in research and testing for the companies in North Karelia and other regions in Finland. The product development model that was developed in the Puu-TKI project as well as the service production models of the project partners are utilized to enable an easy access to the equipment, methods and expertise for the companies. The service and equipment descriptions of the product development among the project partners will be brought available on the Woodjoensuu.fi website and the home pages of the partners. At the same time, the educational contents of the Sustainable technologies engineering program of UEF will be developed to match the needs of the companies in the region, especially in the fields of sustainable materials, energy, emissions and product design. Luke will strengthen the regional activity as a competence center of material technology on renewable natural resources and their products, and will contribute to launching the Sustainable technologies program, offering of thesis and lecturing.

In PUHTIA development project, Luke is coordinating Work Package Materials (WP1), building there campus collaboration with UEF and other R&D actors. Luke is responsible for the implementation of the research and testing capacity of Joensuu wood laboratory and wood and hybrid construction and the research center of mycellium and biohybrid materials as well as the demonstration tasks of the former and new investments on the research and testing equipment and infrastructure. In addition, Luke participates to the carbon footprint – carbon handprint analysis that are related to the new product solutions. At the same time, Luke will add to the resource of scientists in the research, development an innovation activity and company collaboration in the respective fields. In Work packages Chemicals (WP2) and Energy and emissions (WP3), Luke contributes with its own expertise to the demonstration and evaluation of results on incineration and dissipation in the field of chemicals from side streams, and the evaluation of emissions from burning of wood based materials. Luke executes the laboratory investment and installation tasks in Work Package Investments (WP4). Luke coordinates the PUHTIA dissemination actvity (WP5), being responsible especially for the themes of WP1, domestic and international stakeholder collaboration and networking tasks on regional development and innovations. In addition to woodjoensuu.fi website, Luke’s own communication channels, and InnovaWood, the European network on wood products sector, and Innovate with Wood, an open innovation platform on wood and hybrid construction.

The investments in the PUHTIA investment projects will facilitate the research and testing tasks described in WPs 1-3. The following four research and testing entities will be acquired: 1) Characterization and testing of coatings, such as paints, lacquers and fire protection agents, surface quality of wood-based products, rubbing strain and wear resistance; 2) Accelerated testing of decay resistance (soil box); 3) Standard climate chambers for studying and testing moisture and weather resistance of wood and biomaterials; 4) Manufacturing and testing equipment of mycelium based materials and biohybrid composites, including fermentation, incubation and selected further treatments.