At the end of August, UNIME participated in the 17th European Workshop on Lignocellulosics and Pulp (EWLP2024), a biennial event organized by the Laboratory of Natural Materials Technology at Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland. The event brings together researchers, students, and industrial participants to discuss the latest advancements in lignocellulosic research.

The conference covers a wide range of topics, including wood chemistry, lignocellulosic structures, analytical techniques, biorefinery technologies, and biotechnological approaches for producing new materials and products.

Engineer Salim Brahimi, a PhD student from the Department of Engineering at the University of Messina and a member of the research group led by Professor Annamaria Visco, scientific head of UNIME for the LIFE RESTART project, presented research results related to the project on the use of Brewer’s Spent Grain (BSG) in biocomposite materials titled: “Agri-food waste as a sustainable filler in biocomposites.”

The conference was an excellent opportunity to engage with leading international experts in the field.

There were numerous questions from the researchers present, and much curiosity about the protein content of the spent grain in the biocomposite produced by UNIME within the LIFE RESTART project: thermal stability, biodegradation, moisture absorption, and the overall mechanical properties of the final composite, as well as its possible applications in abrasive papers.