Nowadays, cosmetics and personal care products are considered essential commodities of our life. However, the growing concern about the environmental impact and human health risk related to the excessive use of chemical ingredients in skin care formulations calls for the exploration of safe and sustainable natural alternatives. The diverse functional and bioactive properties of lignin make it worthwhile to be considered for cosmetic applications. Moreover, lignin is generated as an undervalued by-product from kraft-pulping operations, the most widespread method for pulp manufacture worldwide. The BIO4CARE project tackles challenging concepts with innovative solutions to develop an efficient lignin-based multi-functional ingredient with understood and controlled properties from kraft lignin for skin care formulations. To the best knowledge of the Experienced Researcher (ER), no prior research on using kraft lignin as a multi-functional ingredient to manufacture a novel and bio-based competitive solution for skin photo-protection has been reported. The BIO4CARE project comprises multi-disciplinary tasks and addresses different research areas such as analytical and applied chemistry as well as physics and biology to achieve the specific objectives of the project. The main objectives of the project are production of homogeneous lignin nanoparticles (LNP) by a sustainable and efficient method, optimization and understanding of nanostructure-properties relationships using powerful analytical tools, manufacture of high-quality Pickering emulsions with LNP and assessment of multi-functionality and toxicological profile of LNP. In addition, through MSCA program activities, the ER will gain research and scientific skills and acquire a new set of competences to reach professional maturity and independence after the fellowship by building a solid research and industrial network, organizing events, mentoring young researchers and managing projects.

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant renewable resource with potential for biochemicals and green materials to replace petroleum-based materials. Lignin is the second most abundant aromatic biopolymer and an underutilized component produced as a by-product in the pulp and paper industry and burned for energy. Lignin can also be used to synthesize bio-based composites by incorporating it into different polymers. For example, PLA is a biodegradable polymer used in food packaging applications. Lignin has been used as a filler with PLA to enhance thermal stability, UV properties and tensile strength. However, poor compatibility and aggregation are the main shortcomings for lignin-PLA composites due to the hydroxyl groups present in lignin. Although modification of lignin’s hydroxyl groups has been investigated, current methods are still problematic. To address these issues, the PACK-NIN project will focus on incorporating lignin nanoparticle (LNP) from kraft, organosolv and soda processes into the PLA matrix to enhance compatibility and bonding interaction. Due to their higher dispersibility, lower agglomeration and higher surface areas, LNPs are key to improving polymeric composites. Prior to synthesis of LNPs, novel modifications (oxypropylation and esterification:4-hydroxybenzoic acid) will be employed to enhance lignin’s hydrophobicity. The modified LNP (MLNP) will be incorporated into a PLA matrix at different weight percentages to investigate mechanical and thermal properties. Copper nanoparticle will then be introduced into the MLNP/PLA material to evaluate antibacterial activity within the composite. The PACK-NIN project proposes to develop a sustainable bio-nanocomposite that provides breakthroughs for advancing lignin use in food packaging and other composite applications. The ER will gain professional maturity and independence through the MSCA program activities, particularly mentoring young researchers, organizing events and managing projects.

Façades play crucial roles in the building safety, comfort, and aesthetics. As an envelope for buildings, they are in constant interaction with outside environment. Ultraviolet (UV) solar radiation absorbed by lignin – constituting up to 40% of wood – initiates the weathering of wood. The weathering process induces colour changes, surface fibres to loosen and erode, allowing humidity to penetrate in depth in wood, and causing checks and a raised grain. It is therefore crucial to limit the weathering effects that can then lead to deterioration of wood by using coatings to protect its surface. UV absorbers enhance the durability of wood outdoors by absorbing incident radiation and by converting it into heat, which is then dissipated. Carbon-based materials are potential UV stabilizers thanks to combined effects of physical screen, UV absorbance, and radical trap. Bio-carbon is a carbon-based product obtained from thermal decomposition of organic materials at elevated temperatures. Organic materials can be wastes from the agricultural or forest industries, with currently little or no economic value. Bio-carbon presents a wide range of properties that can be tailored by the manufacturing process. To the best knowledge of the Experienced Researcher (ER), no prior research on using bio-carbon for UV stabilization has been reported. The FACADE project proposes to develop a competitive sustainable bio-sourced anti-UV coating to protect wooden façades, using bio-carbon as UV-stabilizer. The FACADE project tackles challenging concepts with innovative solutions and is expected to provide breakthroughs for advancing the use of bio-carbon in new applications and proving a fundamental understanding of the UV protection mechanisms of nanoscale carbon particles. Through the MSCA program activities, particularly mentoring young researchers, organizing events and managing projects, the ER will make a significant step in her career by gaining professional maturity and independence.

Wood is the only renewable construction material and holds great promise for sustainable built environments of the future. However, its combustibility is a major limitation. The drawback of using traditional fire and flame retardants is the toxicity and volatility of some of their components and the loss of chemicals by leaching, leading to poorer performance. Mineralisation of wood offers a green alternative, but current strategies often require a costly technical setup for supercritical gases or the use of harmful chemicals to achieve the deposition of minerals deep inside the wood structure. Biologically induced mineralisation is a widespread phenomenon occurring in all kingdoms of life. In recent years, microbially induced calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation has been proposed as a potential solution to address many environmental and engineering issues related to the enhancement of inorganic materials (protection of concrete, soil consolidation). However, the potential for using fungi has received relatively little attention compared to bacteria. The MICRO-INSERT project will investigate the feasibility of using fungi as CaCO3 carriers to develop a novel bioinspired mineralisation process for biobased building materials. Wood as a highly porous, three-dimensional organic scaffold will be mineralised to create hierarchically structured organic-inorganic hybrid materials with novel properties, including improved fire resistance. The proposed bioinspired treatment incorporates ideas for sustainable materials design, circularity, reduction of toxicity, and lowering the negative impact on the environment. The MICRO-INSERT project will stimulate innovation and knowledge transfer between the host and ER by building a solid research network, organising events, mentoring young researchers, and managing projects. The ER will gain research and scientific skills and acquire a new set of competencies to reach professional maturity and independence after the fellowship.

Wood is recognized as an attractive alternative to several traditional building solutions, and it is often called a “building material of the 21st century” since it can efficiently sequester carbon, balancing emissions from other materials. As a biological material, wood is sensitive to environmental conditions and microorganisms; therefore, it requires protective measures to extend its service life in outdoor applications. Despite the current demand for improvement of wood performance and considering technologies with low environmental impact, there is limited research on treatments and formulations that use green alternatives and improve critical properties simultaneously. The ambition of the MULTI-WOOD project is to provide multi-functional treatments to entirely protect wood from nano- to microscale using alternative sources of chemicals generated during the lignocellulosic bioconversion and/or from the pulp and paper industries. The project aims to develop innovative strategies for the improvement of four key wood properties: hygroscopicity, resistance against fire, UV, and biotic factors based on alternative, recently underutilized bio-based formulations. Proposed methodology and treatments target reduction in the toxicity of the modification processes, extend service life, elongate maintenance cycles, and thus, lower the negative impact on the environment. The MULTI-WOOD project will stimulate innovation and knowledge transfer between the host and ER by building a solid research and industrial network, organizing events, mentoring young researchers and managing projects, the ER will gain research and scientific skills and acquire a new set of competencies to reach professional maturity and independence after the fellowship.