The Wood2Wood project plenary in Thessaloniki was packed with updates from consortium partners, covering a wide range of topics: valorisation pathways, mapping existing wood waste stakeholders, the functioning of Cobots (human-robot collaboration), mixed reality systems for enhanced separation and sorting, and cascade refinement technologies for wood waste upcycling, among other innovations.
The project plenary, organised by consortium partner Draxis, reviewed progress, identified challenges and opportunities, and put in motion an action plan for the next few years. Steady progress has been made on key tasks in all work packages.
In the project, wood is classified into four categories based on EU regulations. Our sorting and separation technologies are designed to align with these classifications:
1️⃣ Untreated Wood
2️⃣ Coated Wood
3️⃣ Wood with Halogenated Compounds
4️⃣ Wood with Hazardous Compounds
Remember that there is also a lack of a common European Framework for wood waste classification.
Our project aims to address the regulatory gap in wood waste management by introducing a classification system based on three key aspects:
1️⃣ Type of Chemical Additives and Components
2️⃣ Level of Contamination
3️⃣ Source of Waste: A) Post-production: Waste from wood manufacturing processes or B) Post-consumer: Waste from used wood products.
And to support this, we are developing a comprehensive framework for the cascade valorisation of recycled wood from construction and demolition (C&D).
This framework will encompass:
1️⃣Mechanical Recycling
2️⃣Cascade Biorefinement
3️⃣Chemical and Bioremediation Processes
4️⃣Valorization of Energy, Gas, and Ashes
This holistic approach aims to maximise the sustainable reuse and recovery of wood waste.
Today, 12 work packages presented their updates to the consortium, making a commitment that the project is on track to achieve its objectives.
The meeting allowed us to review progress, tackle challenges, and strengthen the bonds that drive this project forward – Akrivi Korba, W2W Project Coordinator, ICCS-I-Sense
Indeed, echoing the project coordinator’s words, the plenary was a moment to reconnect, thanks to DRAXIS Environmental S.A. for being such good hosts.
After a year, the W2W Consortium met in-person to revive the bonds between each other, especially crucial in technical projects with a global ambition such as ours.
Great innovations often come from building good human connections.
COVID reminded us, the hard way, the value of in-person human interaction.
In that sense, the plenary meeting was spot on!
The individuals in the picture are collectively working on very advanced innovations that require years of persistence, muddling through stubborn challenges, before anything of value comes out of their efforts.
With a big consortium like ours, 25 partners across the EU, and one in Africa, it’s not easy to ensure everyone is on the same page.
But thanks to Project Coordinator I-SENSEGroup/ICCS Akrivi Korba, Kostas Chatziioannou and team for asking sharp questions, and keeping the conversations focused to ensure the partners are on track to achieve their objectives.
At the plenary, Use Case partners collaborated to produce videos, which will be out soon. So, keep an eye out for our YouTube and LinkedIn channels.
Meanwhile, explore our activity at Ecomondo in Rimini, Italy in November in collaboration with other like-minded EU-funded projects.
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