Congratulations to Alex Mary, recipient of the Cecobois Excellence Award 2025!
It is with great pride that we celebrate the success of Alex Mary, whose thesis project was honored with the Cecobois Excellence Award 2025 – Center of Expertise on Commercial Wood Construction, in the  « Student Award – Research Project » category.
A research with impact.
Under the supervision of Véronic Landry and Pierre Blanchet, Alex Mary‘s thesis project, titled « Development of Bio-based Adhesives for Engineered Wood Products », represents a significant step toward a more sustainable wood industry. Her work is part of an innovation effort aimed at reducing dependence on petrochemical adhesives by incorporating bio-based raw materials that achieve comparable or even superior performance to petrochemical adhesives.
Through a progressive approach, Alex replaced petrochemical polyol with proteins derived from various industrial by-products in polyurethane adhesives for CLT panels, with formulations ranging from 0% to 80% proteins replacing polyol. Among these formulations, the adhesive replacing 70% of the petrochemical polyol stood out for its excellent delamination resistance.
Beyond the technical aspect, these advancements pave the way for greater integration of bio-based materials in the manufacturing of engineered wood products, while offering industrials solutions that combine performance, durability, and environmental responsibility. Alex’s work thus marks a decisive step toward the sector’s ecological transition, demonstrating that scientific innovation can be a powerful lever to address contemporary environmental challenges.
Once again, congratulations to Alex and the entire team for this well-deserved recognition!
 By Besma Bouslimi