Congratulations to Manon Mestre for receiving the Mitacs Globalink Research Award in the amount of $6,000!
Congratulations to Manon Mestre, a PhD student in wood and bio-based materials engineering, on receiving the Mitacs Globalink Research Award (GRA) valued at CAD $6,000. This award will enable her to complete a 14-week international research internship at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) in Riga, Latvia.
This research internship will be carried out in collaboration with Jānis Rižikovs and Inese Filipova, researchers at LSIWC, and is part of the continuation of her doctoral project, conducted under the supervision of Professor Véronic Landry.
Manon’s doctoral project, entitled « Improving the performance of adhesives through the addition of additives: reducing formaldehyde emissions and improving moisture resistance », aims to optimize adhesives used in wood-based composites. The work focuses in particular on reducing formaldehyde emissions and improving moisture resistance—two major challenges in the development of more sustainable and high-performance materials.
Manon’s research stay at the LSIWC biorefinery laboratory, which is recognized for its expertise in the development of eco-friendly binders, represents a valuable opportunity to strengthen international collaboration in wood chemistry and biomaterials research. This internship will promote the exchange of expertise in advanced testing methods and the exploration of sustainable solutions for the construction and furniture industries, while contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field of wood-based materials.
The Mitacs Globalink Research Award (GRA) program supports research collaborations between Canada and eligible countries and regions through international mobility opportunities. Under the joint supervision of a home and a host professor, undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral researchers may complete one or two research internships lasting 12 to 24 weeks.
This award represents a major opportunity for scientific, professional, and international development, while also contributing to the strengthening of ties between Canadian and European research communities.
Many thanks to the Consortium for Research on Wood-Based Composite Panels (COREPAN-Bois) for funding Manon’s project, which makes it possible to turn innovative ideas into sustainable solutions and to foster the development of new technologies with low environmental impact.
Description of the Research Project
In Canada, birch biomass and the wood-based panel sector are closely linked to research efforts aimed at developing low-emission, bio-based adhesives, giving strong scientific, environmental, and economic relevance to Manon Mestre’s doctoral project.
As part of her thesis, Manon is studying the modification of urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins using bio-based additives derived from birch bark. The main objectives of this work are to reduce formaldehyde emissions from wood-based panels, improve their resistance to moisture, and promote the high value-added utilization of underused biomass resources.
Her research includes the sequential extraction of lignin and suberin from birch bark, the characterization of their chemical and thermal properties, and their incorporation into various adhesive formulations. In parallel, optimal additive contents and different modification strategies are being investigated in order to achieve performance levels compatible with industrial requirements.
The expected outcomes of the project include the development of new UF adhesive formulations incorporating bio-based components, the production of more environmentally friendly wood-based panels, and the generation of knowledge transferable to industrial production, in collaboration with partners from the sector.