Periodic Reporting for period 1 - W2W (A Wood-to-Wood Cascade Upcycling Valorisation Approach)
Période du rapport: 2024-01-01 au 2025-06-30
W2W is a Horizon Europe project coordinated by ICCS, officially launched during its physical kick-off meeting in Athens on 19–20 February 2024. The project addresses the pressing challenge of how to better utilise the large quantities of wood waste generated from construction and demolition (C&D) activities and end-of-life furniture. Much of this material is currently sent to landfill or incineration, representing a loss of valuable resources and contributing to environmental impacts.
The project’s overall objective is to establish a comprehensive framework for cascade valorisation of waste wood. This means that materials will be recovered and reused in the most sustainable way possible, moving step-by-step through reuse, recycling, upcycling, and energy recovery only as a last resort.
W2W combines four core components to achieve this goal:
-Advanced separation & sorting technologies – including human-robot collaboration and mixed reality systems for more efficient wood sorting.
-Upcycling processes and technologies – using mechanical, chemical, and bioremediation methods to recover cellulose fibres, lignin, polyols, and bio-based adhesives.
-Digital tools for circularity – such as a Digital Product Passport, Material Flow Analysis, and Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment to improve transparency and optimise value chains.
-Supportive framework – covering policy, standardisation, market analysis, business models, and skills development to ensure uptake and long-term impact.
With 26 partners from across Europe, W2W will demonstrate sustainable wood-based value chains in three large-scale use cases. These cover the production of clean wood, bio-composite materials, biopolymers, polyols, detergents, and nutrient recovery solutions. The project is expected to reduce demand for virgin raw materials, decrease landfill and incineration, enable new high-value products, and directly support the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and climate neutrality objectives.
The project’s overall objective is to establish a comprehensive framework for cascade valorisation of waste wood. This means that materials will be recovered and reused in the most sustainable way possible, moving step-by-step through reuse, recycling, upcycling, and energy recovery only as a last resort.
W2W combines four core components to achieve this goal:
-Advanced separation & sorting technologies – including human-robot collaboration and mixed reality systems for more efficient wood sorting.
-Upcycling processes and technologies – using mechanical, chemical, and bioremediation methods to recover cellulose fibres, lignin, polyols, and bio-based adhesives.
-Digital tools for circularity – such as a Digital Product Passport, Material Flow Analysis, and Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment to improve transparency and optimise value chains.
-Supportive framework – covering policy, standardisation, market analysis, business models, and skills development to ensure uptake and long-term impact.
With 26 partners from across Europe, W2W will demonstrate sustainable wood-based value chains in three large-scale use cases. These cover the production of clean wood, bio-composite materials, biopolymers, polyols, detergents, and nutrient recovery solutions. The project is expected to reduce demand for virgin raw materials, decrease landfill and incineration, enable new high-value products, and directly support the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and climate neutrality objectives.
In its first 18 months, W2W successfully completed the baseline framework phase (M01–M08) and advanced into TRL5 development of technologies and digital tools (M09–M18).
Key achievements include:
Frameworks and data foundations:
-Harmonised EU-wide waste wood classification scheme.
-Cascade valorisation framework, tested with real data, matching wood classes to optimal recycling routes.
-200+ stakeholders mapped across three use cases; 49 KPIs defined for monitoring progress.
-FAIR Data Sharing Model and first Digital Product Passport principles developed.
-Skills foresight study analysing 4,200+ trends and identification of key gaps in digital and circular economy competences.
TRL5 technologies:
-Digital Material Flow Analysis tool applied to pilot data; demonstrated higher recycling rates and economic profitability under enhanced sorting.
-Adaptive glass and wood sorting systems designed; collaborative robot station and mixed-reality operator support tools prototyped.
-Non-destructive sensing methods validated with >97% accuracy in detecting coatings, species, and moisture content.
-Nanofibres and lignin successfully extracted from wood waste; new PLA biocomposites and façade panel prototypes produced.
-Steam explosion process scaled to TRL5 for glue removal; fungal bioremediation detoxified effluents; bio-based polyols and first NIPU adhesives synthesised.
-Hydrothermal carbonisation and gasification processes optimised, achieving high hydrochar yields and hydrogen production efficiencies.
-Pilot gas fermentation of syngas to fatty alcohols advanced, with first product samples delivered to industry partner P&G for validation.
Digital tools:
-First functional versions of the Digital Product Passport, Material Volume Estimation tool, Supply Chain Optimisation toolkit, and Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment tool released.
-Initial architecture of the Integrated Circular Wood Upcycling Platform completed.
Exploitation and cooperation:
-24 exploitable results identified, with Key Exploitable Results defined.
-Preliminary business models drafted using Triple Layered Business Model Canvases.
-International collaborations launched with universities in South Africa and Germany.
-Active participation in the REACT Cluster, alongside other Horizon Europe projects (e.g. EcoRefibre, RECLAIM, GRINNER).
Key achievements include:
Frameworks and data foundations:
-Harmonised EU-wide waste wood classification scheme.
-Cascade valorisation framework, tested with real data, matching wood classes to optimal recycling routes.
-200+ stakeholders mapped across three use cases; 49 KPIs defined for monitoring progress.
-FAIR Data Sharing Model and first Digital Product Passport principles developed.
-Skills foresight study analysing 4,200+ trends and identification of key gaps in digital and circular economy competences.
TRL5 technologies:
-Digital Material Flow Analysis tool applied to pilot data; demonstrated higher recycling rates and economic profitability under enhanced sorting.
-Adaptive glass and wood sorting systems designed; collaborative robot station and mixed-reality operator support tools prototyped.
-Non-destructive sensing methods validated with >97% accuracy in detecting coatings, species, and moisture content.
-Nanofibres and lignin successfully extracted from wood waste; new PLA biocomposites and façade panel prototypes produced.
-Steam explosion process scaled to TRL5 for glue removal; fungal bioremediation detoxified effluents; bio-based polyols and first NIPU adhesives synthesised.
-Hydrothermal carbonisation and gasification processes optimised, achieving high hydrochar yields and hydrogen production efficiencies.
-Pilot gas fermentation of syngas to fatty alcohols advanced, with first product samples delivered to industry partner P&G for validation.
Digital tools:
-First functional versions of the Digital Product Passport, Material Volume Estimation tool, Supply Chain Optimisation toolkit, and Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment tool released.
-Initial architecture of the Integrated Circular Wood Upcycling Platform completed.
Exploitation and cooperation:
-24 exploitable results identified, with Key Exploitable Results defined.
-Preliminary business models drafted using Triple Layered Business Model Canvases.
-International collaborations launched with universities in South Africa and Germany.
-Active participation in the REACT Cluster, alongside other Horizon Europe projects (e.g. EcoRefibre, RECLAIM, GRINNER).
W2W is pioneering integrated TRL5 demonstrations of sorting, upcycling, and digital traceability solutions within one project. Key results beyond the current state of the art include:
-A cascade valorisation framework that connects waste wood classes to treatment routes, integrating technical, economic, and environmental data.
-Novel adaptive sorting systems combining robotics, advanced sensing, and mixed reality guidance.
-Demonstration of upcycling pathways that deliver nanofibres, bio-polymers, and bio-based adhesives with competitive properties compared to virgin materials.
-Gas fermentation to fatty alcohols at pilot scale, linking CO2 utilisation with sustainable product development.
-A suite of digital tools (DPP, MFA, optimisation, LCSA) providing unprecedented transparency and circularity insights across the wood value chain.
These advances lay the foundation for industrial uptake but require further validation at TRL6–7, stronger market engagement, and supportive regulatory and financial frameworks.
-A cascade valorisation framework that connects waste wood classes to treatment routes, integrating technical, economic, and environmental data.
-Novel adaptive sorting systems combining robotics, advanced sensing, and mixed reality guidance.
-Demonstration of upcycling pathways that deliver nanofibres, bio-polymers, and bio-based adhesives with competitive properties compared to virgin materials.
-Gas fermentation to fatty alcohols at pilot scale, linking CO2 utilisation with sustainable product development.
-A suite of digital tools (DPP, MFA, optimisation, LCSA) providing unprecedented transparency and circularity insights across the wood value chain.
These advances lay the foundation for industrial uptake but require further validation at TRL6–7, stronger market engagement, and supportive regulatory and financial frameworks.