Researchers affiliated with the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change from ESCI-UPF and the Swiss company Deasyl, which provides innovation in the green chemistry field, have published a pioneering study in open access titled “Wood Chips Components Separation with a New Wet-Milling Process Compared to Chemical Depolymerization: A Technical, Economic, and Environmental Comparison”.
The collaborative effort involved other researchers from the University of Girona, WAB-Group, and the University Pompeu Fabra, highlighting a multidisciplinary approach to address pressing environmental challenges from academic and private perspectives and assessing both the environmental and economic impacts.
The research evaluates two key processes, wet milling and chemical depolymerization, for handling wood waste at its end-of-life stage. Through ex-ante life cycle assessment, energy balance analysis, and economic evaluation. The study’s findings hold significance for industry stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers involved in the management and valorisation of wood waste. By offering a comprehensive evaluation of two key processes, it contributes to the ongoing discourse on sustainable waste management strategies. The insights provided pave the way for informed decision-making towards more environmentally friendly industrial practices.
This research represents a vital component of Sergi Arfelis’ PhD thesis in Life Cycle Assessment, focusing on the industrialization of chemical and mechanochemical processes. It sets the stage for further exploration and optimization of sustainable end-of-life solutions for various industrial waste streams.
28/10/2025
The UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change at ESCI-UPF contributed as a co-author to the article "Promoting health through climate change mitigation in Europe," published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal (2025).
16/10/2025
How can we ensure that nanorobots minimize their environmental footprint while serving society responsibly? This is the challenge addressed by GREENS, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network that seeks to embed the principles of the circular economy, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot, and refuse, into the entire lifecycle of micro- and nanorobots.
08/10/2025
From September 16th to 18th, more than 100 scientists participated in the second ECOtwins Summer School on Sustainable Agriculture in Barcelona, hosted by the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change (ESCI-UPF).
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