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Low-porosity materials based on hot-pressed wood fibers or nanocellulose fibrils (no polymer matrix) represent a new concept for eco-friendly materials with interesting mechanical properties. For the replacement of fossil-based materials, physical properties of wood fiber materials need to be improved. In addition, the carbon footprint and cumulative energy required to produce the material also needs to be reduced compared with fossil-based composites, e.g., glass fiber composites. Lignin-containing fibers and nanofibers are of high yield and special interest for development of more sustainable materials technologies. The present mini-review provides a short analysis of the potential. Different extraction routes of lignin-containing wood fibers are discussed, different processing methods, and the properties of resulting fiber materials. Comparisons are made with analogous lignin-containing nanofiber materials, where mechanical properties and eco-indicators are emphasized. Higher lignin content may promote eco-friendly attributes and improve interfiber or interfibril bonding in fiber materials, for improved mechanical performance.

The development of electromagnetic-shielding materials that not only meet the requirements of electromagnetic shielding but also possess transparency and additional functionalities is a new trend in the field. In this study, delignified wood fibers were used as the base material, which were impregnated in epoxy resin and then reinforced with three types of electromagnetic-shielding fillers: chopped carbon fibers, silicon carbide particles, and nano-silica. The experimental results showed that the resulting wood fiber-reinforced epoxy-resin electromagnetic-shielding transparent material not only exhibited excellent mechanical strength and thermal insulation properties but also achieved high haze and effective electromagnetic-shielding efficiency (greater than 90%) while maintaining a transmittance of approximately 50%. Based on the orthogonal experimental results, the optimal performance of the wood fiber-reinforced epoxy-resin electromagnetic-shielding transparent material was obtained when chopped carbon fibers were used as the electromagnetic-shielding filler component, with an electromagnetic-shielding filler mass fraction of 0.3 wt% and a wood fiber mass fraction of 5.0 wt%.

Wood fibers (WFs) were treated at a fixed heat temperature (180 °C) for 2−6 h and added to a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix to produce wood−PLA composite (WPC) filaments. Additionally, the effects of the heat-treated WFs on the physicomechanical properties and impact strength of the WPC filaments and 3D-printed WPC parts using fused filament fabrication (FFF) were examined. The results revealed that heat-treated WFs caused an increase in crystallinity and a significant reduction in the number of pores on the failure cross section of the WPC filament, resulting in a higher tensile modulus and lower elongation at break. Additionally, the printed WPC parts with heat-treated WFs had higher tensile strength and lower water absorption compared to untreated WPC parts. However, most of the mechanical properties and impact strength of 3D-printed WPC parts were not significantly influenced by adding heat-treated WFs. As described above, at the fixed fiber addition amount, adding heat-treated WFs improved the dimensional stability of the WPC parts and it enabled a high retention ratio of mechanical properties and impact strength of the WPC parts.

This study investigates the potential of hemp fiber reinforcement in wood–sodium silicate composites for additive manufacturing. It focuses on the impact of hemp fiber length and content on the rheological, flexural, compression properties, and extrudability of the composite. Composites contained varying amounts of sodium silicate (45, 50, 55 wt%) and hemp fibers of varying lengths (1, 3, 5 mm) and amounts (2.5, 5, 10 wt%) along with wood fibers sifted through a 40-mesh sieve. The study shows that higher sodium silicate content significantly increases viscosity while reducing the motor power needed to extrude the composite. Hemp fiber amount positively affects flexural and compression strength, increasing by 31.2% and 35.6%, respectively, with 5 wt% hemp fiber. This improvement in mechanical properties significantly increases the thermoset-based composite’s potential for various applications. This study also demonstrates for the first time, the feasibility of using the hemp fiber-reinforced wood–sodium silicate composite for additive manufacturing by successfully depositing a multi-layer sample print and determining its bending strength.

There is a need for sustainable and eco-friendly materials to drive innovation in the ever-evolving paper industry in producing high-quality paper. Conventional approaches use woody fibers for their better paper-forming properties and strength. However, with an increase in population and a ban on single-use plastics, a need exists to produce more paper at economical prices. This research aims to minimize the use of woody fibers in papermaking by blending miscanthus (non-woody) pulp in eucalyptus (woody) pulp, thereby achieving similar paper properties as virgin pulp. Cationic starch and sodium alginate were electrostatically deposited on fibers to enhance the strength of the paper produced. The addition of cationic starch and sodium alginate increased the water retention value while the freeness in terms of °SR remained constant. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of cationic starch and alginate which reduced the carboxyl peaks on bonding with hydroxyl groups of cellulose fibers. The developed paper sheets made from pulp blend after adding cationic starch and alginate were more remarkable than those made from virgin eucalyptus pulp in terms of mechanical properties, justifying their application in the packaging sector. Moreover, the handsheets were completely recyclable without any micro-stickies or flocs. The developed paper can be a sustainable and cost-effective alternative for reducing the utilization of wood fibers in papermaking.

This paper presents the results of an assessment of the morphological characteristics of semi-finished wood-fibre products obtained from waste fibreboard using a rotary cutting machine by dry grinding. The work has established the influence of machine design parameters, such as the gap between the rotor and stator cutters and the angle of the stator cutter contact with the raw materials, on the mass fraction of small fibres and fines in wood-fibre pulp. These parameters determine the main structural characteristics of boards and ensure fibre bonding. The paper describes the collision of single secondary wood fibres that leads to the development of primary cracks, contributing to external and internal fibrillation in the absence of high temperatures and pressure without using chemical additives or water and steam.

Moisture performance is an important factor determining the resistance of wood-based building materials against fungal decay. Understanding how material porosity and chemistry affect moisture performance is necessary for their efficient use, as well as for product optimisation. In this study, three complementary techniques (X-ray computed tomography, infrared and low-field NMR spectroscopy) are applied to elucidate the influence of additives, manufacturing process and material structure on the liquid water absorption and desorption behaviour of a selection of wood-based panels, thermally modified wood and wood fibre insulation materials. Hydrophobic properties achieved by thermal treatment or hydrophobic additives such as paraffin and bitumen, had a major influence on water absorption and desorption rates. When hydrophobic additives did not play a role, pore distributions and manufacturing process had a decisive influence on the amount and rate of absorption and desorption. In that case, a higher porosity resulted in a higher water absorption rate. Our results show that there is a clear potential for tailoring materials towards specific moisture performance by better understanding the influence of different material characteristics. This is useful both for achieving desired moisture buffering as well as to increase service life of wood-based materials. From a sustainability perspective, fit-for-purpose moisture performance is often easier to achieve and preferred than wood protection by biocide preservative treatments.

In order to cope with the environmental problems of plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emission, the development and utilization of environmentally friendly materials is urgent. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a completely degradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester, but the high cost and poor toughness of PLA limit its wide application. PLA-based wood-plastic composites (WPC), prepared by laminating PLA with wood fibers, can reduce production costs and compensate for the deficiencies of PLA mechanical properties, while still retaining biodegradability. The synthesis of PLA, the preparation of PLA-based WPC, and the performance enhancement achieved by different wood fibers prepared WPC are presented. It is hoped that this will provide guidance for the early promotion of PLA-based WPCs.

This research examines the relationship between fiber morphology, chemical composition, and tissue paper properties, comparing fibers from alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping (APMP) derived from alternative feedstocks—wheat straw, bamboo, and miscanthus—with traditional wood fibers from bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) and northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK). The APMP process produced high-yield pulps (> 70%). FTIR spectra exhibited pronounced aromatic C=C stretching vibrations between 1600 and 1450 cm⁻ 1 , while XPS analysis showed lower oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) ratios (0.51–0.53) compared to traditional bleached kraft pulps (0.63–0.75). These findings indicate higher surface lignin in APMP non-wood fibers than BEK and NBSK. The APMP non-wood fibers enhanced tensile strength and water absorbency due to improved fiber bonding and bulk. However, the increased tensile strength led to reduced softness, demonstrating a trade-off like that observed with conventional fibers. Replacing NBSK with non-wood fibers improved softness while retaining tensile strength and absorbency compared to the benchmark. To balance softness with tensile properties, a 10% reduction in basis weight showed that it is possible to maintain or improve tissue paper quality compared with the benchmark. These results demonstrate that strategic blend adjustments and basis weight reduction can leverage the properties of high-performance hygiene tissue paper made from non-wood fibers, highlighting the potential utilization of alternative fibers.

In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the building sector towards more sustainable, resource efficient, and renewable materials. Bio-based insulation derived from renewable resources, such as plant or animal fibres, is one promising group of such materials. Compared to mineral wool and polystyrene-based insulation materials, these bio-based insulation materials generally have a slightly higher thermal conductivity, and they are significantly more hygroscopic, two factors that need to be considered when using these bio-based insulation materials. This study assesses the hygrothermal properties of three bio-based insulation materials: eelgrass, grass, and wood fibre. All three have the potential to be locally sourced in Sweden. Mineral wool (stone wool) was used as a reference material. Hygrothermal material properties were measured with dynamic vapour sorption (DVS), transient plane source (TPS), and sorption calorimetry. Moisture buffering of the insulation materials was assessed, and their thermal insulation capacity was tested on a building component level in a hot box that exposed the materials to a steady-state climate, simulating in-use conditions in, e.g., an external wall. The tested bio-based insulation materials have significantly different sorption properties to stone wool and have higher thermal conductivity than what the manufacturers declared. The hot-box experiments showed that the insulating capacity of the bio-based insulators cannot be reliably calculated from the measured thermal conductivity alone. The results of this study could be used as input data for numerical simulations and analyses of the thermal and hygroscopic behaviour of these bio-based insulation materials.