Topic outline

  • What is this course all about?

    NOTE: this course requires compulsory attendance during the laboratory exercises in weeks 10-14! The exercises are scheduled to start on the 7 of March and going on until the 10th of April (2022). There will be some flexibility in the schedule but all the participants should be aware that passing this course requires almost two weeks of full time work in the laboratory (60h). Also, due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemia the lectures or teaching sessions will be organized mainly via zoom, and unexpected changes in the course plans may occur, especially concerning the practical laboratory work. Please follow very closely the messages from the course teachers!

    Schedule and workload

    The schedule of lectures or teaching sessions is announced here in MyCourses (click on the sections named after the teaching periods on the left).

    The course is taught during periods III-V (total workload = 5 cr * 27 h/cr = 135 h):

    Period III (11/1 - 26/2; workload 35 h)

    • Kick-off: forming the groups and starting learning on the group-work skills; getting acquainted with each other and with the subject. (4 h)
    • Instructing sessions. (6 h)
    • Self-studying, other activities (group work, presentations...). (25 h)

    Period IV (1/3 - 16/4; 80 h)

    • Fractionation exercise in the laboratory. (60 h)
    • Report writing, instructing sessions, etc. (20 h)

    Period V (19/4 - 4/6; 20 h)

    • Presenting the results, peer evaluation, and finalizing the report. (20 h)

    Course description

    During this course, student teams plan and carry out wood fractionation experiments in the laboratory. The results of the fractionation experiments are used as guidelines for planning new industrial-scale installations producing bioproducts from pulp mill sidestreams, transforming pulp mills into multiproduct forest biorefineries. The course is structured to be a research project commissioned by a big pulp and paper company, which is willing to increase its product portfolio through more efficient use of the mills' biomass-derived side streams. In addition to producing the end products with the wanted specifications, the student teams are responsible of providing justified evaluation on the economical and technical feasibility of the suggested processes.

    In addition to learning biomass fractionation in practice, another important topic throughout the course are working life competences, especially communication and teamwork skills. Therefore, workshops on oral presentations, team working skills and giving feedback are also organized. 

    Teachers

    Estefania Isaza Ferro is the responsible person for the course. Matthew Billington, collaborator from the Language Center, will provide a workshop on presentations in English. Lab exercises are instructed by Estefania Isaza Ferro, as well as post doc and Ph.D. students of the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems. Metsä Group and Andritz are participating by providing ideas and supporting to the students teams, as well as materials for the lab exercise. Metsä's representative in this course is Kari Ala-Kaila and for Andritz is Aino Pesola.

    The official course description with additional information can be found in the course syllabus and in Oodi.

    Detailed schedule 

    Course schedule



    Join the Zoom lectures following the link: 


    https://aalto.zoom.us/j/65438272469