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Technology Developed at UBC Lab Now in Production in Vancouver, Transforms Wood Waste into Packaging and Insulation Panels
Wood waste from logging activities and even areas affected by wildfires is finding an unexpected fate in Canada. A new pilot plant in Vancouver has begun converting this material into a lightweight, biodegradable wood foam designed to replace products made with plastic foam, according to information released by the University of British Columbia (UBC).
The technology is noteworthy for another reason. When used in packaging, the foam is designed to decompose in soil within a few months. Meanwhile, discarded plastic foams can remain in landfills for over 500 years.
Moreover, the material is not just for protecting products inside boxes. The plant also produces insulation panels for the construction industry. Thus, what could have been forest waste now has applications in two different markets.
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Wood Waste Enters the Factory and Exits as Foam Blocks
The process begins with softwoods such as spruce, pine, and fir, a common conifer species in North America.
Next, the plant uses heat, mechanical processing, and minimal amounts of chemical additives to transform the fibers into a lightweight material.
The result resembles the foams used in packaging.
However, the raw material comes from wood.
In this way, waste from logging or fires can gain value instead of simply being burned or discarded.
The technology originated in the lab of Professor Feng Jiang at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management. Now, it faces one of the most challenging stages for any innovation: moving from the lab to large-scale production.
Foam Designed to Disappear in Soil Within Months
This characteristic could be the product’s biggest advantage.
In packaging applications, the wood foam is designed to decompose in soil within a few months.
On the other hand, UBC states that millions of tons of plastic foam packaging end up in landfills every year.
Some of these can persist in those locations for over five centuries.
Thus, the project aims to tackle two problems simultaneously.
On one side, there is forest waste.
On the other, there is the enormous amount of plastic used to protect products during storage and transportation.
The proposal connects the two.
The waste from one industry becomes raw material to try to replace a problematic material in another.
Factory Currently Produces Up to 200 Kilograms Per Day
The technology is not just undergoing tests at a university.
DicinFoam’s pilot plant is already operating in Vancouver.
Currently, the facility can produce between 150 and 200 kilograms of wood foam per day.
This scale is still small compared to a large industrial operation.
However, it serves an essential function.
With pilot production, potential buyers can receive the material, test its performance, and evaluate potential commercial applications.
At the same time, the team can validate the production process before building much larger facilities.
This approach reduces some of the risk of transforming a scientific discovery into a large-scale industrial operation.
Next Factory Will Be Able to Produce 1,000 Tons Per Year
If the current phase works as expected, the scale will change rapidly.
The next phase envisions a larger facility in Burns Lake, within Wet’suwet’en territory.
The goal will be to reach 1,000 tons of biodegradable foam per year.
Additionally, this unit is expected to function as part of an innovation hub linked to forestry.
The expectation is to create up to 15 jobs in the rural community.
However, there is an even bigger plan.
Project Aims for a 15,000-Ton Factory on Vancouver Island
After the Burns Lake facility, the team intends to make another leap.
The project calls for a factory with a capacity of 15,000 tons per year on Vancouver Island.
This represents 15 times the annual capacity planned for the Burns Lake phase.
Moreover, the expansion could generate between 35 and 60 additional jobs, according to UBC.
Thus, the project follows a gradual strategy. First, laboratory, then pilot plant.
Next, 1,000 tons annually.
Finally, an operation designed to reach 15,000 tons per year.
This progression will allow for testing both the technology and the market before making a significant investment.
Project Led in Partnership with Indigenous Community
There is another important aspect to this story.
The pilot plant is operated by DicinFoam, a subsidiary predominantly controlled by Yinka Dene Economic Development Limited Partnership, the business arm of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation.
Indeed, “Dicin” means wood in the Wet’suwet’en language.
The intellectual property of the technology is jointly owned by UBC and the Indigenous organization.
Therefore, it’s not just about transferring university technology to a conventional company.
The project aims to create an economic chain where Indigenous communities directly participate in the commercialization and expansion of the innovation.
Additionally, Indigenous students will have the opportunity to receive training in sustainable material development and business.
Two Workers Are Already Training to Take the Technology to Another Region
This expansion has already begun to prepare professionals.
William Dennis and Shaun Dennis, members of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation, are receiving training at the Vancouver factory.
The idea is that this knowledge will assist in future operations closer to their communities.
Thus, the transfer of technology happens not only between the university and industry.
It also involves professional training.
This point will be particularly important if production scales up to the thousands of tons projected.
After all, expanding a new generation of materials requires equipment, industrial processes, and trained workers.
Material Could Also Become Insulation for Construction
Packaging is just one of the applications.
The factory also produces treated insulation panels that meet the performance requirements of the construction industry.
This opens up a second commercial possibility.
Instead of only competing in the packaging market, wood foam can enter the construction material sector.
According to UBC, Canada currently relies heavily on imported products in this wood-based materials segment.
Consequently, large-scale domestic production could also meet this demand.
However, the project is still in the process of expansion and validation.
The pilot factory exists precisely to prove performance, validate the production process, and develop the market before scaling up.
Wildfire Residue Could Become Raw Material
Perhaps one of the most curious aspects is the origin of the wood.
The technology can utilize residues from forestry activities and wildfires.
Part of this material could otherwise be discarded or burned.
Now, there is the possibility of transforming it into a commercial product.
This logic is part of what is known as the bioeconomy.
Rather than extracting raw materials just to discard them later, companies aim to make greater use of available resources.
In the Canadian case, the equation is especially interesting:
forest waste → wood fiber → biodegradable foam → packaging or insulation.
A Laboratory Discovery Now Faces Its Biggest Test
Wood foam still needs to prove it can compete commercially on a large scale.
However, an important step has already taken place.
The technology has moved from the laboratory to a real production line.
Today, 150 to 200 kilograms per day are being produced.
Then, the plan aims for 1,000 tons per year.
Further ahead, capacity could reach 15,000 tons annually.
If this expansion is successful, residues from pines, spruces, and other woods could take on a completely different function.
Instead of being burned or discarded, they could become biodegradable packaging and construction materials.
And in the case of packaging, there is a crucial difference: while certain plastic foams can persist in the environment for centuries, the wood alternative is designed to disappear in the soil within a matter of months.
