Fossil-Free Fibreboard: Material Properties of an IonoSolv-Derived All-Wood Biocomposite

Fossil-Free Fibreboard: Material Properties of an IonoSolv-Derived All-Wood Biocomposite | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Fossil-Free Fibreboard: Material Properties of an IonoSolv-Derived All-Wood Biocomposite Mina Pourkhatoun, Koon-Yang Lee, Meredith Rose Barr This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8909660/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Archived Versions: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Version 1 posted Abstract Fibreboard plays a central role in the global wood products industry, converting large volumes of residues into uniform, high-value panels. However, despite its reputation as a sustainable material, commercial fibreboards rely on petrochemical adhesives—such as urea- and phenol-formaldehyde resins—that emit volatile organic compounds and undermine the material’s green credentials. This study presents a fully bio-based, additive-free alternative to conventional fibreboard, manufactured using the ionoSolv process. In this one-pot route, lignin is extracted and chemically modified to act as a dry-form binder phase, then precipitated onto cellulose fibres and hot-pressed without any synthetic resin. This work systematically evaluates the resulting biocomposite’s mechanical, physical, and optical properties, and develops a predictive model linking production conditions to performance. The material achieves tensile strengths up to 30 MPa and Young’s moduli up to 14 GPa—matching or exceeding MDF in strength and all conventional fibreboards in stiffness—with densities similar to tempered hardboard. At thicknesses below 300 µm, the material blocks over 99.7% of UV radiation, and under backlighting displays vivid colour shifts from black or brown to orange, pink, or purple—depending on process conditions—unlocking interior design applications where both dynamic visual effects and mechanical performance are valued. The developed model allows users to tailor mechanical, physical, and optical properties for a given use case by tuning extraction and pressing conditions. These findings demonstrate that industrial wood residues can be transformed into structurally competent, optically dynamic fibreboard alternatives using a fossil-free process, advancing both material performance and sustainability in the engineered wood sector. Ionic Liquid Lignin Tensile Engineered Wood Panels Colour Change Wettability UV Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files FossilFreeFibreboardSupplementaryMaterialsv2.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Archived Versions: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Version 1 posted Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8909660","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2026-04-08 07:02:02","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-materials","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"dime","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Materials](https://www.springer.com/journal/43939)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Materials","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}},{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-19 06:08:37","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":631153639,"identity":"ddcd683a-de09-4a38-9c95-adb70c74103e","order_by":0,"name":"Mina Pourkhatoun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"London South Bank University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mina","middleName":"","lastName":"Pourkhatoun","suffix":""},{"id":631153640,"identity":"7ba389cc-e3d9-4661-bdc2-57aef7f496e1","order_by":1,"name":"Koon-Yang Lee","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Imperial College London","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Koon-Yang","middleName":"","lastName":"Lee","suffix":""},{"id":631153641,"identity":"64803d99-3136-4c0b-b8e6-dfc5e7c3954d","order_by":2,"name":"Meredith Rose Barr","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLACHgOGBAYJEKvCgsEAKmiARwNIiwFUyxkJYrUwQLUwthGhRbe99+GDNwV/8hikm599rpwnYW8ukcD44QfDYWNcWszOHDc2nGNgUMwgc8x45tltEok7ZyQwS/YwHDbDqeVGGps00C+JDRIJxoyN2yQSDG4kMEgzMBy2wanl/jP23xAt6Z8ZG+dI2AO1MP/Gq+UGGxszREsO0JYGCcYNNxLYQLbgdtiZNGbJOQbGiW0yZ4oZG44B/dLzsM2yxyAdt/ePH2P88OaPXGK/dPtmxoYaG3tz9uTDN35UWBs24NIDA2wIJmMDoYgcBaNgFIyCUUAAAAD080+M208kwQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"London South Bank University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Meredith","middleName":"Rose","lastName":"Barr","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-18 13:08:40","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8909660/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8909660/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108021500,"identity":"b73fd882-7879-49e9-9375-1f13f505d060","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-08 09:16:11","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1203004,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FossilFreeFibreboardDraft3.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9281943/v1_covered_42bec8d8-8d4b-42d3-ac43-cb6b66d4dcc2.pdf"},{"id":108021498,"identity":"19414ef4-ab2a-4afe-bad7-aa26fcbfcc2e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-08 07:02:06","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":2361868,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FossilFreeFibreboardSupplementaryMaterialsv2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9281943/v1/980d67dc3e926011f380f563.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Fossil-Free Fibreboard: Material Properties of an IonoSolv-Derived All-Wood Biocomposite","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-materials","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"dime","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Materials](https://www.springer.com/journal/43939)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Materials","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Ionic Liquid, Lignin, Tensile, Engineered Wood Panels, Colour Change, Wettability, UV","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8909660/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8909660/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eFibreboard plays a central role in the global wood products industry, converting large volumes of residues into uniform, high-value panels. However, despite its reputation as a sustainable material, commercial fibreboards rely on petrochemical adhesives\u0026mdash;such as urea- and phenol-formaldehyde resins\u0026mdash;that emit volatile organic compounds and undermine the material\u0026rsquo;s green credentials. This study presents a fully bio-based, additive-free alternative to conventional fibreboard, manufactured using the ionoSolv process. In this one-pot route, lignin is extracted and chemically modified to act as a dry-form binder phase, then precipitated onto cellulose fibres and hot-pressed without any synthetic resin.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis work systematically evaluates the resulting biocomposite\u0026rsquo;s mechanical, physical, and optical properties, and develops a predictive model linking production conditions to performance. The material achieves tensile strengths up to 30 MPa and Young\u0026rsquo;s moduli up to 14 GPa\u0026mdash;matching or exceeding MDF in strength and all conventional fibreboards in stiffness\u0026mdash;with densities similar to tempered hardboard. At thicknesses below 300 \u0026micro;m, the material blocks over 99.7% of UV radiation, and under backlighting displays vivid colour shifts from black or brown to orange, pink, or purple\u0026mdash;depending on process conditions\u0026mdash;unlocking interior design applications where both dynamic visual effects and mechanical performance are valued.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe developed model allows users to tailor mechanical, physical, and optical properties for a given use case by tuning extraction and pressing conditions. These findings demonstrate that industrial wood residues can be transformed into structurally competent, optically dynamic fibreboard alternatives using a fossil-free process, advancing both material performance and sustainability in the engineered wood sector.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Fossil-Free Fibreboard: Material Properties of an IonoSolv-Derived All-Wood Biocomposite","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":"","date":"2026-05-08 10:46:46","doi":"","editorialEvents":[{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-05-08T10:46:46+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-05T11:00:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-23T15:07:29+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"151356728397946395438455155967341727932","date":"2026-04-21T08:15:56+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"321503829324344344589812123811208423733","date":"2026-04-21T07:01:20+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"78049139445192366617825046184384365154","date":"2026-04-19T12:59:59+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-19T08:10:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-19T08:08:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-18T06:06:59+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-15T14:24:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Materials","date":"2026-04-15T13:35:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"notPreprinted","content":""}],"status":"timeline","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-materials","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"dime","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Materials](https://www.springer.com/journal/43939)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Materials","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"2b7c64ca-215d-4ac3-924f-773d05844d1c","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 8th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-18T12:53:16+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-08 07:02:02","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-8909660","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8909660","identity":"rs-8909660","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}