Forestry products Sappi Technology Centre engineer-in-training Leane Naude clinched third place in the global 2022/23 Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Awards programme for her project that outlines how she developed a more cost-effective purification method for lignosulphonate, which is an abundant and versatile alternative to fossil-based fuels.

Her research was on the application of lignosulphonate in high-end products that contributes towards a circular economy and improves the overall sustainability of the pulp and paper industry.

Lignosulphonate is often used as a dust suppressant, among many other uses, says industry body the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (Pamsa).

The programme recognises young researchers in the field of forestry, harvested wood products and forest products innovation, and involves various country-hosted rounds and an international round. The initiative is run by the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA).

“My project, which has resulted in a provisional international patent application, presents another way of purifying a low-value pulp and paper by-product into a high-value product, thereby supporting a circular bio-economy, as well as greener alternatives to carbon-intensive materials,” says Naude, who completed her MSc in Chemical Engineering degree at North-West University.

“By making extraction processes cost-effective, we can find more ways to put by-products, such as lignin, to better and greener use,” she comments.

Naude will travel to Amsterdam, Netherlands, in May to present her research project to an international group of forest sector CEOs at ICFPA’s Global CEO Roundtable event.

Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Awards first-place winner Ivana Amorim Dias, from Brazil, and second-place winner Ilona Lappänen, from Finland, will also present their research projects at the event.

“With International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February, it is important that we help shine a spotlight on future leaders in the field and it’s fantastic to see three young women as the top three this year,” says Pamsa executive director Jane Molony.

“While there is a place for everyone in our sector, it is critical to show young women and girls that they can achieve incredible things if they pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” she adds.