Morocco

Transforming lignocellulose materials into biodegradable packaging

The Centre for Research in Lignocellulose Materials (CRLM) at l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) has become a magnet for graduate students and researchers around the world, including from l’Université Cadi Ayyad (UCA) in Marrakech, Morocco. It was a natural fit, then, for these two institutions to pursue a scientific partnership through CAREG — especially given the additional support of UCA’s Laboratory for Bioorganic and Macromolecular Chemistry (LCBM).

With contributions from three Moroccan post-graduate students interning at UQTR, the researchers pursued technologies that could generate value-added in Morocco’s food processing industry. Specifically, they sought to produce biodegradable packaging by transforming lignocellulose materials, known colloquially as woody species. To that end, they analyzed fabrication techniques and the properties of papers and cardboard. They also observed the operations of a pilot paper-making machine at a specialized institute within UCA. Drawing on the resources of CRLM’s laboratories for six weeks, the three students produced a prototype using Moroccan fibres. Of all the species tested, agave held the most promise, and demands more study.

The Quebec end of the exchange had several unexpected spin-offs. The team leaders signed an agreement to cosupervise the doctoral theses of the three interns from UCA, as well as a Chinese doctoral candidate studying at UQTR. In addition, building on Dr. Brouillette’s contacts with researchers from Gabon, the project added Gabonese fibres into its laboratory trials. Not only did this provide the Gabon team with a preliminary assessment of its fibre, it also provided the CAREG team with a useful point of comparison.

The Moroccan component of the exchange was equally rewarding. Indeed, the Quebec students were taken aback by the quality of UCA’s facilities, which suggested Moroccan researchers could bring knowledge to bear on certain CRLM projects. In fact, after meeting Dr. Belfkira in Trois-Rivières, a UQTR professor went to Morocco in search of a PhD student for one of his own research projects.

Ultimately, the two universities signed an accord for scientific cooperation and exchange. In October 2012, the team will present a paper at an international conference in Marrakech and plan to submit it to a journal. A second paper is also in the works.