The synthetic UV filters are a health concern for humans and environment, affecting also the aquatic organisms via sunscreen products. With the longer sunny periods along the climate change and increased UV radiation through thinner ozone layer, we urgently need new naturally derived UV absorbers. The wood-origin stilbenes have significant UV-absorbing capacity, but there is not enough scientific data to ensure their stability under UV radiation. I will make a systematic study to suppress the undesired isomerization by building ultrastable unsaturated cyclophanes and cyclodextrin/stilbene complex. This may improve the stilbene stability 1000-fold without losing its UV-absorbing activity. I will exploit the wood processing side-streams, birchwood sawdust and spruce bark, as raw material for the sunscreen stilbenes. These materials are today merely burned for energy, but when using them to added-value chemicals, it could allow more incomes for the Finnish forest owners and industry.

2023

2027