CEBON capitalizes on the knowledge and expertise in two fields that are wider apart than usual, namely biomass-related materials and clinical medicine. With this joint know-how, CEBON will introduce a new bone-like material which draws upon the functional features of a plant-based material called cellulose nanocrystals. These tiny crystals have roughly the same dimensions as the fibrils of protein in human bone. When the nanocrystals are exposed to minerals dissolved in water, a phenomenon called mineralization occurs, resulting in a solid, bone-like material. Such material could, in the future, be used in implants and fillings in bone fractures which are typically fixed by screwing a titanium plate on the remaining bone to hold the fractured parts together. CEBON has potential not only to revolutionise the technology of bone implants but it will also yield added value to a biomass component that can essentially be manufactured from wood pulp, produced by the Finnish forest industry.

2023

2027