It is located on two main sites, in Vandoeuvre within the Faculty of Science and Technology, and in Epinal within the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Technologies et Industries du Bois, as well as on a more occasional basis at the IUT of Longwy and Epinal. Relying on various scientific skills such as biology, chemistry, process engineering, physics, mechanics and civil engineering, the laboratory develops research in relation to wood and natural fibres, from the molecular to the macroscopic level of the material and even wood structures. The laboratory’s activities structured around the material wood are divided into three main lines of research in which each LERMAB teacher-researcher is involved according to his or her skills and initial training.

Material and Processes” axis
Chemical, Energy and Process Development” axis
Energy, Mechanics, Wood Construction” axis

The “Material and Processes” axis
It aims to improve the performance of wood and wood-based materials by focusing in particular on the various treatments or processes that optimise their properties, but also on basic knowledge of the materials in order to promote their use. The research themes within this axis concern not only the basic knowledge of the material (anatomy, natural durability, etc.), but also its treatment and transformation processes such as adhesion, gluing, welding, finishes, preservation, drying, chemical and thermal modifications, and wood- or fibre-based composite materials.

The “Chemical, Energy and Process Development” axis
In the context of the Grenelle Environment Round Table, it aims to replace part of fossil fuels with renewable resources. The common point of the research carried out in this area concerns the use of ligno-cellulosic biomass for applications in the fields of energy and chemistry. The research topics included in this area concern biorefinery, the development of synthons for chemistry, the synthesis of biosourced molecules (surfactants, solvents, etc.), the chemical use of extractives, energy production by dry methods (combustion, gasification and pyrolysis) and by wet methods (liquefaction, biomethanol, etc.).

The “Energy, Mechanics, Wood Construction” axis
It brings together research activities related to the use of wood. Within this framework, the themes developed concern not only the manufacture of manufactured products and in particular wood-based structures, but more generally eco-construction, including both aspects related to the use of wood and those related to the energy efficiency of buildings. The research topics within this axis concern manufacturing and production, the mechanics of assemblies and structures, coupled heat and mass transfer in envelopes, energy efficiency, air quality and comfort in buildings. All these topics are addressed under the experimental and modelling aspect.