A team of researchers in Scotland is supporting a clean tech startup to transform low-value co-products from the forestry sector into eco-friendly alternatives to chemicals found in everyday items. Sonichem’s ambition is to reduce the reliance on petrochemical-derived ingredients in industries such as cosmetics, packaging and pharmaceuticals. Using its patented ultrasound technology to break down forestry co-products – including woodchips and sawdust – the company extracts natural compounds that can be transformed into green alternatives to essential chemicals. …Sonichem is working towards the opening of its first commercial plant in 2027, which is expected to be based in Scotland and will process up to 15,000 tonnes of forestry material annually. …Professor Dave Adams from the school of chemistry at the University of Glasgow, said: “Working with Sonichem, we have been able to modify the base lignin extracted from sawdust to turn it into a range of more useful chemicals.