Within the scope of Eguralt project, namely Working Group 2, SerQ in collaboration with Cesefor and Ademan promoted the valorisation of local leafy species.

In this context, a Master’s Thesis in Civil Engineering was developed at the University of Coimbra (UC), entitled “Fabrication and structural performance to bending of glued laminated timber of hardwoods in the Sudoe area”. This work developed by Cláudio Ferreira (scholarship fellow within Eguralt project) under the supervision of Dr João Negrão (UC) and Dr Carlos Martins (SerQ/UC) has been publicly presented on 29th September 2022, at 10:00 AM in Room SE 4.2 of the Department of Civil Engineering.

The Thesis is mainly focused on:

  1. Characterization and mechanical assessment of sawn wood from hardwoods;
  2. Production and testing of glued laminated timber elements from hardwoods.

There is a significant potential of the SUDOE forests, namely hardwood species, which can be increased with non-destructive methodologies, as well as its use for high added value products with a mechanical performance comparable to existing solutions in Central Europe.