Mobile demo plant for nanocellulose being built
Innventia and BillerudKorsnäs announced that they have teamed up in the construction of a mobile demonstration plant for nanocellulose and to test the material in full-scale papermaking.
This means that paper is given completely new properties and could replace plastics, for example, in many areas. More products could thus be produced from renewable and biodegradable raw material, Innventia said.
According to Innventia, nanocellulose can be used as additives in papermaking to make lighter and stronger paper and board. It can also be used in a variety of other applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and construction industry.
“Nanocellulose has a fantastic potential in paper applications as well is a number of other applications. This new project is exciting as it gives us the possibility to validate the potential in full scale,” says Mikael Ankerfors, Project manager, New Business Lab, BillerudKorsnäs.
“Innovation is at the core of our business model. To be part of this project and explore the potential of full scale production of nanocellulose is a perfect match with our mission to challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future,” says Magnus Wikström, SVP Strategic Development, BillerudKorsnäs.
The project is financed by Vinnova, Innventia and BillerudKorsnäs.
Nanocellulose (also called microfibrillated cellulose, MFC or nanofibrillated cellulose, NFC) is produced by delaminating cellulosic fibres in high-pressure homogenisers. Fully delaminated nanocellulose consists of long (1-2 micrometres) microfibrils (5-20 nm in diameter) and has the appearance of a highly viscous, shear-thinning transparent gel. The material has exceptional strength characteristics on a par with Kevlar, a lightweight material used to manufacture high-strength, durable materials. However, in contrast to Kevlar and other materials based on fossil fuels, nanocellulose is completely renewable.