Metsa Fibre's pulp-based fibres project gets EU funds

02 Sep '17

2 min read

Courtesy: Metsa Fibre

Metsä Fibre has played an important role in three development partnerships that have been successful in project evaluations and secured multiannual funding from the EU. The concepts in the partnerships include new technologies to produce lignin-based products and pulp-based textile fibres. The projects aim to prove the commercial viability of these concepts.

“Operating within the EU’s research and development networks demand perseverance and world-class competencies. The EU funding now granted to us is a clear indication of the high quality of Metsä Fibre’s research and development activities and the new concepts. It also indicates their relevance in respect to finding solutions that help mitigating some of the greatest challenges facing society, such as population growth and resource scarcity,” says Niklas von Weymarn, vice president, Research at Metsä Fibre.

The Biomotive project aims to develop new environmentally friendly biomaterials to be used in car parts, for instance. Metsä Fibre’s role in Biomotive is to develop a new production method for pulp-based textile fibres. In addition to clothing, textile fibres are also used in technical textiles, such as the seats of vehicles.

The LigniOx project focuses on the utilisation of lignin in products with high added value. The project advances a technology developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, in which wood-based lignin is separated from the black liquor generated in pulp production.

LigniOx and Biomotive are four-year projects operating under the Bio-Based Industries PPP instrument.

The projects aim to strengthen and diversify the future bioproduct portfolio and ecosystems of Metsä Group and Metsä Fibre, which is part of Metsä Group. The Bioproduct mill entity, started up in mid-August 2017 in Äänekoski, Finland, already now includes innovative production plants that produce bioproducts on an industrial scale. A new biocomposite demonstration plant will start up at Metsä Fibre’s Rauma pulp mill later this autumn. The biocomposite plants is owned by Metsä Fibre’s partners. (SV)

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