Forest-product firms to produce new biomaterial
Performance BioFilaments will develop commercial uses for strong, flexible fibre
A high-strength biomaterial researched by Montrealbased FPInnovations Inc. is moving beyond the pilotplant proving stage toward commercialization with financial and technical backing from two big forest-product firms.
Montreal’s Resolute Forest Products Inc. and Vancouverbased Mercer International Inc. have formed a joint venture called Performance BioFilaments Inc. in an effort to develop commercial applications for the cellulose filaments.
The material is extracted from wood pulp in a mechanical process patented by FPInnovations.
Chemicals are not used and the environmental impact is minimal.
The thin, long filaments are very flexible and strong and have a unique bonding capacity making them an exceptional reinforcement for a wide range of industrial and consumer products.
Earlier this month, Kruger Inc., via its Biomaterials Inc. unit, inaugurated a 5-ton daily cellulose filaments demonstration plant at TroisRivières, based on the FPInnovations technology. It has adequate capacity to support work on the commercial applications and to supply the pulp and paper industry’s needs.
“It’s truly rewarding to see a novel product move from the R&D phase to demonstra- tion plant and specialized commercial applications,” said Pierre Lapointe, CEO of FPInnovations, in a statement Wednesday. The cellulose filaments’ strength compares with synthetic reinforcement fibres made from non-renewable petroleum sources, he added.
Those potential commercial applications include the aerospace, auto, marine, thermoplastics, paint and filtration sectors, besides an array of consumer products, and the material is expected to be cost-competitive. Performance BioFilaments will seek partners to back individual projects.
Richard Berry, principal scientist at FPInnovations, has won TAPPI’s International Nanotechnology for Renewable Materials award, TAPPI is the technical arm of the American Paper & Pulp Association.
Berry is also vice-president and chief technology officer of CelluForce Inc., a joint venture of FPInnovations and Domtar Corp. with a demonstration plant at Windsor, near Sherbrooke, focused on developing recyclable, nontoxic nanocrystals extracted from wood fibre.
FPInnovations is a notfor-profit national research group working in the forest products and resource sectors and with a staff of more than 500.
Resolute is Canada’s leading newsprint producer and Mercer operates softwood pulp mills in British Columbia and Germany.