In the wake of climate change and increasing oil prices, the demand for sustainable and light weight materials that can replace oil-based products has increased. Here the forest industry has the potential to play an important role.

The biorefinary concept includes the extraction of different components which can be used in new types of materials. Examples of such components are microfibrillated cellulose, certain hemicelluloses, certain fibre qualities and also new polymers and performance chemicals.

Applications for bio-composites

These components offer new possibilities to develop sustainable materials. Innventia is studying commercial renewable plastics reinforced with microfibrillated cellulose or tailored fibres. These bio-composites have the possibility to replace existing oil-based materials in applications such as films for packaging, coatings, barriers and moulded components.

 

Another area of interest is reinforced plastics in order to create new composite materials with superior hygrodimensional properties for applications in the automotive, constuction and furnture industries.

 

Innventia is also working with the use of hemicellulose films for barrier applications as well as the development of more advanced nanomaterials.