ADDITIVES | NATURAL FIBRES AND FILLERS


stiffness comparable to glass fibre filled materials,” Molteberg says. “All of our products can be recycled (closed loop) several times. Key properties are remarkably lower carbon footprint, increased strength and stiffness. We also manage to maintain a normal flow range for injection moulding. Follow- ing our instructions with lower processing tempera- ture and a somewhat higher inlet pressure it should be [able to replace] an ordinary PE or PP, and even achieve reduced cycle times.”


Above: Norske Skog Saugbrug’s first production line for CEBICO biocomposites is up and running in Norway with a capacity of around 300 tonnes/yr


Carrasco. Lignin may reduce agglomeration and increase the interphase between the CNF and the thermoplastic matrix, as well as being a cheaper raw material, he adds. “Recently, we finalised some projects with industrial participation in Norway (Alloc AS and Norske Skog Saugbrugs), where we developed TMP-based biocomposite prototypes for new flooring products. These projects demonstrated new potential production technologies from biocomposites, including compounding and injection moulding. Particularly, extrusion of corrugated structures is interesting, and this approach was reported in a scientific publication that was recently published,” he says. Norske Skog Saugbrugs reports a large and


Right: Parts made from the Norske Skog Saugbrugs CEBICO line of thermoplastic composites using TMP fibre technology


growing interest for using both CNF and TMP fibre in biocomposites. It is ramping up commercial production of its CEBINA cellulose nanofibril CNF products for thermosets and other materials as well as developing new biocomposite recipes for various commercial applications using its CEBICO cellulose thermoplastic biocomposite products containing TMP fibres. “The first small production line for CEBICO was opened late in 2021 and is now up and running with a capacity of about 300 tonnes/yr with the current set-up,” says Dag Molteberg, Senior Development Manager at Norske Skog Saugbrugs. The company now has 12 different products based on virgin LDPE, HDPE, TPU and virgin and recycled PP, and it is currently testing and developing more. “By adding TMP fibres from spruce wood to [make] CEBICO we achieve levels of tensile strength and


56 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2023


Nano opportunities Canadian company Performance Biofilaments uses a proprietary process to make nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) — also known as cellulose filaments — with high strength and purity using wood fibres as a starting material. It recently opened its first commercial NFC production plant within a facility owned by Resolute Forest Products, one of its shareholders. Located in Quebec, the plant has the capacity to produce 7,000 tonnes/yr for applica- tions including thermoplastics. “Performance BioFilaments has the mandate to


commercialise nanofibrillated cellulose in polymers and other advanced materials applications and is actively seeking collaborations with the producers and users of biocomposite compounds,” says Geoff Fisher, Director of Business Development at Performance Biofilaments. “The capability to provide tonnes per day of high-quality, high-per- formance nanofibrillated cellulose on a steady basis is an important differentiating factor within the natural fibres domain, and the opening of the commercial plant positions Performance BioFila- ments to be a large-volume supplier.” A recently published study by researchers at


Ford and the University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials looked at the recyclability of glass-fibre composites compared to natural-fibre composites in PP and PA matrices. The compounds were subjected to five mechanical recycling cycles, simulated by injection moulding, regranulation, and exposure to a hygrothermal environment. The glass fibre composites


experienced a drop in properties due to fibre breakage during the


recycling and reprocessing steps, but the properties of the glass fibre composites were higher than those of the natural-fibre compos- ites both at the start and after


recycling, reports the paper’s primary author, Sandeep Tamrakar, Research Engineer at the Ford


www.compoundingworld.com


IMAGE: NORSKE SKOG SAUGBRUGS


IMAGE: NORSKE SKOG SAUGBRUGS


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