Panel Perspectives: CitroTech | 47


company at the end of 2025, told me that the technology had been around for about 10 years, with CitroTech always focusing on producing an environmentally safe and effective product.


But it was only since 2021 that the


company began making bigger moves forward.


He explained that CitroTech’s patented


core ingredient was neutralised citric acid. This is created from grains, fruits, and vegetables. Citric acid is of course used in many common products. It is a common, plentiful substance and


unlike some competitor chemicals is not mined.


With the addition of several key ingredients, including potassium and anti- corrosion agents, a fire-retardant product is produced, which Mr Bolsen says is both environmentally safe and highly effective – the critical combination needed in order to be mass produced for broad applications. “A lot of research has been done over the years and a lot of patents filed especially over the last 3-4 years,” said Mr Bolsen. “This technology is very well protected,


with over 35 granted patents in the US, and patents also in Europe and globally.” It is the only long-term fire inhibitor


recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice programme – and also has UL Greenguard Gold certification and ASTM E84 (Standard Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials) Extended compliance. He explains that CitroTech works by being


sprayed onto the wood / fibres, soaking into cellulose fibres and forming a crystalline structure that provides the fire retardancy. “The breakthrough is that this is not a


coating. That is why this is so radical and so disruptive, CitroTech migrates into the cellulosic fibres. As it dries, it forms this barrier, without weakening the wood.” As well as wood products, the technology is used as a fire-retardant in wildfire prevention, with CitroTech dealing with fire departments and utilities companies to treat roadsides and underneath power lines where wildfires commonly start.


 Wood-based panels manufacturing is seen


as a major target market for CitroTech, with OSB and plywood being the primary candidates. Over the past year, many conversations and tests with leading panel manufacturers have taken place to validate industrial application of the product. The fire retardancy application takes place in


the factory to provide through-panel treatment. In OSB, strands are sprayed in the production line before the resination and pressing process. “CitroTech gets into each strand, we are


NYSE. Hexion provides deep understanding


CitroTech CEO Wes Bolsen says the technology will attract the largest wood product manufacturers in the world


not putting it on top of the OSB after it has been pressed,” said Mr Bolsen. “The fire retardancy is built into the panel. “The Holy Grail would be fire retardancy and resin all added in one step. But there will be next steps in the future.” Similarly, in plywood, all the veneers are


coated with CitroTech before pressing. “For a five-ply board that is five layers of fire protection.” In fire testing, the crystalline structure


created in boards by treatment reacts to form a charring layer of protection on the surface. Mr Bolsen says the solution creates little


smoke and due to the formulation avoids toxins, which he believes provides a more environmentally safe product compared to pressure-treatment of boards. The product’s UL Greenguard Certification for low chemical emission products helps demonstrate both compliance with key chemical emission standards and commitment to healthier indoor environments. All this creates, he says, a “huge thing for multi-family housing where OSB is being used”. “We are getting ready to establish a new standard in how we build. You can make an OSB board Class A fire-rated under the ASTM E84 (extended) standard. That means the cost of building becomes so much lower because you can use treated strands versus using other materials or pressure-treating.” The testing and certification means OSB boards treated with CitroTech can pass 30min burn tests.


HEXION PARTNERSHIP The new collaboration pairing CitroTech and Hexion is designed to provide an effective route to market for the product and follows soon after the company was uplisted to the


of wood product manufacturing, trusted relationships across the industry, and proven ability to scale complex technologies for commercial adoption. The plan is to help the plywood, OSB, engineered wood manufacturers and lumber sectors integrate built-in fire resistance more effectively and at a global scale. “The wood products industry is ready for a new standard in fire protection, and Hexion is positioned to lead that shift,” said Michael Lefenfeld, President and CEO of Hexion, when the JV was announced. “This partnership reflects a clear strategic priority: bringing differentiated, high- value technologies to the building and construction market at commercial scale. By combining CitroTech’s breakthrough chemistry with Hexion’s manufacturing strength, technical depth, and commercial reach, we can help customers build fire performance directly into the production process more efficiently, more reliably, and at far greater scale.” The jointly owned Delaware JV will


develop and expand on CitroTech’s intellectual property and accelerate the manufacturing and sales of products. Hexion has committed capital to support commercialization, reflecting its confidence in the technology.


Both Mr Bolsen and Mr Lefenfeld will


serve on a three-member board to oversee strategic direction and governance. Mr Bolsen pointed out that Hexion currently supplies resin to many wood panel producers, often having a resin production facility within a few miles from an OSB factory. “We would not need to create an entire new facility for CitroTech. It makes the production of the product very easy. “We are immediately looking to


commercialise. This will attract the biggest wood products manufacturers in the world. If they are already working with Hexion in wood products, they are a natural customer. “I would expect a number of customers


to sign on before the end of this year. It might be the end of 2026 or early 2027 when panels treated with CitroTech are placed on the market. We are already in conversation with a number of them.” Alongside the commercialisation, further


R&D work will be undertaken with different formulations to advance the product into potential additional applications. CitroTech will continue to serve the wildfire asset protection market itself, outside of the JV, dealing with fire departments, utility companies and others. Homeless encampments, which often suffer from fire breakouts, are another potential application.


www.wbpionline.com | Summer 2026 | WBPI


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