Circular fibreboards

Purpose and goal:

The purpose of the project is to define a new product technology for circular fibreboards based on starch-based adhesives and their recycling with adjusted refining processes at the industry. The projected evolution is from TRL 5 to 7 for the production of new adhesives, and fibreboard production and recycling. A major objective is to enable fibre reuse back in fibreboard production to reduce the pressure on forests to deliver fresh fibres as well as to mitigate the adverse environmental impact of burning waste fibreboards or wood waste containing such panels.

Expected results and effects:

The project responds to an urgent need in the raw materials sector, as there exists to date no commercial recycling method for fibreboards, which is why they continue to be burnt or stockpiled or even landfilled, though not an option in EU countries. A novel adhesive based on starch should allow for a new recycling concept, so the currently unexploited waste resources will be unlocked for circular valorisation, thus creating resource efficient, resilient and non-toxic supply chains for the fibreboard industry while contributing to the objectives of the Waste Framework Directive.

Approach and implementation:

The project proposes an innovative product design and recyclability concept for circular fibreboards that would allow the use of bio-based adhesives and secondary fibres from recycling in the production chain. Building on promising results in a previous Vinnova-BioInnovation project at TRL 5, SLU takes the lead to demonstrate the technologies at TRL 6-7 in a system dimensions perspective and in collaboration with a strong team of Swedish and international need owners (IKEA, FINSA), solution owners (LANTMÄNNEN, AKZO NOBEL, SAPPI), and research partners.