Pulp for car parts
Would it sound like fiction if we suggested that car seats and other plastic car parts could be partly made from pulp? Thanks to the Biomotive project, this could be a reality in the near future.
JENNY BELITZ-HENRIKSSON
Metsä Fibre has been taking part in Biomotive, an EU-funded project launched in 2017 to study the suita- bility of pulp fibres for more environmentally friendly composite materials in cars. Metsä Fibre’s partner in the project was TITK – the Thuringian Institute for Textile and Plastics Research. “Our research and development work is based on col- laboration and partners with the best research capabil- ities. TITK has been a great strategic partner for us, and we have carried out research into a new textile fibre process together,” says Anna Suurnäkki , Vice President, Research, from Metsä Fibre. Based in Rudolstadt in the state of Thuringia, TITK is one of Germany’s 130 industrial research institutes and the largest in its region. The institute is a key player in non-university research in Germany. Its team of about 200 includes researchers, laboratory technicians, tech- nical staff, and sales personnel. “It has been a pleasure to work with bio-based poly urethanes and fibres to bring greater environmental sus- tainability to the automotive industry. The partnership with Metsä Fibre has been very close,” says TITK project manager Dr Marcus Krieg . The pulp has come from Metsä Fibre, while TITK has worked on optimising the textile fibre manufacturing process and developing pulp-based composite materials. “Pulp as a raw material and the solvent used in this project were new things for us, but our work was a suc- cess,” Dr Krieg says.
bre to innovate and engage with partners in research and development of selected topics of future relevance. “We have an open mind in tackling the challenges of developing current and future pulp-based products. With active development work there are a great number of ways to generate added value for pulp,” says Suurnäkki. “All our projects have a clear goal. In joint projects the aim can be networking, process development like the Biomotive project, or developing materials. Of course, all our research is ultimately targeted at innovations that will lead to industrial production.” Suurnäkki says that even though pulp has been pro- duced for over a hundred years, its versatility is a con- stant source of surprise. “It is true that almost anything could be made from pulp. However, instead of trying to replace everything, such as all plastics, with pulp-based solutions, it makes sense to focus on areas with the greatest positive impact economically and from the perspective of sustainable development.” She emphasises the importance of collaboration be- tween companies in the research and development of new pulp-based products. “We are always talking with companies from different value chains about how pulp can be developed for ap- plications where it adds value and meets expectations.” The four-year project is coming to an end in November 2021, but cooperation with TITK will continue. “We have analytical know-how and special equipment that can help Metsä Fibre to optimise their processes, for example at Äänekoski bioproduct mill,” Dr Krieg notes. • READ MORE: BIOMOTIVE.INFO
GOAL-ORIENTED PARTNERSHIP Jointly financed projects are one platform for Metsä Fi-
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