VTT Technical Research Centre is working with industry to develop new recyclable and light weight wood fiber products
VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland, together with industry, has set up a pilot scale technology platform for foam forming applications.
The company hopes the pilot project, part of the Forestcluster programme, will demonstrate that foam forming technology can decrease raw material and production costs for a range of products.
VTT added that foam forming could improve paper properties and enable manufacturing of high porosity, smooth and light weight products such as insulation materials.
It could also be used for various printed intelligence, nano- or microcellulose applications.
'The foam forming technology requires significantly less water than conventional paper and board manufacturing,' explained VTT's technology manager, Janne Poranen.
This may create a number of new business opportunities alongside similar projects that are currently underway.
At the beginning of this year, VTT launched the KOTVA project targeting the scale-up of foam forming technology to SUORA.
SUORA is a pilot-scale research environment for fibre processes, developed in close collaboration with the members of Forestcluster.
SUORA offers cost efficient prototyping of ideas, fast experimenting, and development of new process solutions.
The two-year KOTVA project has a budget of €2m and supports the national research strategy of the Finnish forest cluster.
The Forestcluster programme has a target to double its turnover before year 2030.
Half of the turnover is expected to come from entirely new products.
Other partners of the project are UPM, Stora-Enso, M-real, Metso, Kemira, Omya, Wetend Technologies and Vision Systems, and the cities of Jyvaskyla, Aanekoski and Jamsa.
The project is funded with €917,778 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) via the Regional Council of Central Finland.
