Skip to main content
Search
Menu

How to replace plastic with fibers from nature

If we could replace as little as 10% of all plastic used around the world with fibres from forestry and agriculture, this would be equivalent to at least 25 million tonnes a year.

In the area of fibre moulding, RISE is working to develop solutions that can replace plastic. Fibre moulding is about how to create moulded products from cellulose-based fibres, such as wood fibres but also fibres from crops. A classic product in this context is the egg carton, a simple molded product that excellently solves the task of protecting eggs. The same quality cannot be used to package cheese, meat or electronics, for example.

Today, molded fiber products are considered an important component in reducing our use of plastic. Therefore, today the development is fast and the processes are developing and producing higher quality than ever before. Overall, it can be said that fiber moulding is either "wet" - the product is formed by sucking fibers from a suspension onto a formed tool and then dried during hot pressing or freely in a subsequent step; or "dry" - the product is formed from a loosely bound fiber network by hot pressing.

Central to the work with fibre moulding is improved process economy, increased quality and better performance. When it comes to process economy, high production speed and low energy requirements are high on the list. Quality is important to gain acceptance from the customer and depends on things like color, surface properties and mechanical strength. Performance is about achieving the protection requirements set by different products, and when it comes to replacing plastic in packaging, the barrier properties are high on the list.

With our uniquely high level of expertise in key areas such as fibre knowledge, cellulose chemistry and properties, paper production and converting, we are well placed to develop fibre moulding technology for the products of the future.

RISE offers opportunities to develop and test new concepts and can provide experimental equipment for fiber casting as well as evaluation of products with respect to:

  • Mechanical Properties
  • Moisture properties
  • Barrier properties
  • Microstructure
  • Degradation/Aging Properties
  • chemical analysis
  • recycling
Helena Halonen

Contact person

Helena Halonen

Forskare

+46 10 228 45 77

Read more about Helena

Contact Helena
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

* Mandatory By submitting the form, RISE will process your personal data.

Dino Muhic

Contact person

Dino Muhic

Affärsutvecklare

Read more about Dino

Contact Dino
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

* Mandatory By submitting the form, RISE will process your personal data.

Contact

Cannot find what you are looking for or are you curious about how we can help?

Send message
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

* Mandatory By submitting the form, RISE will process your personal data.

Related

Expertise

Formed paper and moulded fibres

Fibre-based products are becoming more formable and the development of these materials and production processes are advancing. When it comes to replacing plastics in packaging, formed paper or moulded fibre packaging products are …
Area

Pulp and paper

Have you considered how much paper and cardboard you use? With growing demands to replace plastic, the need for cellulose-based solutions will increase. If we want to save on natural resources, we need to create a closed loop for …
Area

Bioeconomy

Our environmental impact is significantly reduced when we replace products made from fossil resources with bio-based alternatives. In a bioeconomy, all products are made from renewable resources such as raw materials and byproduct…
Area

Packaging

What is the purpose of packaging? Besides looking good on a shelf and attracting potential buyers, it also serves the purpose of protecting both its content and its surroundings. A package must be easy to handle, from the point of…
Expertise

Water Management in Papermaking

Good water management allows papermakers to mitigate the negative impacts of contaminant accumulation in process water streams. This can result in an improvement of product quality and process stability along with reduced costs, e…
Test & demo

Separation of Cellulose and Residues

The earth's circular and renewable raw materials are in demand and should be sufficient for a lot and increasing the need for research and development of them so that each element is put to good use. Separation of cellulose from f…
Expertise

Cellulose - Pulp Technology

Pulp production plays a central role in the bioeconomy, the transition towards a fossil-free society, and circular processes. The main part of the fiber line is the pulp mill, where wood is treated with chemicals to produce pulp w…