The project ran between November 2023 and March 2024.
The aim of the project was to investigate the possibility of producing a sandwich composite from bio-based raw materials. This would be done by producing a fiber-based foam from modified cellulose fibers, as insulating core and a lignin-based panel material for strengthening outer panels. These components would then be joined together to form a sandwich composite, on which mechanical tests would be conducted.
Photo from the project.
The project has successfully produced several variants of a sandwich composite from bio-based materials. The insulating core has been developed from modified cellulose from CTMP pulp, which has been foamed in a simple process involving surfactants and nanocellulose. The outer reinforcing panels have been made from a curing lignin material developed by RenFuel, reinforced with biobased fibers.
The measured insulating properties are at least equivalent to the reference materials available on the market today. As for the mechanical properties, there is room for improvement, especially in terms of tensile and impact strength. The results from this project provide good indications that the necessary strength can be achieved, through recipe optimizations and alternative bio-based reinforcing fibers in the panel matrix, as the fibers used within the scope of this project has been identified as the weak link in the system.
Participants
Biosorbe AB, RenFuel K2B AB och Kenpo Sandwich AB.
Budget
The project’s total budget is 1 MSEK.