The project ran between May 2020 and May 2022.
The project demonstrated the production and use of hydrophobic emulsions, based on tall oil distillation side streams in fibreboard manufacturing. Two types of emulsions from a tall oil fraction with remarkable hydrophobic effects on cellulosic paper sheets, were selected for production upscaling and thereafter for manufacturing medium density fibreboard (MDF) panels and high-density fiberboard (HDF) panels in an industrial relevant environment (both at TRL 6).
The performance of tall oil-based emulsion formulations was compared with an industrial-grade paraffin wax emulsion. Those two formulations were tested for manufacturing fibreboards in different conditions, at different concentrations and for two methods of dispersion.
The results of some of the configurations, applying the formulations for MDF and HDF panels, were promising in terms of mechanical and swelling performance, and low emissions.
Participants
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Linnaeus University , SunPine AB, Lawter Maastricht BV and IKEA Industry AB.
Budget
The budget was 8,5 MSEK.
Read more about the project at Linnaeus University’s website.