The project ran between November 2023 and February 2024.
This project aimed to manufacture wet-stable cellulose foam rods with excellent buoyancy to create fish barrier systems. These soft barriers could facilitate safe fish migration past hydropower plants, preserving biodiversity in Swedish rivers. Phase one, conducted at KTH, focused on improving the cellulose foam recipe and development process, ensuring cost-effectiveness, and meeting necessary application requirements. Parameters such as the material’s foam stability, shrinkage, mechanical properties, and wet stability were evaluated. The subsequent phase, led by Cellufy AB, involved securing a production process that could manufacture the cellulose foam in full-scale size with maintained mechanical integrity. The project’s expected outcome was a pilot trial where the foam rods in full-scale were evaluated in Vattenfall’s facility in Älvkarleby as fish barrier systems. The successful and promising results of these wet-stable and bio-based foam rods enabled the identification of a new application and a deepened, continued collaboration between the involved parties.
Participants
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Cellufy AB and Vattenfall R&D.
Budget
The project’s total budget was 2,3 MSEK.