The goal of this project is to manufacture wet-stable cellulose rods that can be used as barriers in rivers to form new safe migration routes for smolt past hydropower plants and consequently preserve the biodiversity in Swedish rivers. The first phase of the project consists of optimizing the development procedure of the cellulose-based rods by an energy and time effective procedure at a low cost, to ensure that the material meets the application requirements. The parameters that will be evaluated are stability, shrinkage on drying, mechanical properties in different conditions and stability over time.
In the next phase, a process for the scale up of the materials will be developed, in which the different steps of the production will be optimized to give a successful production process. This process will then be scaled up to produce cellulose rods with full dimensions. Once the materials are produced, the performance and guiding efficiency will be evaluated in a test pool at Vattenfall R&D where a controlled flow of water will be utilized. In the final phase, a commercial plan for the next stage of the business concept will be established. The result of the project will therefore be a completely new bio-based material, produced on a pilot scale, that can be used to guide smolt past hydroelectric plants. This will be followed by a realistic strategy to launch a first product in the market.
Participants
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Cellufy AB and Vattenfall R&D.
Budget & time plan
The project’s total budget is 2.2 MSEK and the project runs during four months – between November 2023 and February 2024.