Issued in September 2014 Innventia Research Programme 2015 2017
Innventia Research Programme 2015 2017 The business environment of the pulp, paper and industry and their suppliers is going through radical changes. The structural changes put emphasis on cost reduction, production efficiency, improved margins and the need to create added value by e.g. using waste and side streams for new products. Innventia Research Programme 2015 2017 addresses many of the challenges and opportunities that the industry is facing. We believe that multi-client research is of great importance for building new knowledge and creating tools to benefit from these changes. The work carried out within the Research Programme is focused on improving the existing products and processes as well as demonstrating new opportunities with novel materials, chemicals, and products. By working together in pre-competitive projects we get leverage by joining forces and better success in public funding. Programme structure The Research Programme comprises several thematic Programme Areas, each addressing problems of great interest to a consortium of Innventia customers. Such a Programme area operates over several years, three years planned. Some important characteristics for the Programme Areas are that they: consist of several Pre-competitive Themes, thereby developing new knowledge or new combinations of knowledge to be used for new technical solutions and applications in one or several Application oriented research projects, that can give results to be developed further to industrial reality together with customers through client projects We use the term Pre-competitive Research to mark projects and activities of a more generic nature. The Pre-competitive Research is idea and science driven. It is intended to take advantage of scientific opportunities and provide Innventia customers with cutting edge knowledge and expertise that will enhance the capability for future technical development and applications. Programme area Pre-competitive Application A Application B Application C Every customer participates in the Pre-competitive Research (leveraged by public funding). You have, however, many possibilities to add further value to your investment by participating in one or more Application oriented projects or initiate projects by your own. We believe that this model gives a high degree of flexibility between pre-competetive research and application oriented research, both area-based and value chain-based. The programme areas and projects are continuously subject to prioritisations, due to on-going changes for the industry that can affect the direction of R&D investments. Participation in Innventia Research Programme 2015 2017 means opportunities to influence areas and content. Intellectual Property Rights The Pre-competitive research is partly supported by public funding and therefore the results will be owned and published by Innventia but publication can be delayed if a patent application is preferable to secure Innventias and customers right to continue to do research or use it in applications. All partners in a Programme area will of course have a non-exclusive free right to use the results. The Application oriented research projects are kept separate from each other as regards Intellectual Property Rights, and other confidentiality matters. Only partners joining the consortium behind a specific Application oriented research project have access to all its results. The participating companies can choose to co-own a patent if this is applied for during the agreement period.
Programme areas and Projects Innventia Research Programme 2015 2017 consists of seven so called Programme areas and three separate Projects. The modern kraft pulp fibre line Lignin value chain Source efficient paper and board making A Programme area consists of a number of Themes that together with Innventias pre-existing know-how form the basis for a number of Application oriented research projects. Participation in a programme area means you get information from all themes. Principle: Pre-competetive Application oriented research Nanocellulose processing for various applications Fibre and stock design Design of advanced tissue products Theme 1 Theme 2 Application 1 Application 2 Application 3 Brave new wood biobased materials Renewable barriers for Boosting performance Theme 3 Shape-shifting paper and board Product safety towards the future Contact Programme areas Separate projects For more information about Innventia Research Programme 2015, please contact Anders Pettersson Senior Vice President Research +46 8 676 7342, anders.pettersson@innventia.com Fredrik Rosén Director Market Strategy +46 8 676 7334, fredrik.rosen@innventia.com Programme areas The modern kraft pulp fibre line The focus will be to increase the effectiveness of the kraft pulp mill by several means. Studies focusing on increasing the pulp yield and product quality of kraft pulps will be carried out. Projects will also be devoted to a more effective use of energy, water and on environmental impact of the kraft process. Development in the recovery cycle will be dealt with for increased efficiency and decreased consumption of chemicals. Conversion of mills for production of cellulose pulps for dissolving and similar use from the kraft process will also be addressed. Process chemistry Model mills and LCA Cellulose characterisation, solubility and water interactions Raw material sourcing and characterisation Kraft pulp fibre line Emissions & fuels Handling of non-process elements High reactivity cellulose
Fibre and stock design Innovative solutions for more resource-efficient use of fibre raw materials and energy-efficient stock treatment processes will be focused. Increased demands on the material efficiency and complexity of future stock preparation systems also require better methods for stock characterisation and knowledge on the influence of stock properties of the final product. The activities also comprise evaluation of novel stock treatment processes, quantitative prediction of specific properties based on pilot scale data, and mill case studies. Applications will address chemical pulp applications, modifications of the TMP/CTMP process, and evaluation of the potential of recycled fibres. Raw material and stock characterisation TMP/CTMP process modification Stock treatment processes and systems Chem. pulp TMP/CTMP 2.0 Recycled fibres Lignin value chain Efficient utilisation of wood raw materials and the development of extended product portfolios including value-added sidestream products will be adressed. The main side-stream in the kraft process is black liquor from which lignin can be isolated. Promising applications for the currently underutilized lignins will be identified and evaluated. The research will comprise lignin production, lignin product properties and conversion towards high-value applications. Selected proto type products will be developed. The study material will be mainly wood kraft lignins, but also annual plant lignins and by-products from bioethanol production. Follow up on external ongoing activities Lignin characterisation Towards green lignin chemistry System analysis and sustainability Structural carbon fibres Functional lignin applications Properties of pulp mixtures Property prediction Tools for mill studies Source efficient paper and board making Synergies between paper chemistry, paper mechanics and papermaking will be exploited in order to develop resource and energy efficient processes. New technologies will be applied to develop stronger and more functional materials, increase filler content and increase bulk to improve bending stiffness. Fundamental papermaking knowledge on mixing, forming, and pressing will be utilized to further identify and demonstrate routes to integrate improved chemical strategies in order to achieve improved products as well as reduced energy and raw material demands within specific applications. Chemical additives and fibre modification Retention/formation Bulking Effective use of filler Engineered sheet design Nanocellulose processing for various applications Innventia s pilot facilities will be utilized to develop, optimize and demonstrate up-scaled processes for production of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) in different applications. Specific approaches are robust and economic processing, studies of the importance of different pulps and optimisation of pulping processes in NFC production, new homogenisation strategies, and phase separation processes to increase NFC concentration after homogenisation. Focus is also to develop characterisation methods and processing routes to tune and control the NFC properties that meet the demands for subsequent use. Development of film, foam and thread forming processes for NFC. Drying and re-dispersion Matrix interaction Characterisation Production Composites Films Foams and threads Thickeners Web structure Pressing Mechanical properties
Brave new wood Bio-based materials New opportunities for fibre based materials through the development of material solutions that allow free shaping will be investigated. The approach is to take the old forest-based paper components and put them together in new ways aiming at new 3D structures. New material concepts, including new or improved building materials, based on wood fibres and, in a longer perspective, also on wood derived polymers, remains at the centre of the research. How different forming processes lead to different material properties including perceived properties will also be investigated. Bio-based binders and polymers Wood pulp fibres modification and applications Complex fibre mixtures Material modelling Boosting performance The trend that many suppliers of fibre based material are shifting their focus from being material providers to becoming suppliers of solutions will be addressed. Predicting performance and consumer experience from physical measurements will be a key focus. The work will include; methods to manage desired and undesired damage in paperboard and, improved printability, performance of in transport, and performance of consumer. Material models will be used to model applications building knowledge on e.g. quality control test methods and converting processes. Exploring the possibility to use a printing press to apply barriers, hydrophobic surfaces, and optical effects will also be addressed.. Structural mechanics Paper mechanics Printability Printed functionality Psychophysics and perception Shapeable fibre networks Damage mechanics for paperboard Improved printing surfaces Extruded composites Transport Laminates Performance of consumer projects Design of advanced tissue products The most important product properties for many tissue products are strength, absorbency and, haptic properties, which together with energy-efficient processing are the areas covered. In respect to strength properties we focus on reaching the same strength properties with less fibre material. Absorbency will be maximised through bulking of the product. Methods for characterisation of softness and tactile properties of commercial tissue products will be evaluated and the tactile properties will be improved. Different approaches to make the pressing and drying operations on a tissue machine more energy-efficient are also addressed. The project will be a combination of laboratory studies, pilot trials, and full scale studies. Renewable barriers for The use of plant biopolymers in combination with application technology-driven research allow for a viable solution to replace e.g. aluminium and oil-based plastics as barrier material. This project will be devoted to several types of commercial and novel renewable barrier coatings, including nanofibrillated cellulose and hemicellulose. Application procedures, the food contact safety aspects and the coating composition vs. performance are examples of aspects that will be addressed. The possibility to apply a barrier by using conventional printing technologies will also be investigated. Product safety towards the future In order to maintain and increase credibility and competitiveness for fibre-based products as materials intended for food contact, the producers and converters need to make sure that their materials and products are safe. Analyses and test procedures required by end customers and authorities become more complicated and thus costly. The contribution is to proactively suggest new tools or analytical methods/test programmes that are relevant and cost-efficient; and to provide research results to gain acceptance for these methods. This will be done both by compilation of existing knowledge and by experimental work, and will result in preparation of guidelines, technical reports and scientific publications. Shape-shifting paper and board We want to expand the utility space for paper and board as materials by exploiting non-uniformity and dimensional instability and design them into the materials. The materials may then change from one shape to another when triggered by e.g. moisture, heat, or pressure. The goal is to design controlled instabilities, non-uniformities, and patterns into paper and board to be able to exploit their enhanced response to moisture, heat, or pressure. By altering the way paper is formed in the paper machine, this project will make use of existing technology to produce new effects and properties.
Boosting business with science Innventia is a research institute that uses a scientific basis to help companies produce valuable products from forest-based or other bio-based raw materials, in an efficient and sustainable manner. One traditional product is paper, but we also develop other processes and products from renewable raw materials. Our expertise is always at the cutting edge, thanks to our own research activities and our collaboration with other institutes, universities and businesses. As an innovation partner, we can strengthen all or parts of our customers processes, from the initial idea all the way through to a commercial product. We call this approach Boosting business with science. Produced by Innventia 2014. Photographs by Johan Olsson. www.innventia.com STFI-Packforsk INNVENTIA Besök/Visit AB Drottning Kristinas väg 61 Telefon/Phone +46 8 676 70 00 Box Post/Mail 5604, SE-114 86 Stockholm, Sweden Box 5604, SE-114 86 Stockholm, Sweden Telefax +46 8 411 55 18 Tel +46 8 676 70 00, info@innventia.com www.innventia.com E-mail info@stfi.se Internet www.stfi-packforsk.se