“Wood-based textile fibres are already being used to replace cotton as a raw material for yarn, and they offer great potential for resolving shortages of raw materials in the textile industry,” says von Weymarn.
Pulp can be used to produce strong textile fibres for clothes and technical textiles. “Pulp-based textile fibre is a very interesting product and a natural choice for the first project to be carried out by our new innovation company,” says Niklas von Weymarn.
Metsä Spring is developing a direct-dissolution method for the production of textile fibre. The method makes use of entirely new types of pulp-dissolving compounds. It has lower impact on the environment than the current production options.
“Metsä Spring has built a demonstration plant for producing a new type of textile fibre from pulp. The first batch of textile fibre was produced in Septemeber 2020”, says Niklas von Weymarn. The capacity of the demonstration plant is around 500 tonnes per year, in conjunction with Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill in Äänekoski.