The forest industry is the strong engine of the Finnish economy. Even in the future, the industry will continue to be based mainly on its current products: wood prodcuts, pulp, paperboard and paper.
However, new innovative wood-based bioproducts are emerging alongside these traditional products, in response to global challenges and the need for improved and, above all, products with lower impact on the environment.
In a few decades, these innovative next-generation bioproducts may become a cornerstone of the Finnish export industry.
Promising innovative bioproducts are based on lignin, wood’s own adhesive, for example. Lignin has traditionally been used for energy, but new applications have also started to arise that make more effective use of its complex structure.
“Lignin could be used in wood-based glue, for example, as its structure resembles that of the raw material for current oil-based glues,” says Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Spring, Metsä Group’s new innovation company.
Other promising products of the wood-based bioeconomy include pulp-based textile fibres. They have the potential to offer an alternative to cotton with a lower impact on the environment, as the production of cotton can no longer be increased because of environmental issues.
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.
NIKLAS VON WEYMARN | METSÄ SPRING
“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.
A biocomposite developed by Aqvacomp is a prime example of bio-based products offering an alternative to oil-based plastics with a lower impact on the environment.
Aqvacomp uses pulp to replace some of the plastic in its biocomposite.
“The combination of pulp and plastic produces a durable, ecological material with a considerably smaller carbon footprint than that of plastics reinforced with glass fibre,” says Markku Nikkilä, Managing Director of Elastopoli Oy, the company behind Aqvacomp's technology.
The company’s biocomposite can be used to replace fossil based plastics in consumer electronics, the automotive industry and the production of musical instruments for example. “Biocomposites offer practically limitless opportunities. They are suitable for anything where plastic reinforced with glass fibre or minerals is used. We’re talking about a need for millions of tonnes of materials,” Nikkilä points out.
Biocomposites offer practically limitless opportunities. They are suitable for anything where plastic reinforced with glass fibre or minerals is used.
MARKKU NIKKILÄ | ELASTOPOLI OY
Consumers are increasingly conscious and are demanding more sustainable materials with lower impact on the environment. According to Nikkilä, this is also evident in international trade negotiations.
“There is a genuine need for alternatives with a lower impact on the environment. Major automotive and electronics companies are continuously looking for alternatives to plastic as a material. Renewable wood from sustainably grown Finnish forests is a very topical material and provides a strong competitive advantage,” says Nikkilä.
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