Performance BioFilaments to commercially produce nanofibrillated cellulose

Performance BioFilaments has confirmed that nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) will be commercially produced at Resolute Forest Products’ Kénogami, Que., mill starting in 2021.

Resolute recently announced $38 million in upgrades and the construction of a biomaterials plant at the mill.

Performance BioFilaments, a joint venture established in 2014 between Resolute Forest Products and Mercer International, will head up the production of 21 metric tons of NFC per day.

“We are pleased to have reached this exciting phase of the commercial process for NFC,” said Gurminder Minhas, managing director of Performance BioFilaments. “The chemical-free refining process results in fibrils of exceptional strength and purity, with an extraordinarily high aspect ratio and surface area not obtainable through currently applied processes. We look forward to working with Resolute on bringing this high-potential biomaterial to global markets.”

NFC is sourced from market pulp and adds to the strength and durability of a wide range of products. It can also reduce an end product’s overall carbon footprint through weight reduction and substitution of non-renewable components.

The market pulp is third-party certified to one or more of three internationally recognized chain of custody (CoC) standards. NFC is produced mechanically using a proprietary processing technology, without the use of chemicals or enzymes.

Performance BioFilaments will continue with pilot-scale quantities until the new plant is fully operational. This material is currently available for development purposes and initial field trials.

In addition, Performance BioFilaments recently launched a new website. The site details the features and benefits of NFC in four key areas of strengthening application: concretes, mortars and cements; coatings and industrial fluids; nonwovens, filter media and construction materials; and polymers, composites and foams.