EXILVA

Flagship demonstration of an integrated plant towards large scale supply and market assessment of MFC

Project details

Type of project: Innovation Action – Flagship
Project focus: Bio-based polymers & plastics
Feedstock origin: Forestry waste
Feedstock type: Organic fraction of municipal solid waste
Plastic and composites
Pulp & paper industry (black liquor & sidestreams)
Pure sugars

Project period: 1 May 2016 - 30 April 2020
Status: Completed
CBE JU Contribution: € 27 433 610,5
Call identifier: H2020-BBI-JTI-2015-01

Summary

Micro fibrillated cellulose (MFC) is a revolutionary product with potential in a wide range of applications, including personal care, cosmetics, home care, pharmaceutical excipients, adhesives and sealants, composites and resins, agricultural chemicals, fish, bait, concrete, and CO2 capture. It also has the potential to replace many fossil fuel-based products.

However, the commercialisation of MFC has proved challenging, particularly in making industrial quantities with sufficient running efficiency and stability. In addition, drying the MFC fibres cost-effectively without losing significant performance is a major challenge.

The EXILVA project aimed to change this by transferring technology from the existing pilot production and eventually scaling up to commercial levels.

Successful technology transfer from the pilot plant to the flagship plant.
Optimise the full-scale process.
Reach a stable production of at least 1,000 tons of MFC per year of sufficient quality.
A flagship unit capital intensity of 33 million € /2,000 tons of MFC.
Obtain mutual economic benefits between the biomass industry and advanced market segments by supplying high-performance MFC for an array of applications.
Lower the CO2 footprint of MFC as a substitute product in marketable applications and a lower CO2 footprint during MFC manufacturing (compared to the main competitor process).
Create direct and indirect jobs throughout the entire value chain.

Production technology was successfully transferred from the pilot plant to the flagship biorefinery.
The biorefinery successfully entered its startup period, with all activities conducted as planned.
All process steps were started sequentially, producing material within acceptable variances according to specifications.
Minor changes were identified and implemented in areas such as heat transfer, hygiene, and packaging, but no major process changes were needed.

Successfully initiated the commercialisation of the EXILVA product (microfibrillated cellulose - MFC) by starting up the world’s first industrial-sized MFC plant and developing the market for this innovative technology.
Attracted high interest and feedback from over 1,300 prospects, leading to the development of more than 50 new products containing Exilva across various application areas.
Demonstrated strong collaboration among project partners (Borregaard, Chimar, KTH, Østfold, and Ayming), resulting in effective technology transfer.
Created significant socioeconomic impact by establishing the flagship plant in Sarpsborg, Norway, employing 35 full-time employees.
Supported industrial symbiosis between the biomass and forest industry and various customer applications.

EXILVA has shown significant functionality in more applications than expected. In most of the cases, the dosage efficiency is better than expected.

EXILVA | BBI JU project

EXILVA's beneficiary Borregaard features from 8’ 44’’.

Consortium map

Project coordination

BORREGAARD AS Sarpsborg, Norway

Consortium

CHIMAR (HELLAS) AE - ANONYMI VIOMICHANIKI KAI EMPORIKI ETAIREIA CHIMIKON PROIONTON Thermi Thessaloniki, Greece
AYMING Levallois-Perret, France
KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN Stockholm, Sweden
BORREGAARD DEUTSCHLAND GMBH KARLSRUHE, Germany
NORSUS NORSK INSTITUTT FOR BAEREKRAFTSFORSKNING AS KRAKEROY, Norway