The project, which revolves around PulPac’s unique fiber forming technology and its potential to operate with fibers sourced from agricultural residues – provided by Bio-Lutions – has been granted financial support for cutting-edge R&D and testing, within the Eurostars innovation program.
The scope is to design, build and test a prototype of a Dry Molded Fiber machine by adapting standard components, traditionally used for the production of plastic products. The aim is to validate components for international packaging markets that can use agricultural residues as inputs, besides standard pulp. PulPac will address the technical challenge, while Bio-Lutions will support with operational requirements and conduct pilot tests with its unique fibcro fibers.
Ove Larsson, chief technology innovation officer at PulPac, says, “We are very excited about the Eurostars project and the opportunity to investigate how Dry Molded Fiber could utilize components from the plastic industry. Surprisingly, single-use plastic production is still growing globally, albeit with more and more products being banned by governments, and consumers demanding a shift – with cellulose fibers as the obvious solution. By widening the possibilities for Dry Molded Fiber to also include plastic-machine components, we would be able to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Our solutions are plastic-free, biodegradable and recyclable but most importantly, cost-effective.”
“Combining Bio-Lutions’ fibcro natural fibers sources from agricultural residues, and the Dry Molded Fiber process gives us unique opportunities. We are excited to be part of this R&D-project to validate and support with our operations expertise and test capacity” comments Eduardo Gordillo, CEO Bio-Lutions.
Eurostars is the largest international funding program for SMEs wishing to collaborate on R&D projects that create innovative products, processes, or services for commercialization.