Second life of wood: BioFlex technology to dissolve waste wood to get raw materials

Project Information

Bioflex

Grant agreement ID: 946203

DOI

10.3030/946203

Project closed

EC signature date 24 May 2020

Start date 1 June 2020

End date 31 August 2022

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 3 797 203,75

EU contribution

€ 2 318 662,50

Coordinated by

Lixea OÜ
Estonia

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Bioflex (Second life of wood: BioFlex technology to dissolve waste wood to get raw materials)

Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2022-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Concurrently, many of our raw materials are produced from fossil-based sources. As much as 45% of global emissions come from material production. While technologically feasible, biobased materials are often too expensive to enter the market, with feedstock regularly making up half of the cost. Global demand for plastics will grow to 1000million tonnes (MT) by 2050 from a current level of 450MT. To be sustainable, about 200MT will need to come from biological sources.

Wood waste, contaminated or unwanted woody material, is an underutilised resource.
Lixea has developed a process to separate wood into its primary components: cellulose and lignin. These components can then be used to create final products such as bioplastics, common chemicals and novel materials.
The goal of the project was to demonstrate the Lixea technology at a pilot scale. In conjunction with proving the technology, Lixea also developed markets and value chains to replace fossil-based materials with would-be waste.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Since the beginning of the project, progress both on the technical and non-technical side has been made. On the technical side, the pilot plant has been constructed and fully commissioned. It has processed the first 13 batches of waste sawdust from a local mill in Sweden. The resulting cellulose and lignin have been analysed and where appropriate shared with potential customers.
On the commercial side, we closely followed our communication plan, updated our website; rebranded the BioFlex Process to Dendronic; increased our professional network and brand awareness in key geographies, especially in Scandinavia; attended over 50 events to further identify prototyping companies and commercial partners / technology licensees. During the project, we engaged with over 120 companies; connected with 30 plus potential investors and demonstrated that the process is both technically and commercially viable with a clear purpose.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project has produced valuable data on the ionic liquid, its physicochemical properties and its material compatibility, which are useful beyond this project and of relevance to the wider ionic liquid community. The project has also resulted in the creation of 9 highly skilled jobs, 6 of which are in rural areas. Additionally, the potential impact of the project includes reduced CO2 emissions, reduced air and soil pollution, reduced emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and additional job creation in a variety of geographies.
The communication activities helped to showcase the potential of a sustainable chemical technology while demonstrating the impact of young women in leading technical roles.

The upper floor of the pilot plant during the last phases of construction.

Lixea employee at the pilot plant during commissioning

Lixea “Grand Opening” to celebrate the start of operation of pilot plant.

Lixea “Grand Opening” to celebrate the start of operation of pilot plant.

Lixea co-founder Dr Florence Gschwend speaks at a panel discussion

Coverage in local news outlets on the opening of the pilot plant