COMPAC - Swedish part
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Mittuniversitetet - Avdelningen för naturvetenskap, Sundsvall |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 100 000 |
| Project duration | January 2014 - July 2017 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The long term goal of the project has been to replace plastics, which are used under a short time but may take more than 100 years to degrade in the nature, with plasticised paper that is environmental friendly, recyclable and biodegradable. Cellulose is one of few bio-based raw materials available in volumes comparable to plastics. The project has shown that it is possible to replace plastics with modified paper in some applications even if more studies are required to achieve the required properties, low cost production and recycling of the chemicals.
Expected results and effects
The paper plasticised with NAH/urea in pilot scale did not give as good mechanical properties as the one plasticised with zinc chloride. The paper plasticised with zinc chloride could be corrugated and 3D-formed if heat and moisture were applied. This enables the use of plasticised paper in several applications where it can replace plastics. Beside formability, the plasticised paper had high compression strength. These characteristics in combination with expected high wet strength makes the material suitable for packages and disposables.
Planned approach and implementation
Collaboration and contribution from all participant partners have been there ever since the project started. Project management has ensured that we followed the project plan and that we used experiences from previous WoodWisdom projects presented in Stockholm 2014-04-09. We tested early in the project to plasticise paper in pilot trials, which were successful and contributed to the filing of a German patent followed by a European patent application. To have a feedback from trials in pilot scale to laboratory scale increases the development speed and the driving force in a project.