CelluForce has completed construction and begun operations at Canada's first manufacturing plant for nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). NCC is an advanced material derived from wood fibre that can be used as an additive to improve strength, durability, and toughness.
For the last eight weeks, CelluForce has been progressively starting up the equipment for the first ever large-scale production of NCC. The nanomaterial will be produced in facilities located at Domtar's pulp and paper plant in Windsor, Que.
CelluForce president and CEO Jean Moreau declared, "Wood pulp is being delivered to the plant to test the new equipment and we are making progress on a daily basis. NCC will start to be produced by the end of the year, with production gradually increasing until it reaches a steady rhythm of 1,000 kg per day in 2012."
Construction extended over a fourteen-month period. It required a total investment of $36 million, including the financial participation of both the federal and Québec governments. Much of the specialized equipment was custom-built specifically for the manufacture of NCC.
"The rapid advances made in testing stages bear testimony to the hard work, devotion and expertise of our employees," says Rene Goguen, vice-president, manufacturing for CelluForce. "We are all proud to be participating in this project and very conscious of the fact that it is a world first."
CelluForce will, on a worldwide basis, market nanocrystalline cellulose for strength applications under the CelluForce ImpactTM brand, and for optical applications of NCC under the CelluForce AllureTM brand.
Trials integrating NanoCrystalline Cellulose into the manufacturing process of different products are currently taking place with a variety of potential partners and CelluForce should be in a position to announce the signing of its initial contracts shortly.
CelluForce is a joint venture of Domtar Corporation and FPInnovations.