In Canada, forest industry major Resolute Forest Products Inc. (Resolute) has held a ceremony to inaugurate its new commercial-scale plant for the production of cellulose filaments at its Kénogami paper mill in Saguenay, Québec (QC).
Cellulose filaments, also known as nanofibrillated cellulose, are a novel biomaterial derived from wood fiber, which can be used as a natural additive in many products to improve technical performance.
Announced in 2020, the construction of the CA$27 million facility was part of a CA$38 million investment project in the company’s Kénogami paper mill.
I thank our partners for their expertise in research and development as well as their financial support, including the Québec Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests through its Wood Innovation Program, Investissement Québec, and Natural Resources Canada. The cellulose filament plant is the result of our common goal to innovate and explore potential avenues to open new markets for Quebec forest products, and to contribute to the sustainable development of the communities in which we operate, said Remi G. Lalonde, President, and CEO of Resolute Forest Products.
Opens new biomaterial markets
Cellulose filaments are a significant step into new markets for Resolute. They are mechanically processed without chemicals or enzymes and are manufactured entirely from renewable sources, resulting in a low carbon footprint.
Among other things, the company has seen promising test results for use in concrete, where the additive could improve performance in infrastructure projects, and in packaging applications, where it can be used to make 100 percent biosourced and fully recyclable translucent film, displacing traditional plastic film.
FPInnovations, an organization that specializes in the creation of solutions that accelerate the growth of the Canadian forest products sector, led the partnership that developed the extraction technology to produce cellulose filaments.
Performance BioFilaments Inc., a joint venture established by Resolute and Mercer International Inc., is working to commercialize nontraditional applications for the product.
The new plant is expected to produce up to 21 tonnes of cellulose filaments per day and to create about thirty new jobs, in addition to the approximately 200 existing jobs at the Kénogami paper mill.
This new production of cellulose filaments will significantly benefit not only Resolute Forest Products but also the region and the forest products industry. Through its Wood Innovation Program, our government is proud to back businesses that establish themselves with such innovative projects and to support communities where the forest sector is a driving economic force. I commend Resolute’s entire team for contributing, through innovation, to the diversification of Québec’s wood products and for helping decarbonize our economy, said Québec Minister of Natural Resources and Forests Maïté Blanchette Vézina in a statement from Québec City.
